For Jonah Krochmalnek, founder of Microgreens Consulting, success in microgreens isn't just about yield or price points. It's about capacity. "We often had two peaks and lulls in the season," he said, describing the rush of summer restaurant demand and winter grocery store orders. "It can be quite difficult." The seasonal pressure led him to rethink his systems. "You can only grind so hard for so long," he said. "If you burn out, the whole system collapses."
Where time really goes
Rather than hiring more staff or working overtime, Krochmalnek focused on reducing repetitive strain. "The best way to plan for this is to invest in the right equipment," he said. Tools like The Little Green Seeding Machine and the Quick Cut Greens Harvester helped him streamline production on both ends, planting and harvesting.
"If it used to take you a total of, let's say, 20 hours to do those tasks, and now you could do it in five hours total, all of a sudden you have 15 extra hours a week that you can use for other things," he explained. Time saved on production can be reinvested in sales, which Krochmalnek described as having a "much higher return on investment" than doing more of the same physical labor.
Software is a must, not a luxury
Krochmalnek also emphasized the role of simple software systems to prevent mistakes, especially with staff. "I've seen this quite often, even with myself," he said. "Sometimes we think we need to plant 10 trays, but we miscalculated and actually need to plant 15." Without a reliable system, order changes can be missed.
"If you have software, you can just update the order in the software and your staff will check that software when they get in the morning," he explained. This keeps communication clear and ensures planting volumes align with real demand. He framed it as a low-cost, high-reward investment. "Let's hypothetically say it costs $40 for software to do this. If you have one staff member make a mistake once a month, it'll pay for itself to prevent that mistake."
Lean systems, real results
From founding Living Earth Farm to supporting growers across North America, Krochmalnek has consistently focused on eliminating waste of time, labor, and materials. "Instead of reaching your limit, you can invest in equipment that has really fast payback periods and speeds up the production," he said. With the right tools and systems, burnout isn't inevitable. "It just makes human error less likely," he said. "And it increases your profitability."
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For more information:
Microgreens Consulting
Jonah Krochmalnek, Founder and CEO
[email protected]
www.microgreensconsulting.com