For many Thanksgiving dinner tables this year the salad greens had a very short trip from farm to table. About nine miles from downtown, Juneau Greens is growing lettuce and other fresh leafy greens in a new vertical hydroponic farm.
On Nov. 8, John Krapek and his crew opened the new Juneau Greens retail storefront and indoor farm in an industrial area off Egan Drive near Temsco Helicopters’ operation on Honsinger Drive.
As testimony to the quality of the product, retired Fiddlehead Restaurant (now Sandpiper) chef Kirk Stagg was filling a cloth bag with several bunches of lettuce on Friday afternoon. Amy White, Juneau Greens’ front counter expert, wrapped the long strand of roots around the plants’ tiny root balls before tucking the plants gently into Stagg’s bag.
Inside the hydroponic facility John Krapek lifts a floating tray of Rainbow Chard to show the roots dangling into the “deep water culture” design which provides nutrients to the plants. (Laurie Craig / Juneau Empire)
What started as a small idea to provide fresh basil to a local pizza place has blossomed into a multi-tiered greenhouse “farm” growing several varieties of lettuce and herbs.
“Basil is a temperamental herb and it doesn’t ship well,” Krapek recalled. The success of the hydroponic basil plants eventually led to expanded facilities that became Juneau Greens in July of 2017. Like many small businesses, as the initial market was fulfilled more opportunities arose. Soon the fragrant basil plants were being sold in local grocery produce departments.
First conceived by Juneau-raised Trevor Kirchhoff to help a friend at Island Pub get the freshest basil, Juneau Greens, with Kirchhoff and Krapek as partners, now dedicates 20% of the hydroponic farm for basil. Another 20% of the living plants are lettuce varieties supplied to restaurants while the remaining 60% goes home with weekly “green box” subscribers in reusable totes or is sold over the counter at the new Juneau Greens storefront. In 2019, Kirchhoff moved north and started Anchorage Greens on the same model
Retired chef Kirk Stagg picks up a bag of fresh edible greens from Amy White at Juneau Greens’ new storefront. (Laurie Craig / Juneau Empire)
Krapek lauds the living plans for their health and taste.
“Studies show the living plant contains more nutrition than cut leaves,” said Krapek.
While the grab-and-go bags of clipped leaves sell as Salad Mix in the store’s cooler, the whole plants last longer. That’s another reason they are the version included in subscribers’ take-home tote which includes different lettuce varieties.
A new favorite is a ruffly lettuce called Cristabel. It is a hybrid of “iceberg lettuce crunch and green leaf lettuce,” Krapek said. A tray of bright green Cristabel plants is displayed on the storefront counter with an array of other lettuce varietals and herbs, each with a name card identifying the type such as parsley, sage, anise and basil.
A goal of the new retail storefront is to build relationships with customers as well as educate buyers, Krapek said. Established subscribers stop by weekly to exchange their empty reusable totes for new totes full of fresh plants. The friendly atmosphere and new facility make it easy to chat with the staff as well as other customers. Since the new building opened last month, the number of subscribers has doubled to 200.
John Krapek holds a coconut husk and peat moss plug where a seed has germinated and tiny roots are growing. In about six weeks a full head of lettuce or herbs will be ready to harvest. (Laurie Craig / Juneau Empire)
Krapek became an indoor farmer by a circuitous route. It began when his wife Maggie Chan selected Juneau and the University of Alaska Fairbanks College of Fisheries at the Lena Point campus for her doctorate program. When Krapek drove his wife to Juneau from California, he fell in love with Alaska and decided to relocate instead of their original plan of a temporary long-distance relationship. They have invested more than their educations and business in Juneau; the couple is now raising three young children locally.
Once the decision was made to remain in Juneau, Krapek left his job Outside and first took a seasonal botany job. His next step was a master’s degree program at UAS focusing on yellow cedar trees. One of his research projects was studying a rare grove of cedar trees high on Thunder Mountain where he cored a large cedar tree and learned it was 650 years old. Recently another person discovered an even older 1,000-year-old cedar in the same area.
“I had a dream of owning an organic farm,” Krapek said on Friday. When he completed his master’s program he wanted more field work and less desk work which appeared to be the career path he foresaw. It was the right time to partner with Kirchhoff whose original business partner was headed in a new direction.
“I wanted a big metal box to grow plants,” Krapek chuckled, describing his initial vision for the expanded building, thinking it would take a year. But he soon learned the complex growing space needed to be a sophisticated and well-engineered structure. It took three years.
Amy White prepares a greens box for customers while John Krapek explains different fresh produce varieties to first-time shoppers at the new Juneau Greens storefront. (Laurie Craig / Juneau Empire)
He praised the work of Juneau architect Zane Jones of MRV Architects who designed a building with insulated metal panel walls. The thick foam layer in the middle reduces potential condensation that otherwise would have formed on the warm, humid interior walls meeting outside cold temperatures. Mechanical engineer Shane Hooton added specialized equipment.
The hydroponic system Juneau Greens uses is a “deep water culture” with 100 trays of plants grown in plug holes within floating rafts. The seeds are germinated in cocoanut husk and peat moss plugs, and then transferred in a couple of steps as the plants grow larger and need space to expand. The growth cycle takes an average of six weeks from seed to harvest.
To demonstrate the hydroponic process, Krapek lifts a floating raft of colorful Rainbow Chard to show the long strands of pink roots that dangle under the leaves into the tray of nutrient mix water. Pipes connect all the trays in a circulating system that evenly distributes the flowing hydroponic fluid.
Krapek is sensitive to creating a sustainable business as he grows fresh food for locals. Juneau’s hydroelectric power source was a factor in making the larger operation, he said. The hydroponic farm consumes considerable amounts of electricity and water so knowing renewable energy was available persuaded Kirchhoff and Krapek to expand. Their goal is sustainable operations with reduced impact on the natural surroundings and people.
A bright green tray of living lettuce plants thrive in the indoor “farm” at Juneau Greens nine miles from downtown. (Laurie Craig / Juneau Empire)
On Saturday afternoon a continuous flow of customers came into the new retail space. Both Krapek and White explained each living lettuce and herb plant as well as the option of getting the weekly greens box. Some people were visiting for the first time and had lots of questions, while others were regular subscribers who exchanged last week’s empty tote box for a new box of fresh lettuce and herbs. Almost everyone left the store on a very cold day with a container of freshly grown local greens and plans for a big post-holiday salad.
• Contact Laurie Craig at laurie.craig@juneauempire.com.
