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Despite her agricultural side hustle, movie star Zooey Deschanel is adamant that she does not have a green thumb.
“People assume that because I’m the co-founder of Lettuce Grow, I love to garden,” she laughs. “I’m like, the whole point of Lettuce Grow is for people who don’t necessarily love to garden!”
Related: Zooey Deschanel Embraces the Word ‘Quirky’ and Thinks Businesses Should Too
Lettuce Grow is a hydroponic vertical garden system that allows you to grow fruits, vegetables, herbs and edible flowers at home. If you don’t know what that means, don’t worry, you’re not alone. While the wording can be confusing with Lettuce Grow, the mission is clear: make fresh produce more accessible.
While always passionate about the environment, Deschanel and her business partner and ex-husband Jacob Pechenik were particularly inspired to take on this challenge after becoming parents.
“While nurturing a baby, I wanted us all to eat as naturally as possible,” Pechenik shares. “But I was shocked by how expensive it was to buy real, unprocessed food.”
This realization led him down a rabbit hole, culminating in the creation of The Farm Project, their first venture aimed at revolutionizing the fresh produce industry. Through that process, Pechenik discovered that the real challenge isn’t growing the food — it’s getting it from the farm to people.
As he explains, our current food system prioritizes shelf-stable, packaged goods over fresh produce, even though eating more greens is better for both our health and the planet.
The problem is that greens don’t travel well — they start losing freshness the moment they’re picked, leading to about 50% waste due to spoilage during transport and at grocery stores.
This waste contributes to carbon emissions, water waste and chemical runoff from industrial farming. Pechenik believes addressing food distribution inefficiencies can significantly improve both health and environmental outcomes.
The key lies in the packaging — not just of the product, but of the message. To effectively market Lettuce Grow, the co-founders focused their messaging on personal health, connecting the dots between what people eat and how they feel.
“For most people, the motivation starts with personal health,” Pechenik says. “That’s what hits home.”
In a perfect world, everyone would have access to fresh produce, but Deschanel acknowledges that’s a lofty goal.
“We want to get everybody growing food at home because it’s the best way, but who wants to build a raised bed, haul in soil and wait for seeds to germinate?” she says.
While gardening offers numerous benefits, it also comes with barriers like cost, knowledge and time—especially for busy people. Lettuce Grow’s newest product, the Counterstand, aims to break down these barriers and guide everyday people toward growing their own food.
“We wanted to take the guesswork out of growing and make it fun and easy,” Deschanel explains. “If someone says they don’t have time, we say it only takes five minutes a week. If they’re unsure what it looks like, we show them how great it looks on a countertop or patio. It’s like training wheels for growing.”
The Counterstand is not just a growing system — it’s a lifestyle piece that helps people grow their own plants.
“It’s especially great for people who live alone or struggle to use up fresh produce,” says Pechenik. “You can have lettuce, basil, or onions growing right on your countertop all season, cutting as needed.”
In keeping with its mission of accessibility, Lettuce Grow recently partnered with Costco to sell the Counterstand and their popular FarmStand Nook.
“We’re really excited about Costco,” Pechenik says. “They’re the country’s largest organic produce seller, and it’s a great opportunity to introduce Lettuce Grow to a broader audience.”
Related: How to Turn Your Home Into an Urban Farm
“This partnership feels like a true reflection of what America wants,” Deschanel added. “Sustainable, healthy choices. It’s a wonderful vote of confidence for us, and we couldn’t be more excited to have them as a partner.”
While Deschanel has played many diverse roles in her acting career, co-founder of Lettuce Grow is one of the few that represents a true extension of her personal values.
“The point of acting is to step into a character and do something different for myself,” she explains. “With entrepreneurial projects like this one, I can represent my own morals.”
Still, it’s easy enough to picture a Lettuce Grow Counterstand nestled in the corner of Jess’s New Girl apartment.
