When one Canadian greenhouse-grown leafy green company started production six years ago, the marketplace for its product looked a little different. "It was retail right at the beginning that moved the needle on interest and getting exposure for greenhouse-grown leafy greens. Now we're seeing a lot more food service and quick-service restaurants (QSR) investigating this channel for supply just because of what has happened the last couple of years in California and Arizona," says Rindi Bristol with Inspired Greens, which grows greens in its Alberta, Canada-based greenhouses.
"It was retail right at the beginning that moved the needle on interest and getting exposure for greenhouse-grown leafy greens. Now we're seeing a lot more food service and quick-service restaurants (QSR) investigating this channel for supply," says Rindi Bristol.
So while demand is good and steady for greenhouse greens, there are also new opportunities being investigated. While the company produces packaged greens, including mixes of romaine, Batavia lettuce, and more, it's also moved more heavily into the ready-to-eat salad category with its Inspired Salads line. "We're seeing a lot of interest in this category, and we have some unique customers. There are a lot of convenience stores and gas stations along with retailers going down the different omnichannels such as pick and collect who want to supply fresh and high-quality convenience items," says Bristol. "Especially as people are making their way back to the office and looking for healthy, convenient lunch options."
So while demand is good and steady for greenhouse greens, there are also new opportunities being investigated.
Sandwich category
There's also a new option for leafy greens that continues to emerge, and that is food service uses for burgers and sandwiches. "There are challenges being seen in California, for example, with environmental changes from droughts to floods in supplying greens. So these multinational QSR or casual fine dining restaurants are looking at how to keep salads on the menu year-round or spin them off to special menus or seasonal menus. Greenhouse lettuce options allow the menu cost to be set as the product pricing and volume can remain stable throughout the volatile transition periods that we have been witness to in the field market," says Bristol.
With that in mind, this season, Inspired Greens is working on strengthening its supply. This summer, production, and volume haven't been as strong as they were in previous years. "We're working on why that is. We're in summer, and consumers expect local produce, and we're doing everything we can to make sure we can be their choice for that," says Bristol. "There have been some unforeseen challenges this year, and typically what's been affected has been overall weight, though we are maintaining spec weights on our product. We're working hard to return our numbers to where they should be."
That said, red lettuce is one of the varieties that is staying strong in terms of quality and weight and is meeting production volumes.
For more information:
Carey Tufts
The Star Group
marketing@starproduce.com
http://starproduce.com