Expanding what is already one of the most diverse greenhouse baby leaf and head lettuce portfolios on the market, Revol Greens is adding a large-scale chopped romaine program with three new retail varieties available at select retailers throughout the Midwest: Premium Romaine Salad, Leafy Romaine Chop and Vibrant Romaine Blend (SRP $2.99-$3.99 for 7.5-oz. packages). There also will be channel-specific packaging available for foodservice, serviced out of the Minnesota greenhouse.
“Frequent industry recalls of field-grown lettuce have driven consumer demand for a safer alternative. We began the extensive research and development process into perfecting our greenhouse-grown chopped romaine over three years ago so that we could provide this reliable romaine product for consumers and retailers,” said Brendon Krieg, co-founder of Revol Greens. “We conducted hundreds of varietal trials and process configurations to find the right balance of color, texture and shelf life. Our investment has paid off, as we’ve received outstanding feedback from consumers and chefs on the quality.”
Revol Green’s non-GMO romaine is chopped, washed and blended with other fresh ingredients, including carrots and radicchio. Beyond its crunchy-fresh taste, another measure of quality is an abundance of nutrient-rich leaves, which are free of the yellow-white core commonly found in field-grown environments and can be susceptible to an appearance of “rusting.”
The three new SKUs join Revol Greens’ existing romaine offerings, including Romaine Crunch (baby leaf romaine), Romaine Twins (two baby head lettuces) and other baby leaf blends.
- Premium Romaine Salad: Chopped romaine and green leaf with carrots and radicchio;
- Leafy Romaine Chop: Chopped romaine with green leaf lettuce; and
- Vibrant Romaine Blend: Chopped romaine with red and green leaf and butter lettuce.
The chopped romaine line will be grown and distributed out of Revol’s headquarters in Owatonna, Minnesota, and in its new Tehachapi, California location beginning in June.
“The impact of multiple recalls in recent years has hurt consumer confidence in salads and leafy greens while also leaving retailers scrambling for alternatives to place on shelves,” said Krieg. “Our greenhouse-grown chopped romaine thrives in a controlled environment that is free of the most common sources of foodborne illness – and it’s all grown naturally through sustainable practices.”
Revol Greens’ indoor farms are protected from outside contaminants. All water used is UV sterilized and its nutrient source is free of any animal byproducts. Committed to growing all of its greens in a sustainable, food-safe manner, Revol never uses pesticides or fungicides in its “Grown Clean and Green” process.
As one of the largest sub-categories within the salad and lettuce category, romaine has been negatively impacted by multiple E. coli outbreaks linked to irrigation water tainted by nearby livestock farms. In 2018 and 2019, E. coli contaminated field-grown romaine, which spread across the country and sickened many across dozens of states. Further, the FDA recently announced two additional investigations of E. coli outbreaks. In 2019, greenhouse romaine was quickly cleared by the FDA for any risk of E. coli.
This product addition shortly follows Revol’s $68 million funding round led by Equilibrium Capital. With a strategy of five locations in five years, the company will pursue its first California harvest by this summer and Texas by early 2022. Earlier this month, Revol Greens introduced an industry-first plant fed organic nutrient source alongside its USDA Certified Organic lettuce varieties, which brings consumers and foodservice professionals the first organic lettuce that is free of any animal byproducts during the growing process.
