US (NH): New 75,000 sq. ft. lettuce greenhouse
That was the question Henry Huntington and Bob LaDue of Pleasant View Gardens had been asking themselves for the past few years. In fact, it was the primary motivation for them to start lēf Farms (pronounced “leaf”), and breaking ground on a brand new, 75,000-sq.-ft. greenhouse growing facility in the heart of New England.
“With the discerning tastes and Yankee practicality here in the Northeast, we truly couldn’t understand why anyone would choose to eat something that was perceived fresh but in reality was a week or so old,” stated lēf’s President and CEO, Henry Huntington. “We knew there was a tremendous opportunity to better serve the people of our region with greens that are truly fresh. To give them a choice while elevating their expectations of how fresh packaged lettuce could actually taste,” affirms Huntington.
Located in Loudon, New Hampshire, lēf Farms is currently in the final stages of construction and will be the first of its kind in the Northeast. Their grand opening is right around the corner, with finished product expected to be available as early as June, so lēf has already begun campaigning in a market that reportedly gets 90% of its lettuce from the West Coast.
“We will initially be able to produce 1.3 million pounds of fresh greens a year, with tremendous future capacity,” confirms lēf’s VP and COO, Bob LaDue. “Most importantly, our customers can get those greens within 24 hours from the time they’re harvested. Grocers, retailers, restaurants, schools, hospitals and consumers all across the Northeast will be getting the absolute freshest and most flavorful salad blends possible,” continues LaDue. “It’s something bagged lettuce shipped in from Mexico and California simply can’t match.”
Lēf greens will be grown in a climate-controlled greenhouse environment where baby greens will be harvested every day of the year – regardless of the weather. Knowing freshness equates to local production, much of the raw greens being harvested and shipped to the Northeast from the West Coast and beyond are being sent to East Coast packing plants, where they are transformed into “local” greens through the magic of packaging.
“This is the exact reason our tagline, ‘Fresh is right here’ is so important,” states an emphatic Huntington, “We’re truly grown in the Northeast – from start to finish – not packaged to trick people into thinking that.”
Lēf Farms’ hydroponic method of production relies on recycling water balanced with nutrients rather than dirt to provide essential minerals for optimal growth. And since the process delivers an exact amount of water, oxygen and nutrients to the plants, lēf is able to employ a plant nutrition program that has essentially zero waste. Plus, it uses as much as 90% less water than traditional farming, where water is used in excess and lost to the environment.
Lēf has invested heavily in technologies and techniques that will minimize the introduction of insect pests. This includes managing the high growth rates of its greens while also taking advantage of something the organic movement has helped make affordable: The use of beneficial insects to fight the bad ones.
For more information:
Lēf Farms
603.435.4500
www.lef-farms.com
