North America’s largest greenhouse lettuce grower, Revol Greens, has acquired BJ’s Produce Inc, operating under the widely recognized Living Fresh brand, in Athens, Georgia, to establish its first East Coast greenhouse operation.
The deal, completed on October 12, 2021, entails the purchase of the existing greenhouses as well as the planned commencement of new greenhouse construction to meet increasing customer demand.
Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
The move also brings Revol Greens’ closer to meeting its “Five Facilities in Five Years” goal to reach all Americans with its products two years ahead of schedule.
Launched in 2016, Revol Greens has a goal to be able to reach 100 percent of the U.S. with its robust selection of greenhouse-grown lettuce and Premium Organic Salad Kits. Based in Owatonna, Minnesota, Revol Greens has recently announced the first harvest at its new 64-acre Tehachapi, California location as well as the commencement of greenhouse construction in Temple, Texas.
Bentley Mills, owner of BJ’s Produce Inc., will join Revol’s leadership team as General Manager in Athens. “Revol Greens is bringing a national presence to our local supply of Living Fresh branded fresh greens and will maintain the connections we’ve built with retail customers and consumers,” says Mills. “We admire the lengths Revol Greens goes to research, develop and innovate in new varieties, technology, processes and greenhouse environments that have yielded the highest quality greens out there. I am honored to join the team and apply the expertise our team has proven over the past 20 years.”
Currently, the Living Fresh brand is sustainably grown, non-GMO, and available in butter head, romaine head, and basil, serving long-standing foodservice and retail partnerships including Whole Foods Market, Sprouts, Walmart, Kroger and Harris Teeter, a division of Kroger. Revol Greens already produces a vast array of product innovations, including Organic living head lettuces, Organic baby leaf blends, as well as the new Premium Organic Salad Kits. The greenhouse pioneer also developed a new Plant-Fed™ Organic nutrient source for their USDA Certified Organic lettuce that is 100% free of the animal byproducts commonly found in other organic fertilizers.
“Expanding the reach of our greenhouse protected lettuces to the Southeast was crucial to fulfilling customer demand. Bentley and his team allow us to deliver upon that beginning today,” says Michael Wainscott, Chief Executive Officer of Revol Greens. “As one of the first CEA lettuce growers in the country, we are proud to continue the legacy and maintain the strong local heritage that has established in Athens while introducing the innovations and technology that allow Revol Greens to produce safe, quality leafy greens to millions of households around the country within 24 hours of harvest.”
The Athens, Georgia location is near Atlanta and major distribution hubs, providing efficient access to East Coast markets.
