Inside the Chicago Greenhouse Turning Lettuce Into a Local Sustainability Story

CHICAGO - Sustainability meets innovation at Gotham Greens, a giant greenhouse in Chicago's Pullman neighborhood.

Inside, you'll find four acres worth of sustainable leafy greens and herbs.

"Everything is grown right here, from seed to harvest, and then packaged here on site," said Jenn Frymark, Chief Greenhouse Officer.

"Salad kids, dips and dressings and basil. And the way we grow is called controlled environmental agriculture. We're growing in greenhouses and hydroponics so that we can grow using 90% less water and 97% less land than traditional field growing," Frymark said.

Greenhouse growing also provides big safety benefits, and after several recalls of contaminated leafy greens in recent years, consumers are taking notice.

"Lettuce is really becoming a big greenhouse crop in the U.S. and that's driven by the demand for local food from the customers, people caring about sustainability, wanting food grown closer to home. But the food safety from the retailers too," said Frymark.

The company opened its first Chicago greenhouse on top of the Method Products manufacturing plant back in late 2015 and then opened a second greenhouse on a site formerly home to Ryerson Steel in 2019 to better keep up with demand. In 2024, they added 55,000 square feet to the second site.

Consumers can find their products at most retailers, including Whole Foods and Jewel.