New plant-based nutrient source by Revol Greens provides increased produce safety
Revol Greens, the largest greenhouse lettuce grower in North America, harvests and delivers its packaged lettuce products within one day, resulting in the freshest taste and peak nutrition with a shelf life four to six days longer than out-of-state greens.
The Minnesota-based company typically delivers its products within a 300-mile radius, which could include customer distribution centers, whereby the product is then shipped out to stores from there. “For the most part, our product reaches North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin. We use a mix of self-distribution and 3rd party,” explains Marc Vergeldt, director of Research and Development at Revol Greens.
Rollout of a proprietary plant-based organic nutrient source marks the next step in a nationwide organic greenhouse program. A first in the lettuce industry for both field and greenhouse environments, the newly developed Plant Fed™ organic fertilizer is behind Revol’s newest product line extension, which includes USDA-certified Organic Spring Mix, Green & Red Duo, and Romaine Crunch.
Simpson said that the innovation can work for other hothouse-grown products including cucumbers, tomatoes, etc.
Revol moved on the organic solution to further enhance the safety and integrity of its packaged lettuce. “This new organic nutrient source means that our lettuce is fed by plants. We've devoted years of research and testing to perfect this solution,” said Vergeldt. “We are the first grower—indoor or outdoor—to use such a source at scale.”
Unlike organic and conventional outdoor grown “triple washed” lettuce, no chemical cleaning or chlorine is used in Revol’s organic packaging process. From seed to packaging, no human hands touch Revol Greens’ baby lettuces or greens, which further mitigates the spread of contaminants.
Vergeldt explains the seed to packaging process:
- First, our automation equipment auto-fills our growing “boards” with soil, seed and water.
- Then the boards are germinated for a tailored period of time by variety.
- The boards are then transported automatically to the greenhouse where they are transferred to their appropriate zone.
- The boards then float from one side of the greenhouse throughout their lifecycle. For some varieties, it is as quick as 17 days and for others, it is up to 32 days.
- Once mature, the boards are transported automatically to the harvest area where they are harvested with equipment.
- The harvested product is systematically blended by recipe, filled and sealed into a retail-ready container using equipment.
For more information on Revol Greens, visit http://www.revolgreens.com.
Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!
