With the impending completion of phase 2 less than five months away, Whole Leaf is set to be the largest lettuce greenhouse operation in North America.

The new state-of-the-art facility, opened its doors at Coaldale, Alta., last year. It introduced five proprietary technologies to North American production — making it possible to annually grow “clean, environmentally responsible, and safe” lettuce varieties in Canada, all year long.

Owned by the Star Group of Companies, there’s been an additional $30 million into the greenhouse operation for this second building phase, bringing the total investment to $60 million. The facility has 11 acres of glass and automated systems that make it possible to grow and package up to 24 million heads of the branded “Inspired Greens” per year.

“Our vision is to grow lettuce in a clean and trusted environment for everyone to enjoy,” says David Karwacki, CEO of The Star Group of Companies, which owns Whole Leaf.

The products are grown with triple-filtrated water and are untouched by human hands from seed through harvest. This process addresses persistent concerns over the safety of field romaine lettuce, the company says.

Phase 2 is set to be completed by March 15th, 2019.