INDUSTRY INNOVATORS: THOMAS MARTIN, CEO & CO-FOUNDER OF RAW GARDEN

He learned early on that growing grapes and drying them into raisins was a risky gig. There are all kinds of variables: an early spring or late frost could hinder the timing of the first buds; surviving the bloom is great, but you’d better gear up for a hot summer full of pests; after summer, hopefully you’ve kept your bunches healthy, disease free and full of sugar. Martin called the drying process “likely the most risky post-harvest SOP in agriculture.”

“Growing up with these threats, and attempting to deliver perfect crops nonetheless, built in a level of tenacity that translates well in today’s cannabis market,” Martin said. “Nothing comes easy in farming. And most certainly not for a startup company in an overregulated, overtaxed market. With this combination, pain and stress is maximized.”

When he was a college junior in 2002, his family sold their pest management and farming business. While he had the farming background and the itch for exploring cannabis, he finished school with an accounting degree and entrepreneurship in mind, along with “a lot of student debt and stubbornness.”

Martin started his finance career working with cars. Everything was moving smoothly until the 2007 financial crisis hit. Banking programs dried up, inventory climbed, and most of the financing staff, including Martin, were facing bankruptcy.

“On a whim, the dealership’s longstanding car, and weed and other drug, salesman said to me, ‘Hey, bubba, I see you struggling. You’re a farmer, why don’t you grow some weed? I’ll sell it.’

As cannabis becomes more and more commonplace, it’s sometimes easy to forget that meticulous farming processes lie at the core of any cannabis crop.

Growing high-quality, flavorful cannabis that keeps consumers coming back involves not only a detail-oriented growing approach, but also a finger on the pulse regarding water conservation, growing methods, limiting the use of harsh chemicals and an eye on the innovative measures needed to stay on top in a competitive industry.

For many growers, like Thomas Martin, the co-founder and CEO of Raw Garden, farming is in his DNA.

Raw Garden is now tucked away in the hills of Santa Ynez in Santa Barbara’s wine country, but as he farms cannabis today, Martin recalled his upbringing, farming grapes and drying them into raisins for the SunMaid brand. Early on, he considered the chance to one day farm cannabis — and with it, the chance to help an abundance of people in need.

“Especially in today’s highly regulated and competitive cannabis environment, a certain level of toughness is required,” Martin said. “Farming makes you tough and forces an industrious nature. It comes with certain freedoms, but more than anything it comes with tremendous amounts of stress.”

However, it’s worth it today, looking back and seeing what he’s built, despite plentiful roadblocks.