Lettuce

Add lettuce to your food or agricultural business
By Mary Beth Doyle With the right soil and proper shade, lettuce can grow in many different climates, making it a great addition to a new or growing agricultural business. There are even types of lettuce that grow better in the warm season and others when it’s cool, so you can keep your lettuce business going throughout most of the year.

If learning how to grow lettuce is not part of your business plan, you can still add this nutritious crop to your food business. There are a variety of lettuce growers, including those that are growing organic lettuce, that will distribute lettuce in all corners of the country. Before you enter the lettuce business, ask yourself the following:

1. Do you want to purchase lettuce seeds in order to grow lettuce on your own?

2. Would you prefer to purchase this produce from lettuce distributors?

3. Do you want to focus on lettuce distributors that offer organic produce?

Grow your own lettuce

Unlike its more temperamental produce cousins, lettuce can typically grow in most climates, provided it's given the proper amount of shade and quality soil. When purchasing seeds, choose ones that will grow best in your area, just as you would any other plant.
Try:  Roguelands Seed Company offers seeds for bib lettuce, iceberg, red romaine and more. The company will provide special pricing for bulk orders. Neseed.com sells both bulk and packet seeds for home or commercial purposes. Its line of organic lettuce seeds include Black Seeded Simpson, Buttercrunch and Romaine, among other varieties.

Choose from lettuce distributors across the country

Fresh, quality lettuce can be had even without growing it on your own. Research the many lettuce distributors out there, and choose ones that seem to focus on the type of lettuce you or your customers want most.
Try:  Tom Lange is a distributor of fruits and vegetables. The company prides itself on its knowledge of local and regional products and can provide high-quality lettuce and other produce to food service companies throughout the United States in a timely manner. Elegance Distributors provides a variety of baby lettuces to restaurants and grocers across the country. All of its products are harvested to order and never warehoused.

Find an organic lettuce distributor

Take freshness and quality one step further by exploring organic lettuce. Just like most produce today, the cost of organic lettuce has gone down as more and more customers are eating up the stuff.
Try:  Pacific Coast is a distributor of fresh fruits and vegetables, including organic lettuce. The company is located in Portland, Oregon, and has been in business for more than 30 years. Natural Selection Foods is an organic lettuce distributor, in addition to supplying other organic produce, baked goods and beverages.

• There is plenty of lettuce information online to help you learn how to grow lettuce. Also ask your local nursery or local farmer for helpful tips.