This spring, a new owner takes the reins of Chukuni Greenhouse.
Monica and Dave Savage have officially opened the newly built greenhouses on their property, in the original location where Monica’s grandfather had built them in the 1980s.
Monica’s grandparents, Roland and Anne Marie Fischer, immigrated to Canada from Germany in 1974 for work, and shortly after built the greenhouse business.
Roland had a degree in forestry and horticulture and was a master horticulturist. He started building their family home on the same property in 1979.
Roland and Anne Marie ran the greenhouse for over 20 years with their children. In later years, the grandkids worked at the family business as well.
“I remember crawling around under tables to get planting trays when I was little,” says Monica. “Now my kids are the ones doing it.”
As Roland started to get older, after many years of running the business, Roland’s son Ralf and his wife Carol took over the greenhouses in 2004.
The greenhouses were moved to Ralf and Carol’s yard just down the road and reset up. Ralf and Carol also ran a waterfront RV park and campground on their property. There they ran the greenhouses for 18 years.
Monica and her husband bought the house from her grandma after her grandfather passed away eight years ago. She had been working as a small business financial planner for 10 years, and as a music teacher from home for 11 years.
She taught her two children as well, but as her children had graduated from group lessons, their family started seeking a new venture for the whole family to be involved in. Around the same time, her aunt and uncle began hinting at her to take over the greenhouses.
“I wasn’t sure if they were serious at first, but when I asked them, they’d said they wanted to keep it in the family,” says Monica. “It’s been a big learning curve for sure.”
Monica approached her family about taking over the greenhouses and was met with enthusiasm, especially from her children. Though she still had a lot of people asking about music lessons, Monica decided to make the big career change.
Monica’s husband Dave is an electrician at the mine, and had the skills necessary for configuring the structural set up, wiring, heating and plumbing for the greenhouses. As a family, they came up with the designs and worked together to make the ideas become possible. The end greenhouse design was compiled using input from the whole family, using recommendations from the previous owners to come up with the best design possible.
“It’s been kind of a collaboration of the original owners and the previous owners,” says Dave. “So, it’s really come together.”
Even moving the greenhouses was a family endeavour.
“We moved the greenhouses together as a family, and we set them up as a family,” says Dave. “It was a lot of work.”
The whole family is working in the greenhouses now, with everyone pitching in to accomplish the growing and production of the plants, flowers and vegetables for the surrounding communities.
“It’s teaching the kids entrepreneurship and horticulture skills,” says Monica.
She also raises dairy goats, chickens and honeybees on the property, just like her grandparents did many years ago.
The new Chukuni Greenhouses have been unofficially open for a couple of weeks after receiving their first shipment of houseplants.
“It was really cold that first day and it was really early, but we were out there working so we figured why not open it up for people to come in,” says Monica.
Greenhouses don’t usually open this early, but Monica has received lots of positive feedback from the community excited about being able to get their plants so early.
“The community has been really great and supportive of us taking it on, even council has been really enthusiastic and supportive of our ideas,” says Monica.
Monica and her family have been so grateful to their family for the amazing opportunity to continue the greenhouses in this area.
“The greenhouses started here, and now it’s come full circle,” says Monica. “We have so appreciated all the words of encouragement, support and recommendations to make it a success.”
