Meet the Growers
Grateful Greens is a hydroponic lettuce and herb farm located just 5 minutes north of downtown Louisville, in Clarksville Indiana. They operate out of an 18,000 sq. ft. greenhouse, growing aprox. 35,000 plants.
The greenhouse is cycled 14 times over the course of a year, which means an annual production of almost a half million plants. In addition to hydroponically grown lettuces and herbs, They also offer a wide variety of micro greens, pea shoots, wheatgrass, and edible flowers.
The farm grows seasonal items such as heirloom and small size tomatoes. Their edible flowers and tomatoes are grown conventionally.
The farm opened for business in November 2000, growing a wide range of lettuces, herbs and edible flowers in an 8,500 sq. ft. greenhouse, just west of the Old Louisville neighborhood. They started with 2 employees, 7 clients and approximately 12,000 plants.
They used a local specialty produce distributor to get their products into a few select restaurant kitchens and did no direct selling to the public. In 2002, they invested in metal halide lighting. This critical addition enabled them to bump up their annual crop production from 175,000 plants, to over 210,000.
As time went on and they gained experience and confidence, as well as more clients, they took a big leap and began handling all of their own distribution. This gave them total control of their products from seed to chef, but more importantly, regular face to face contact with their clients.
2007 was a notable year for them as they broadened their horizons and entered into a relationship with Horton Fruit Company. Hortons introduced their basil into outlying and out of state markets that had previously been unavailable to them. As their client list continued to grow, so did their product offerings.
Micro greens became a hot addition to their product list in 2007, with wheatgrass and pea shoots following in ’08. Micro crops were not the only thing sprouting in 2008. Grateful Greens joined with a new business partner and began a major expansion project which included the purchase of 3 acres, approximately 10 minutes north of our original location, in Clarksville Indiana. Their new 18,000 sq.ft. facility opened in December of 2009 and includes a packing house and support building.
Their staff has doubled from 2 to over 4 hardworking employees and they’re now serving more than 20 clients with a product list including basil, Bibb, romaine, mixed lettuces, various herbs, micro greens, wheatgrass, edible flowers and seasonal items. While they still do no direct selling to the general public, their quality products can be found in the best restaurants in Louisville, and many local specialty food shops.
They are very proud to have been featured on local chefs’ menus at The James Beard House in New York City, as well as having their greens served at the Kentucky State Ball for the 2009 presidential inauguration in Washington D.C. and of course, UIndy Dining.
Grateful greens provides the following produce to UIndy Dining
Watercress