Satur Farms in Cutchogue Receives $120,000 Grant

When Paulette Satur and her husband Eberhard Müller started Satur Farms they planted just a few acres. This year, according to Edible East End they will plant more than 500 acres and they’ve even rented farmland in Florida to assure quality produce is always available. 

Recently, Satur Farms LLC, a grower of specialty vegetables, has decided to expand its warehouse on the East End rather than in Florida, state officials said earlier in April in a story in Newsday.  

The Cutchogue-based company produces baby lettuce, spinach, arugula and other vegetables on the North Fork and in Florida. It supplies Whole Foods, Fresh Direct, Pret a Manger restaurants and wholesalers.

To meet increased demand, Satur is in the midst of $810,550 in improvements to its warehouse in Calverton. The facility is used to process and pack vegetables for shipping.

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced in early April the state would provide a $120,000 grant for new equipment for the warehouse. The money had been approved in early April by the board of directors of Empire State Development, the state's primary business-aid agency.

Satur had considered moving the warehouse to Florida, where it also has a 200-acre farm.

Andrea Lohneiss, regional director for Empire State Development, said Satur had promised to protect 21 jobs and create another 10 by 2017 in return for the grant. She also said the project was among a handful on the East End that are designed to boost farming.

Eberhard Müller and his wife, Paulette, founded Satur in 1997. Müller was executive chef and part owner of the Manhattan restaurant Lutèce before it closed. Now Müller finds himself supplying the establishments that rely on produce that doesn’t travel well: That’s why the grant from New York State will really help get their delicate greens to the tables of restaurants such as the dark greet salad greens known as mâche. According to Edible East End the delicate greens don’t tolerate travel well. It looses its flavor and texture in a matter of two or three days. 

Cuomo appointed Paulette Satur in 2011 to the Long Island Regional Economic Development Council, which devised a five-year jobs plan for the region and recommends projects for state aid. Officials said she did not participate in the council's deliberations about Satur's warehouse expansion.