Learn how the Drip Culture Container Farm is bringing sustainable, locally grown produce to Chatham County through container farming
By Renee Ambroso | Photography by Andrea Akin
Amy Doklovic’s grueling workdays stretched from morning to night, filled with Zoom calls.
“I was writing big proposals for construction projects, working literally seven days a week from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m.,” she says. “It’s physically [demanding]. As you age, sitting down for a long period of time is super hard.”
In 2023, she and her husband, Brian Doklovic – a principal engineer at Honda – learned about urban hydroponic farms and saw an opportunity for Amy to leave her relentless calendar behind. The pair spent the following year researching growing methods, potential profits and losses of the business, and even which nearby restaurants might one day become their customers. They recognized that while many local farms provide highquality produce, a hydroponic system could supply lettuce and other greens – crops especially suited to this method – year-round, without disruptions from weather or pests.
The couple eventually situated their farm, Drip Culture, inside a 320-square-foot shipping container on land leased from Get Rooted Nursery on Crawford Dairy Road. It took months to secure a bank loan and the proper permits, and then they had to build the water and nutrient systems that support hundreds of plants as they grow on vertical panels.
Amy and Brian are still perfecting the setup. “It’s like a giant lab experiment,” he says. They learned from other hydroponic growers, adapting those insights to fit their needs, and continue to test materials and processes to optimize production within the 40-by-10-by-10-foot shipping container’s small footprint.
“There’s not a playbook [for this], not really,” Amy says, but adds that she and Brian’s career experience has helped them navigate the uncertainties with confidence. “[He’s] been at the top tier of corporate for just about 30 years and I did 28,” she says. “Once you spend that much time [there], there’s nothing you can’t do or problem-solve thoughtfully.”
Amy’s workdays now consist of planting seeds, monitoring crop growth and harvesting produce. The transition to farming was jarring after the intensity of her former role. “I think I was in shock for the first six months,” she says. “I had to [relax and remind myself] to enjoy the simplicity of it.” While there’s less stress, Amy still has her hands full delivering about 600 heads of lettuce each week to Galloway Ridge at Fearrington, The Fearrington House Restaurant, Pittsboro’s Cafe Root Cellar and The Root Cellar Cafe in Chapel Hill, and Carrboro’s Spotted Dog Restaurant & Bar – all of which are within a 15-minute drive from the farm.
Brian says that while farming is a “full-time, all-the-time” gig, he has built enough automation into the processes at Drip Culture that it’s possible for he and Amy to take short vacations without disrupting production. But, their sweet spot is at home in Chatham County. The Doklovics enjoy taking their 4-year-old English springer spaniel, Piper, to local dog parks and Jordan Lake for exercise, and having brunch at Pittsboro’s Carolina Brewery most Saturdays.
Amy and Brian care deeply about supporting their community and increasing access to nutritious, local food. They donate lettuce and funding to CORA Food Pantry and Pittsboro’s Feed-Well Fridges.
The same drive and attention to detail that allowed Amy to excel in her corporate career still propel her to optimize Drip Culture’s daily operations: she’s determined to continue to refine its processes to increase efficiency and output, and she’s optimistic about adding another restaurant to the farm’s client list. But for now, she’s satisfied with what she and Brian have built. “[The farm] was an avenue for us to [leave corporate America] and use our skills – both of us, together – and I think we’ve done a good job at it,” Amy says. “We took our talents and blended them really well together. We want to maintain what we’re doing, and we’re still learning.”
