Chef’s choice

For a couple of newlyweds working in advertising in Dallas, Texas, hydroponic agriculture was an intriguing concept to dive into five years ago as local restaurants began focusing on where their produce originated and how sustainable those operations were.

“We had a mutual friend who had started a hydroponic greenhouse in a small town and was doing greens like bok choy and basil,” says Amelia Von Kennel, co-owner of Amelia’s Farm in Bells, Texas. “My husband helped him in some of the construction of the greenhouse and as he was getting the business going.”

From that first taste of the industry, a love for the concept of hydroponics took off. The pair soon quit their jobs and moved out to a family-owned ranch just over an hour north of Dallas that had only previously been utilized for get-togethers on the weekends.

“We began building our first greenhouse in the fall of 2011,” says Von Kennel. “Now we’ve expanded to essentially three under one roof for a total growing space of 9,000 square feet.”

Discovering demand

Knowing the vast market of restaurants in the Dallas area, the pair looked into what staple produce might entice chefs to purchase locally from a year-round growing operation.

“In a place like Dallas you have so many restaurants,” says Von Kennel. “We focused on tomatoes because of the demand from local restaurants. It’s a consistent element in sandwiches, salads, soups and pastas [and though] so many people say they don’t like tomatoes, what they’re usually tasting is a tomato that has been shipped over hundreds of miles. When it’s this fresh, it’s a different taste entirely.”

Because tomato growth takes up more space vertically, the pair decided to use CropKing’s Bato Bucket System which is designed for growing vine crops.

The farm’s namesake says they experimented with other greenhouse crops like cucumbers, squash and basil, but found that Geronimo beefsteak tomatoes produced the most stable monetary follow-through.

“The cucumbers were taking up more space than the money they were producing, so we decided to stick to tomatoes,” says Von Kennel. “It’s not as quick [of] a turnaround [as] lettuce, but tomatoes are such a staple in everything [that] it made sense.”

Recently, the operation has also begun to produce heirloom tomatoes in addition to their staple, she says.

Learning as they grow

When the pair first struck out on their own, the odds seemed stacked against them.

“I think one of the biggest lessons we’ve learned is you just have to roll with the punches and focus on immediate solutions,” says Von Kennel. “It was a big transition from advertising to hydroponics, and a lot of people at first didn’t really believe in us without a background in farming.”

With a three-day intensive seminar on hydroponic growing from CropKing under their belts, the couple took on challenges ranging from pipes bursting to mite destruction. Von Kennel says the couple not only had to learn on their feet how to handle the mechanics of greenhouse growing, but also how to run a business as a team.

“Working with your spouse on a farm in the middle of nowhere when you’re still newlyweds, it’s a huge lesson in communication,” says Von Kennel. “But with the constant help from CropKing on how to fix challenges in the greenhouse and working out those kinks it’s turned into a whole production with a distributor, great relationships with our chefs and our focus on making an impact in our community.”

Marketing by mouth

Von Kennel says the biggest challenge the pair now face is keeping up with the demand from Dallas restaurants.

“Chefs talk to other chefs, so we really haven’t done much in the way of marketing,” she says. “Because they work with food every day, chefs just get so excited about the quality of produce and the taste and size of these tomatoes — that’s kept us excited.”

What’s next

With the success of their growing operation now past its toddler years, the pair have a toddler of their own to rear alongside two new projects to expand the business.

“My husband has started a brand extension to design and manufacture a smaller type of greenhouse for schools, restaurants and private residences,” says Von Kennel. “It’s still an investment, but more affordable than on a commercial scale.”

The motivation behind the smaller scale greenhouses is two-fold.

“We’ve found a lot more people are wanting to grow their own food and know where their food is coming from all year long,” she says. “It’s a very futuristic design he’s doing and we want it to be something even public schools can afford; it’s our own small way of making a change for good.”

The second project brewing in the pair’s minds lies in sending the taste of their tomatoes farther.

Chefs just get so excited about the quality of produce and the taste and size of these tomatoes — that’s kept us excited.” – Amelia Von Kennel, co-owner of Amelia’s Farms

“We had tried shipping our tomatoes fresh but the taste doesn’t last,” says Von Kennel. “So we’re working on a salsa recipe so that people out of state can still taste the flavor and richness of our tomatoes in a salsa and sauce line.”