Canna Talk – An Xperience Column

By MBF and 400 River.

There is so much going on in NYS cannabis, so I wanted to really delve into it with key players in the market. This interview will be the first in a probably non-consecutive series featuring folks who have helped grow New York’s legal cannabis industry from the ground up.

This month, I decided to interview the owner and head cultivator at none other than MB Farm, Rich Taylor. We’ve been working together for the past four years, since the start of NY’s legal cannabis program. In those four years, he grew a brand from zero, formed partnerships with tons of local cannabis operators, opened the state’s second microbusiness dispensary, and takes care of our indoor cultivation operation. Let’s hear what Rich has to say.

MBF: Did you come from an agricultural background? How did you originally get into cannabis cultivation?

RT: Yes, I did. I started off in 2013 growing hops for my farm brewery. The state allowed hemp cultivation starting around 2017, I think, and I decided to apply for a license. Creating my own recipes for my beer led to growing hemp with the hope of using hemp in beer, in addition to the traditional hops. I experimented a lot with that and saw how using different strains of hemp could impact the beer’s flavor. In the process of growing hemp, I became fascinated with the plants.

There are so many great benefits that the plant provides. After growing hemp for over four years and familiarizing myself with the plant, the state prioritized hemp cultivators to get cannabis cultivation licenses.

MBF: What draws you to cannabis and keeps you showing up every day?

RT: More than anything, I enjoy the cultivation aspect of the business. It’s so interesting working with cannabis because there really is new information coming out every day. The plant wasn’t studied seriously since it was considered a “drug,” so a lot of information was completely anecdotal. There is something to learn every day. This is a labor-intensive business, so I work to cultivate the highest quality cannabis flower I can and then use that in the products we create.

MBF: Did the hemp business get you prepared for the cannabis business?

RT: I would say generally yes. Our first year growing cannabis, we grew acres of plants. This was really similar to growing hemp, and not too much of a change. The evolution of my cannabis business has led to us growing indoors, which is a huge change. There is more focus put on each individual plant, as opposed to growing in bulk. The volume of products we sell now is significantly higher than with hemp-based products, so that was something to get used to. We also have way more variety, so there are lots more products to manage.

MBF: Give us one snippet of information about the cannabis plant that just blows your mind.

RT: It amazes me how quickly the plant can go from a tiny clone to a beautiful, huge flowering plant in such a short amount of time. Most of the plants that we grow will become fully mature in the span of 120 days. I love to see the differences in how the different strains grow up and mature. There is a lot of variety in the cannabis plants.

MBF: Give our readers a quick overview of what the market was like the first year or two of the program here in NY.

RT: The market the first few years was very slow. The slow rollout of licensing for retail dispensaries meant that the market for cultivators to sell into was very small. Because of this, it was difficult to sell the product we had grown. We spoke to a lot of dispensary owners who had the impression that their stores would be open shortly, but that was not the case. It was a really difficult time for most of the operators in the industry, regardless of whether it was on the cultivation side or the retail side.

MBF: Why did you decide to go with a microbusiness license as opposed to just a cultivation license?

RT: After the second year of operation, when we were allowed by the state to participate in CGS (Cannabis Grower’s Showcase), I was convinced that I wanted to remain a part of the retail side of the industry. While my primary interest is on the cultivation side of things, it has been really interesting to see how the retail side of things works and interact with customers.

MBF: You’ve worked many hours at 400 River as a budtender. Are there any cannabis products that you wish would get more love?

RT: Our Sasquatch is amazing. It actually does get a lot of love, but it’s one of my favorites at the moment. This is a gummy product that we did to honor our local cryptid, and we are on our second iteration of it. Other than that, I know that most cultivators would probably say lower THC flower/products. My goal is to create high-quality products, but that doesn’t always mean high THC products. It seems like the market is really demanding those high THC products, but having moderate THC and high terpenes is something that I would like to see catch on a bit more.

MBF: Any advice for those looking to get into the cannabis industry? What about starting their own cannabis business?

RT: Like most other businesses, the difference between a hobby and a profession is a great divide. It can be a great opportunity, though, because there are so many aspects of the industry. Cultivation is just a small corner of the industry. There is a need for lab techs, retail managers, processors, sales representatives, graphic designers, and more. So, depending on your skill set, there are a lot of varied opportunities within this industry.

As for starting a cannabis business, I would recommend having a job in cannabis or preexisting experience, or just a lot of money. Growing on a commercial level is way different from having a few plants at home. There are also so many layers of bureaucracy and difficulties because of the federal illegality that make it harder to manage this business than any other business I’ve owned. If you can navigate that, though, there are a lot of fun and cool opportunities in NY cannabis.