How a Young Croatian Farmer Left Medicine to Revolutionize Microgreens

Ilija Jurić from Velika Kosnica, who was named the best young Croatian farmer in 2022 and that same year represented Croatia at the EU competition in Brussels, gained his first farming experience as a kid. Throughout his education, on weekends and summer holidays, he was involved in everything happening on the family farm, and often ‘jumped in‘ with his sister.

- We didn‘t always like it, but today I‘m grateful for that upbringing and the habits they instilled in us from an early age. I remember when dad brought us watermelons, he wrote down their weight, and we sold them as children, playing at the same time. The point was to get a feel for money. I don‘t know if dad did it consciously or not, but he did a good job. From a young age, I felt what work is and the true value of money - he adds.

However, he was also attracted to medicine, so after medical high school he enrolled in radiology engineering at the Zagreb University of Applied Health Sciences. After his studies, he interned at the Institute for Tumors, and then realized he had to make a decision: hospital or greenhouse.

- I knew that if I continued working in my profession, I would have to fully dedicate myself to it because it‘s a pretty stressful and extremely responsible job. I couldn‘t allow myself to come to work and think about whether everything is under control in the greenhouse, while in front of me is a person whose health is in my hands - says Ilija.

At the same time, within the family business, he had already started discovering his niche, the one where exotic plants and edible flowers grow.

Later he focused on microgreens, which many rightly call the superfood of the future – these are young plant shoots harvested at a very early stage of growth, and can have up to 40 times more minerals and vitamins than mature plants – and within the Jurić family farm, he launched the recognizable brand Tukan Greens with a production facility near Vrbovec, where we visited him this spring.

But, it all actually started with the cultivation of stevia, which for a while was an extremely sought-after plant. With it, the family farm became quite well known, and Ilija continued to explore new plants and new flavors, ordering tubers and seeds from different parts of the world, studying and planting them. But the turning point came when the team from Dežman bar needed mint. At that time, Ilija had mint with apple, strawberry, banana, chocolate flavors... He gathered courage and decided to present his products to see how it works when you step out of your comfort zone.

- I dressed nicely, I wanted to make a good impression. Very quickly I realized that a well-done presentation is more than half the job. When I opened the packages at Dežman bar, everything was bursting with scents and colors. Three guests, whom I didn‘t know at the time but turned out to be famous and respected chefs, enthusiastically responded to my presentation. The next day, the phones started ringing like crazy - he recalls.

How did the name Tukan Greens come about?

Ilija was reading a book about brand creation, in which the author explained that a brand name should not immediately reveal what’s behind it. He liked that idea, and when he saw an illustration of a toucan on a T-shirt, he thought: ‘That‘s it. An exotic bird, different, just like my agriculture.‘

Overnight, he became in demand, started collaborating with bars and top restaurants, including those with Michelin stars, as well as retail chains where his seedlings and transplants can be found.

He is especially proud of one collaboration, although he doesn‘t like to highlight it: for the children‘s wards of KBC Zagreb, he produces and delivers certain types of microgreens that have excellent nutritional value, containing high amounts of fiber and vitamins.