Humidity, sunshine, the sharp smell of sweet greens and the view of rows upon rows of plants, some reaching over six feet tall, greet the Scholl family every morning. This is Mark and Teal Scholl’s office.
Owners of the hydroponic facility Happy Hydros, Mark and Teal Scholl, along with their son, spend hours every day tending to 3,000 vegetable plants consisting of cucumbers, tomatoes and lettuce.
Running a hydroponic produce facility was not the original goal of Mark Scholl. He worked in the restaurant industry for many years before deciding it was time for a new adventure. Scholl told The Daily Republic on Tuesday that he likes to do the impossible.
“When I built this place, people said it wouldn’t work,” Scholl said. “I’m the type of person who likes to prove them wrong.”
Through his work in the food industry, Scholl was confident the demand for locally grown produce would rise, and he was ready for an out-of-the-box experience. In 2007, he and his wife bought a plot of land on the outskirts of Pukwana and built a greenhouse. In the spring of 2008 they produced their first crop of hydroponic tomatoes.
Read more at: The Daily Republic (Abbie Lambert)