Local, Fresh, and Sustainably Grown: Expanding Lettuce Producer Fueled by UGI
On top of a mountain in McAdoo is a massive lettuce grower named Little Leaf Farms. Not only is the lettuce growing, so is the business. Little Leaf is now the fastest-growing packaged salad brand in the United States and the largest indoor grower in North America. UGI natural gas continues to fuel the company and its expansion.
“This location in Eastern Pennsylvania is ideal,” says Jed Sekaran, Little Leaf’s Executive Vice President of Operations. “The proximity to Interstates 80 and 81 is key for distribution, the mountain’s wind and sunshine help with growing lettuce, and our partnership with UGI is critical to receiving the natural gas we need to make what we do possible.”
What Little Leaf does is produce enough lettuce in its soon-to-be 40 acres of greenhouses to create up to 300,000 salads a day. Little Leaf plans to continue to expand to 60 acres in McAdoo.
Several community partners-including Banks and Kline Townships, Greater Hazleton CAN DO, Inc., and the Commonwealth-have also contributed to the company’s growth. Notably, thanks to Pennsylvania’s innovative Pipeline Investment Program (PIPE), Little Leaf received a grant to help offset the cost of installing over a half mile of natural gas pipeline to serve the facility and the hundreds of jobs it supports.
Little Leaf’s four varieties of lettuce grow in 10-acre greenhouses using technology that allows it to be harvested without ever being touched by human hands. The lettuce is also grown free of pesticides, herbicides, or fungicides.
The temperature-controlled greenhouses make year-round cultivation possible, with natural gas-fueled boilers (pictured) maintaining the optimal climate 365 days a year.
Did You Know? Little Leaf’s packaged lettuce is available in more than 7,000 grocery stores and in restaurants across the East Coast. After the lettuce is harvested, it is on store shelves within 24 to 48 hours.
The operation also harnesses natural rainwater and a sustainable heating system that recirculates carbon dioxide, promoting healthier, higher-quality plants and maximizing efficiency.
Sekaran says, “Little Leaf’s mission is to produce better lettuce at a better value, and we want to offer our lettuce in more communities across the country.”
