Salads, wraps, smoothies…you name it, and leafy greens are joining the party. Serving as the perfect accompaniment—or even center—of nearly any dish, items like lettuce, spinach, kale, and more have surely earned a “staple” status on summer menus and grocery lists. What does the category have in store for buyers looking to harness the momentum of this shopper favorite? Find out from these supply-side experts…
“At Taylor Farms, we love everything there is about leafy greens. From salads to smoothies and midday snacks, you can enjoy every shade of green, red, and purple. Consumers may seek out the crisp textures of Romaine, Little Gem, or Iceberg lettuces or the softer textures that come from baby spinach, arugula, or tender greens found in Spring Mix. Incorporating leafy greens into every meal is not only tasty, but easy! Shoppers can enjoy their greens with their favorite seasonal citrus and a hint of oil and vinegar, or let Taylor Farms make it easy by grabbing one of our washed and ready-to-eat Chopped Salad Kits made with restaurant-inspired dressings and toppings to create a love affair with leafy greens!”
“There’s nothing quite like the crisp taste of fresh green leaf and red leaf lettuce in your salads or the invigorating crunch of Romaine when you add it to a sandwich! With a sweet flavor and tender texture, these are some of the best lettuce varieties you can enjoy. Even better, they are packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that will keep you healthy and strong throughout the year. We take care to grow leaf lettuce at our California farms in Oxnard and Salinas between April and early November to ensure optimal freshness and quality for not only our customers, but shoppers as well. Give them a try in your summer dishes and taste the difference!”
“Summer is officially salad season, and creating fresh crispy salads for virtually every meal is top of mind for consumers. To generate some buzz around lettuces and increase sales in the category, create a lettuce destination in your produce department with beautiful displays that offer a mix of head and leaf lettuces, including different colors and textures. We know consumers like variety, so creating noteworthy displays that showcase different types and pack sizes of lettuces is more likely to generate interest and inspiration. Retailers can make their displays reflect everything from lettuces as essential salad ingredients and BBQ fixings to picnics and beach day sandwiches. It’s also a great opportunity to do some cross-promoting with other products. Our biggest lettuce sellers are Romaine and Iceberg, with our loose leaf lettuces rounding out our full lettuce offering and creating a one-stop lettuce solution for our customers.”
“At Ippolito International, we offer a wide range of commodity and value-added products to meet the needs of our retail and foodservice customers. Our lineup includes all the must-have leafy greens that are so vital during the warm summer months. From sandwich-loving green leaf to salad favorites like Romaine, red leaf, and Butter leaves, Ippolito’s focus on quality and freshness is second to none.
On our value-added side, we are especially proud of our restaurant favorite, the Legacy salad blends. These Legacy and Sweet Legacy salad blends feature a variety of delicately robust leaf types that create a loftier plate presentation. Their crisp, firm texture offers a unique flavor profile as well. Leafy greens are a must-have vegetable during the hot summer months. These nutrient-rich items provide a refreshing and cooling taste that can be enjoyed in many ways.”
“The seasonal demand along with the availability of leafy green vegetables during the summer is an excellent way to promote the consumption of healthy fresh vegetables. Leafy green vegetables are versatile, making them easy to incorporate into a variety of recipes. A salad is a simple and delicious way to consume leafy green vegetables, especially during the summer. An easy salad recipe for summer is a wedge salad using Foxy iceberg lettuce. The Nunes Company markets and sells over 70 different conventional and organic fresh produce items, including leafy green vegetables under the Foxy and Foxy Organic brands.”
“The summer months are ideal for salads. Here at Church Brothers Farms, we’re promoting value-added items as well as specialty whole heads. The three blends added to our Tuscan Salads lineup last year have all been picked up by nationwide concepts, and the feedback we’re getting is that they offer foodservice operators menu differentiation. People are tired of chopped Romaine, and Tuscan Salads offer something new. For whole heads, we’ve seen tremendous growth with our Little Gems and Petite Romaine offerings. From scoops to dippers, sharable wedges, or as a carb/gluten alternative, versatility is key for both of these items, and operators are eating them up—literally.”
“Salinas, California—the Salad Bowl of the World—yields a bounty of leafy greens that offers opportunities for vibrant merchandising displays. Showcasing key varieties like crisp Romaine lettuce and nutrient-rich spinach can entice shoppers to seek fresh, healthy options, and emphasizing their versatility in salads, wraps, and smoothies can inspire shoppers. Leveraging seasonal promotions and engaging displays that showcase the freshness and abundance of leafy greens can drive sales and encourage consumers to embrace summer’s harvest.”
“Gold Coast offers multiple options for customers in leafy greens—from baby and teen spinach to whole and cut kale, numerous salad blends, and a variety of salad kits. We specialize in personalization for our customers and work closely with them to develop varieties, cuts, blends, and pack styles to suit their needs and their customer requirements.
Leafy greens continue to be a focus area for Gold Coast and are an important part of our long-term product mix strategy. As consumer demand for leafy greens continues to evolve, Gold Coast offers year-round, innovative solutions for foodservice and retail customers alike.” 
