Mastronardi launching Backyard Farms lettuce line

Mastronardi Produce says it is launching a lettuce line under its Backyard Farms brand that will support growers in Florida and Colorado.

According to the announcement, Mastronardi is partnering with two family-owned lettuce greenhouses – Naples Fresh in Naples, Florida and Spring Born in Silt, Colorado – that were “facing challenges.” Naples Fresh needed a marketing partner to fuel sales, while Spring Born “idle its operations late last year due to insufficient retail presence.”

"We have relationships with growers spanning decades, and we highly value them," said Dean Taylor, VP of Business Development at Mastronardi Produce. "We have always fostered relationships that are win-win, so we are thrilled to partner with Naples Fresh and Spring Born to launch our Backyard Farms lettuce line while supporting both the local workforce and food supply at the same time."

Both facilities, Mastronardi says, are new and feature “cutting-edge growing systems for leafy greens.”

"Mastronardi Produce is an industry pioneer with innovative spirit," expressed Nicholas Martins, Managing Director of Naples Fresh. "This partnership supercharges our ability to serve the community in our backyard – in Florida and the greater Southeast region."

"The entire team at Spring Born is eager to partner with the leader in produce," said Charles Barr, CEO of Spring Born. "Our greenhouse was built to serve high volume customers, and we could not have found a better partner to serve the Colorado market.

The greenhouse grown lettuce from Naples Fresh and Spring Born will supply butterhead, red leaf, green leaf, romaine, and organic spring mix blends to the new lettuce line. The Backyard Farms brand now has footholds in Maine, New York, Michigan and Ohio in addition to Colorado and Florida.