by GrowUp Admin | Feb 28, 2023 | News
Fresh Leaf Co.® has launched into the prepped salad category with its new red + green mix. The brand, created by GrowUp Farms, will initially be available exclusively in selected Iceland stores nationwide. Fresh Leaf Co. gives shoppers affordable and tasty salad that stays fresher in your fridge.
The UK relies on importing 67% of the salad we eat each year, and over 90% in the winter. Fresh Leaf Co. will help keep salad on the shelf while the UK battles with supply chain issues. Every leaf is grown and packed in the UK in a vertical farm, using 100% renewable energy.
GrowUp Farms, a pioneer in UK vertical farming, has been producing restaurant-quality greens for almost a decade. Vertical Farming is a way of growing food indoors under LED lighting with complete control of the growing environment. In the perfect conditions on a vertical farm, plants are grown without pesticides. They are ready to eat and have a naturally long shelf life.
The red + green mix is a combination of rich red and crispy green baby lettuce leaves. The naturally longer-lasting leaves solve the big problem of bagged salad going to waste. 63% of shoppers say they would buy more bagged salad, and buy it more often if they knew they would waste less.
Lisa Bell at Fresh Leaf Co. says “The launch of Fresh Leaf Co.’s red + green mix into Iceland shows how innovation and technology can support UK food and farming to build resilience and become more self-sufficient. We created the brand in direct response to the never-ending pressure on shoppers’ purse strings. People want to eat healthily and don’t want to waste food or money. From 28th February, Iceland customers will be able to add our great tasting leaves into their weekly shop!”
Andrew Staniland, Group Trading Director at Iceland says “Having Fresh Leaf Co. on our shelves gives Iceland shoppers an affordable salad that’s grown year-round in the UK. Shopping on a budget doesn’t have to mean compromising on healthy eating or sustainable values.
Our Doing It Right Plan means we’re committed to selling affordable, quality British-grown food, and giving Iceland customers sustainable choices – Fresh Leaf Co. allows us to do both.”
Fresh Leaf Co. salad will be on selected Iceland shelves from 28th February priced at £1.
by GrowUp Admin | Nov 11, 2022 | News
GrowUp has achieved an impressive overall B Impact Score of 104.7, with a commendable score of 33.8 in the Workers section. GrowUp growers of fantastic-quality, sustainable salads, celebrates a major milestone, as it is proud to announce that it has been awarded B Corp accreditation. The vertical farmers have been awarded the distinguished overall B Impact Score of 104.7, against the pass threshold of 80 points. To score above 100 points on first accreditation is an exceptional achievement, as is achieving a score of 33.8 in the heavily weighted Workers section as a farming or manufacturing business.
The B Corp movement is focused on harnessing the power of business as a force for good, and GrowUp Farms is delighted to be part of this mission.
The vertical farm company was assessed against all pillars of the B Impact Assessment, which scores a company’s performance in the areas of Governance, Workers, Community, Environment and Customers.
The B Impact pillars scrutinised to achieve B Corp status include:
Workers: How GrowUp contributes to employees’ financial, physical, professional, and social well-being
Governance: Policies and practices pertaining to the business mission, ethics, accountability, and transparency
Community: How GrowUp contributes to the economic and social well-being of the communities in which it operates through diversity, equity and inclusion as well as supply chain management
Environment: How GrowUp is committed to environmental care and resource conservation
Customers: How GrowUp practices customer stewardship
Kate Hofman, GrowUp’s co-founder says: “Achieving B Corp accreditation is a big step for us, and – with a business model rooted in sustainable practices – it is an amazing milestone for our team. We founded this business to have the right impact. We brought vertical farming to the UK, and 10 years later at Pepperness, we’re proud to be growing better salads, at an affordable price, whilst hitting the environmental and social goals we first set out to achieve. Not only do we grow exclusively in the UK and use renewable energy to run our farms, we’re proud to be part of a rich heritage of food and farming in Kent.
Our mission is to grow sustainable food that’s accessible to more people: better food for all. We’re obsessed with veg and salad is the ultimate plant-based food. We knew the tipping point would be when we could sell a better salad, at an affordable price, and still meet the highest standards for environmental and social sustainability. After a decade of perfecting how we grow, we’re proud to say this is where we are today, and this recognition from B Corp is the cherry on the cake for us.”
