Little Leaf Farms

This interview details Little Leaf Farms, an indoor farming company based in the United States. The interview is with Paul Sellew, Founder and CEO of Little Leaf Farms.

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What is the origin story of Little Leaf Farms?

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I grew up helping with my family’s ornamental greenhouse nursery business, Pride’s Corner Farms, but I pursued a career focused on food production.  I founded Backyard Farms, a greenhouse tomato company utilizing controlled environment agriculture (CEA), with the goal of producing locally grown, higher-quality food for the New England market. That same goal is what prompted me to start Little Leaf Farms in 2015. I felt there was an opportunity in the lettuce market to grow fresher, better leafy greens that don’t have to travel thousands of miles like lettuce grown on the West Coast.

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Since opening our first greenhouse, we’ve been on a mission to build a more resilient food system, pioneering a peri-urban approach in CEA. This means that we’re building our greenhouses in the surrounding regions of major urban centers to minimize the amount our leafy greens have to travel to reach the consumer, resulting in lettuce that lasts longer and tastes better.

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What are some of the biggest challenges facing Little Leaf Farms in the future?  

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Controlled environment agriculture (CEA) makes up less than 4% of the packaged salad category. In order to grow this industry and continue to provide consumers with our leafy greens, additional capacity has to be built and staffed with skilled employees, which can be a challenge. We’re grateful to have a best-in-class team at Little Leaf Farms that’s committed to growing great lettuce, and continuing to retain those folks and attract additional teammates is essential to our success.

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What is unique about Little Leaf Farms compared to competitors?

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At Little Leaf Farms, we approach growing lettuce as a farming company, rather than a tech company. While our technology is cutting-edge, we’re focused on growing sustainable, local lettuce that most importantly tastes great. Our growing methods are also much different than other indoor leafy green producers, as we harness the free power of the sun and utilize captured rainwater that’s disinfected to nurture our plants. We also ensure that our leafy greens are never touched by human hands from seeding to harvesting to packaging, meaning the consumer doesn’t have to wash them before enjoying them.

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As part of our commitment to quality, our lettuce is delivered from our greenhouses to grocery store shelves within 24 hours, 365 days a year, spending less time traveling than most other lettuces. This, in addition to our sustainable growing practices, results in fresh, flavorful leafy greens that remain crispy even days after purchase. Our fans agree – we’ve received thousands of positive emails and voicemails from them about how our leafy greens have changed the way they think about lettuce, which we’ve turned into the voice of the brand.

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What is the current size of your growing area?

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Our total operating greenhouses in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania cover 30 acres, and we will have another 10 acres operating in Pennsylvania before the end of 2024. We use this space efficiently and have 30x more yield than conventional farms. In fact, 10 acres of our indoor greenhouse replaces 300 acres in a traditional farm. As we continue to grow, our goal is to have 100 acres under glass by 2026 to make our leafy greens accessible to more than half the country’s population.

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Do you use CO2 in your operation today -- What are your thoughts on CO2 usage in indoor farms?  

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We do use CO2 in our operations, as it promotes photosynthesis and thereby supports plant growth and yield. This is a common and well-established practice in greenhouse cultivation.

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How can people connect with you or learn more about Little Leaf Farms?

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We love to hear from our fans how much our leafy greens have changed the way they think about lettuce. Folks can connect with us on our social channels, including Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook, or head to our website, LittleLeafFarms.com, to learn more about Little Leaf Farms and find a retailer near them. 

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