DOUBLE GRAINS, WHICH IS
MINNESOTA'S GREENHOUSE LETTUCE
FARM RECENTLY COMPLETED A MAJOR
EXPANSION.
WE RECENTLY SKYPE WITH MARK
SCHULTZ ABOUT THE GROWTH OF THE
BUSINESS AND HOW THEY ARE ABLE
TO GROW LETTUCE IN MINNESOTA
365 DAYS A YEAR.
MARK, HI, THANKS FOR JOINING
US TODAY.
IT'S BEAUTIFUL OUT THERE.
WE KNOW YOU JUST COMPLETED AN
EXPANSION THEIR ADMIRABLE
GREENS.
WE DID.
WE ACTUALLY JUST WENT FROM 2.5
ACRES TO 10 ACRES OF GREENHOUSE
DOWN HERE IN OWATONNA.
TELL US WHAT THAT HAS MEANT
FOR YOUR COMPANY, FOR THE
GROWING, I MEAN OBVIOUSLY, YOU
HAVE WAY MORE ROOM TO BE
PRODUCING THE LETTUCE AS YOU
ARE GROWING.
YEAH, YOU CAN SEE HERE, THIS
IS THE OLD 2.5 ACRE SITE.
IF YOU TOOK THIS AND MULTIPLY
IT TIMES THREE, YOU WOULD HAVE
A TOTAL OF 10 ACRES.
THAT IS LIKE 7.5 FOOTBALL
FIELDS UNDER GLASS.
SO THAT IS A LOT OF WHAT WE
CALL CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENTS
AGRICULTURE, AND IT'S A SUPER
EXCITING PERIOD FOR THE
COMPANY'S HISTORY.
WHAT'S GOING ON?
ARE YOU JUST SELLING?
IS THERE MORE DEMAND SINCE
PEOPLE ARE AT HOME, PERHAPS AN
COOKING MORE AND EATING MORE AT
HOME?
YOU KNOW, THE FOUNDERS HAVE
THE VISION THAT THEY COULD
PRODUCE A HEALTHIER, CLEANER,
FRESHER, GREENER, SAFER PRODUCT
HERE LOCALLY IN MINNESOTA.
SO THEY ESTABLISHED THIS IN
2017.
SO THIS DOESN'T USE ANY
PESTICIDES, THERE'S NO
CHEMICALS.
SO IT'S, YOU KNOW, IT'S LOCAL,
SUNLIGHT, NATURAL SUNLIGHT
HERE.
WE ACTUALLY CAPTURE THE
RAINWATER, RECYCLE THAT. SO WE
USE A LOT LESS RAINWATER THAN
THE OUTDOOR, LESS WATER THAN
OUTDOOR GROWERS.
YOU KNOW, THEIR VISION WAS
STRONG AND BECAUSE THE LOCAL
MARKETS AND THE LOCAL
COMMUNITIES, YOU KNOW,
SUPPORTING THE PRODUCT HAVE
BEEN INTERESTED, IT WAS JUST
TIME TO EXPAND.
SO WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO EXPAND
INTO GREATER GEOGRAPHIES.
WE ARE ACTUALLY SHIPPING INTO
THE FIVE STATE REGION NOW,
WHICH IS FANTASTIC AND EXCITING
FOR US.
THEN WE ARE ALSO EXPANDING THE
NUMBER OF PRODUCTS THAT WE ARE
GIVEN.
SO YOU CAN SEE, WE'VE GOT
NEARLY 11 SKUS OF PRODUCTS THAT
WE ARE PRODUCING.
IF YOU COMBINE LOCAL MARKETS.
PEOPLE KNOW RUBBLE GREENS,
WHAT'S NEW ON THE MARKET?
WHAT WILL BE NEW ON THE MARKET?
WELL, IT'S A LITTLE BIT OF A
SECRET.
WE ARE ACTUALLY RELEASING NEW
PRODUCTS HERE LATER IN THE
MONTH.
SO I CAN'T QUITE TELL YOU
EXACTLY.
SOME OF THOSE ARE MAYBE SHOWING
UP HERE.
YOU CAN ZOOM IN A LITTLE BIT
CLOSER.
I SEE SOME SWEET BUTTER,
SUITE NEXT.
KEEP IT QUIET, HEATHER.
IT'S A BIG SECRET WORK
LATER THIS MONTH.
EXACTLY.
EXPLAIN A LITTLE BIT ABOUT
YOUR GROWING PROCESS.
I DON'T KNOW IF A LOT OF OUR
VIEWERS UNDERSTAND WHAT'S GOING
ON BEHIND YOU THERE.
SO THIS IS A VERY MODERN
ENVIRONMENT.
BECAUSE IT'S INDOOR, WE CONTROL
THE CLIMATE, ESSENTIALLY.
WE CONTROL THE TEMPERATURE, WE
TAKE THE MOISTURE, THE HUMIDITY.
THAT MEANS IT'S GROWING,
IT'S IN WATER, RIGHT?
IT'S NOT IN TRADITIONAL SOIL.
WE WILL SCAN OVER THERE, YOU
CAN SEE IT'S ON AN OPEN WATER
POND SYSTEM THAT ACTUALLY IS
BOARDS OF PLANTED SEEDS THAT
OVER THE COURSE OF 21 DAYS,
BECOMES LETTUCE.
SO WE ARE A CONTINUAL HARVESTER.
WE ARE PLANTING AND THEN
DEPENDING ON THE VARIETY OF THE
CROP, WE ARE HARVESTING
SOMEWHERE BETWEEN 17 TO 21 DAYS
THAT THE FRUITS OF THAT PLANT.
SO IT'S OPEN WATER, IT'S GROWN.
YOU CAN KIND OF SEE THE
SEQUENCING.
IT STARTS DOWN THERE.
IT'S VERY SMALL BUT TIME HE
GETS HERE, IT'S BEAUTIFUL.
YOU CAN SEE THE BUTTER HAD
LETTUCE.
THIS IS A NICE LEAFY GREEN
LETTUCE THAT WE GOT. WE PUT IN,
QUITE A FEW OF OUR BLENDS.
AGAIN, THERE'S NO CHEMICALS, NO
PESTICIDES.
IT'S A CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT.
SO IT IS CLEANER AND IT IS
FRESHER.
AND ITS HARVESTED, AND WITHIN
THE POINT THAT ITS HARVESTED,
THIS DAY, IT'S ACTUALLY BEING
HARVESTED AS WE SPEAK.
IS GOING TO GET PACKED AND IT'S
GOING TO GET SHIPPED TO YOUR
LOCAL MARKET, YOUR LOCAL
RETAILER.
YOU'LL BE BUYING THIS PRODUCT
WITHIN ONE DAY OF WHEN IT CAME
OFF THE POND.
SO, AS OPPOSED TO THE PRODUCTS
THAT YOU MIGHT BE GETTING FROM
CALIFORNIA OR FROM MEXICO,
WHERE IT'S GOT FIVE OR SIX DAYS
OF SHIPPING AND TRANSIT TIME
ALREADY, THIS IS GOING TO BE
THE PRODUCT THAT YOU ARE GOING
TO HAVE ONE DAY OF, YOU KNOW,
IT'S BEEN PRODUCED ONE DAY.
THAT'S AMAZING, RIGHT?
YEAH, VERY EXCITING.
THAT'S WHY THINK PEOPLE HAVE
BEEN BUYING AND THEY LIKE IT.
THAT'S GIVEN US THE OPPORTUNITY
TO EXPAND.