‘An opportunity to help educate shoppers’

SHIRLEY — Little Leaf Farms founder and CEO Paul Sellew said his company has continued to grow since he launched it 11 years ago in town, especially amidst food safety concerns such as the recent cyclospora outbreak.

“We’ve certainly seen increased interest from consumers looking to understand the differences between greenhouse and field growing methods and seeking confidence in the products they buy,” Sellew said. “Our focus has been on transparency, answering questions, and continuing to deliver the safe, fresh lettuce our customers expect.”

He went on to say that whenever there is news about produce safety, it’s understandable that consumers have concerns and they are more than happy to address them.

“Little Leaf Farms products are not affected by the current cyclospora outbreak, and it’s been an opportunity to help educate shoppers about how and where their lettuce is grown,” said Sellew. “[Our] lettuce is grown within a closed system where environmental conditions such as temperature, humidity, light, carbon dioxide and nutrients are carefully regulated, and products are grown without pesticides.

“Additionally, all water — which is a common vector for these types of pathogens — is collected rainwater or human quality drinking water that is thoroughly disinfected via ultraviolet sterilization prior to entering our greenhouses, and our system is fully automated from seed to package to eliminate human handling of the product.”

Just weeks after American-based Taylor Farms recalled lettuce and other produce suspected of being tainted by the cyclosporiasis parasite, on Aug. 9 it recalled jalapeños linked to a salmonella outbreak. The California-headquartered producer of fresh-cut fruits and vegetables produces much of the lettuce sold in the country’s major grocers such as Target, Walmart and Whole Foods and is used in many fast-food restaurants including Taco Bell.

Sellew emphasized that with zero human contact during the production of Little Leaf Farms lettuces, they are “one of the safest choices during an outbreak.”

“Our lettuce is grown indoors in high-tech greenhouses, where the plants receive the precise amount of sunlight, water, and nutrients they need to thrive,” he shared. “Because the environment is carefully controlled, the plants are protected from many of the challenges that come with outdoor farming and our lettuce is not touched by humans, which is a huge benefit from a food safety perspective.”

Sellew said that he started Little Leaf Farms in 2015 with a simple idea behind it — “everyone deserves access to fresher, better lettuce.”

“After spending years in agriculture, I saw an opportunity to rethink how leafy greens are grown,” he said. “Instead of shipping lettuce thousands of miles across the country, why not grow it closer to where people live using controlled-environment agriculture? That vision became Little Leaf Farms and today we grow fresh lettuce year-round in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee for families across the Eastern U.S.”

Little Leaf Farms remain headquartered in Shirley and the advanced technology they use in their greenhouses there, which cover 10 acres, enables them to carefully control the environment and produce consistently high-quality greens all year long.

“Because we grow close to our customers, our lettuce goes from greenhouse to retailers in about a day versus a week or more with traditional lettuce,” Sellew said.

Little Leaf Farms can be purchased locally at Hannaford, Target, and Walmart in Leominster, all Market Basket locations including Fitchburg and Leominster, and at other retailers such as BJs, Market 32, and Stop & Shop. In addition to being incredibly conscious about food safety, the company is also committed to being environmentally friendly and as such all their plastic packaging is made of 100% post-consumer PET, which makes them infinitely recyclable.

This and more information can be found by visiting littleleaffarms.com and Sellew said they are “incredibly grateful every time someone chooses Little Leaf Farms.”

“When people buy our lettuce, they are supporting local agriculture, American farming innovation, and the hardworking team that grows fresh food every day of the year. It’s especially meaningful to be headquartered here in Massachusetts and we’ve been fortunate to grow alongside this community. We never take that support for granted.”

He shared that later this year they will be opening their newest greenhouse in Tennessee, which will allow Little Leaf Farms to continue bringing their fresh, locally grown products to even more people. As for future plans and goals for his company, Sellew imparted that their mission remains the same — “to help transform our food system by growing better food in a better way and make fresh, sustainably grown lettuce more accessible to more people.”