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Area Development - Site Selection, Facility Planning and Workforce Development

Little Leaf Farms Plans Coffee County, Tennessee, Production Operations

07/02/2025
Little Leaf Farms, a brand of packaged lettuce sustainably grown through controlled environment agriculture, plans to establish operations in Coffee County, Tennessee. The $75 million project is expected to create 318 jobs over the next five years.

The investment will include the construction of a new greenhouse facility at Manchester Industrial Park which will have the capacity to produce and distribute packaged leafy greens throughout the Midwest and Southeast U.S.

“When we launched Little Leaf Farms ten years ago, our mission was simple: to bring fresh, sustainably grown leafy greens to everyone. A decade later, that commitment remains unwavering and our expansion into Tennessee marks an exciting new chapter. With its central location and rich natural resources, Manchester is the perfect setting for year-round production and distribution, and we’re grateful to all of our partners here who made it happen,” Paul Sellew, founder and CEO, Little Leaf Farms said.

The project is being supported by the state’s AgTrack Cost Share Fund, an incentive program to promote and encourage agricultural development in Tennessee.

“Landing Little Leaf Farms in Tennessee is a testament to the strong, cohesive partnerships we have with our state and local leaders. I’m grateful to those who played a role in recruiting this company to Manchester, which will advance one of Tennessee’s most vital industries and allow Tennesseans the opportunity to live, work and raise a family right here in Coffee County,” noted TNECD Commissioner Stuart C. McWhorter.

Little Leaf Farms grows fresh, sustainably farmed lettuce 365 days a year utilizing captured rainwater, natural sunlight that shines through high transmission glass, and solar-powered energy in our precise, soil-less hydroponic farming. The company currently operates facilities in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania.

“The Little Leaf Farms project exemplifies how AgTrack cost share funds support agricultural operations that are expanding into Tennessee. Investments in Coffee County’s agricultural sector have the potential to positively impact neighboring economically distressed and at-risk counties. We are excited about Little Leaf Farms’ next growing site and the opportunities to come,” Tennessee Dept. of Agriculture Commissioner Charlie Hatcher, D.V.M. added.

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