7-Eleven Strengthens Commitment to Offer Sustainably Grown Fresh Produce
7-Eleven Inc. is launching a new venture in partnership with Plenty Unlimited Inc., an innovative leader in indoor vertical farming, that furthers its commitment to sustainability through the availability of fresh, sustainably grown produce in 7-Eleven locations throughout California.
This marks a significant step for 7-Eleven in providing customers with high-quality, locally grown produce that meets rigorous sustainability standards, the company said.
"We are thrilled to introduce Plenty to our salad offerings and bring their innovative and sustainable approach to fresh produce to our customers," said Marissa Jarratt, chief marketing and sustainability officer at 7-Eleven. "As part of 7-Eleven's Good Made Easy approach, we are continuing to find opportunities to offer products that not only meet our customers' expectations for quality but also contribute positively to environmental sustainability at scale."
In addition to creating fresh produce that can be harvested with peak-season flavor year-round, Plenty's indoor vertical farming technology champions efficiency and environmental stewardship.
The company's certified pesticide-free leafy greens use just 1% of the land typically required by traditional farms to achieve yields up to 350 times greater per acre. Additionally, Plenty's approach significantly reduces water usage by up to 90% compared to traditional farming, employing only a fraction of the water per kilogram of leafy greens produced.
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"We're proud to be working with 7-Eleven to bring sustainably grown produce into the heart of communities across California," said Dana Worth, SVP, commercial at Plenty. "Expanding our footprint into convenience stores with 7-Eleven marks an important milestone in making fresh, locally grown produce more accessible and we look forward to continued collaboration with 7-Eleven to offer customers convenient, fresh products."
Lettuce from Plenty's Compton, Calif., indoor farm will be used in salads sold at 1,300 7-Eleven stores across the state. Customers can enjoy the fresh, pesticide-free greens alongside premium ingredients in two classic salad options:
- California Cobb Salad: Featuring Plenty's Crispy Lettuce, topped with white meat chicken, sliced egg, grape tomatoes, applewood bacon, and a cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese blend, served with ranch dressing.
- Chicken Caesar Salad: Prepared with Plenty's Crispy Lettuce, white meat chicken, parmesan cheese, crunchy croutons, parmesan cheese crisps and a lemon wedge, accompanied by classic Caesar dressing.
"Our team is always on the lookout for ways to innovate and introduce new products that our customers can feel good about purchasing," said Deanna Hall, senior product director at 7-Eleven. "Introducing Plenty to our salad offerings in California is just one of the many ways we're continuing to evolve our fresh food to satisfy customer preferences."
Irving-based 7-Eleven Inc. operates, franchises and/or licenses more than 13,000 stores in the United States and Canada. In addition to 7-Eleven stores, the retailer operates and franchises Speedway, Stripes, Laredo Taco Co., and Raise the Roost Chicken and Biscuits locations.
This article was originally covered in sister publication Convenience Store News.
