Head east through Huntsville along a flat stretch of state route 39 and you'll pass an unremarkable cluster of white shipping containers. The six 40-footers sit side-by-side and look as if they could be storage units. There's no sign, just a small gravel parking area alongside rough pasture land.
What's inside may surprise you — a farm, founded by two brothers, that grows lettuce and herbs year round. It's called Fresh Simple Greens. Cooper Griffiths, 25, swings open the door to the container marked "2". A sweet, floral aroma engulfs us. In the red hue of LED lights (which act as artificial sunlight), dozens of leafy bundles protrude from a wall.
After two-and-a-half years in business, Cooper says, "It's like a constant science project." But patience and persistence are paying off. Orders continue to increase — from customers who buy direct and rave about the crisp, fresh taste of their lettuce, and more recently from grocery stores, which buy their herbs.
"We started to think," Porter said, "could we grow full-size vegetables?" Cooper, Porter and their dad, began a "group brainstorm" and tumbled "down a rabbit hole." They researched and plotted for a year. By December 2021, Porter and Cooper incorporated the business. They purchased seven acres of agricultural land in Huntsville, a Mercedes-Benz sprinter van to make deliveries, and six climate-controlled containers made for indoor farming from the Boston-based company Freight Farms. According to Freight Farm's website, one container requires a surprisingly small amount of water, about five gallons a day, and can grow the equivalent of 2.5 acres of produce.
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