New packaging is coming for Charleston, S.C.-based hydroponic leafy greens grower Vertical Roots.
General manager Andrew Hare said at the Southeast Produce Council’s Southern Exposure event that the company will be moving to a plant-based adhesive on its living lettuce container so it can be recycled more easily. For its cut lettuce, Vertical Roots uses a clamshell with a peel-and-reseal top that uses significantly less plastic than a traditional clamshell lid.
The attributes the company calls out on its packaging include no pesticides, superior flavor, longer shelf life and non-GMO. It has been using local as part of its messaging also, but because the company’s distribution is expanding, that will change, Hare said.
Vertical Roots now supplies products in 13 states, expanding from the Southeast into the Mid-Atlantic.
Given that growth, the company will be switching up its local messaging and turning the focus to its sustainable practices with the tagline Planet’s Best Lettuce – Grown Indoors with Sustainability in Mind.
Vertical Roots produces about three million pounds of various leafy greens annually, Hare said.
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