We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Autumn Shelton a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Autumn thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?
After returning from a 16 month honeymoon, I was in search of a commercial real estate job, but ended up deciding to take a finance position with a Dutch cut flower grower that had just gone through bankruptcy instead. I diligently worked toward getting his company back in the black, which we did. But then he got an opportunity to lease out some of his greenhouses for medical marijuana under the Prop 215 act. This was a huge risk since it was still ‘grey’ as to whether we could get in trouble federally. It took a lot of convincing since my then boss, now partner believed the stigma around cannabis.
I have always been a supporter of Cannabis and had an entrepreneurial mind frame. Not long after he leased out some of the greenhouses, we found out that I wouldn’t be able to transition to the other business. I will never forget the fateful day, when my partner said, “why don’t we start something?” I immediately started drawing up business plans and ideas. His kids were going to be graduating from college a few years later and he wanted them to also be a part of this emerging industry. So the four of us joined forces and never looked back!
It was so risky though. We didn’t tell family or friends for the first year or two. Anytime a helicopter flew overhead we ran outside to see who it was. When Prop 64 became effective on November 9th, 2016, we knew we had a great opportunity to transition to a real business in 2018.
Luckily for us, most of the infrastructure was already in place and we literally just changed over the crop. Our partner owned the property, so we got a little more time to pay rent. And the four of us are frugal by nature and all strongly believe in growing within our means. So while some in this industry spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on fancy equipment in the beginning, we only bought what we needed until we could afford more. This has allowed us to stay self-funded the entire time, save a bunch of money in the good years and hold on after the market crashed in July 2021.
Staying in the California Cannabis industry is still risky. A lot of farms and brands are going out of business left and right since the market crashed. But like other industries that flux good years to bad, if we continue to be strategic and smart with our money we can continue to provide natural products to consumers.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
As CFO of Autumn Brands, I oversee strategic planning, marketing, compliance, legal, human resources, and finance. I’ve been successfully navigating the unchartered waters of California’s Prop 215 and the Regulated California Cannabis industry (Prop 64) since 2015 and I’m a sought-after panelist and public speaker on the nuts and bolts of operating a licensed California cannabis cultivation business. In 2021, under my leadership as President of CARP Growers, the Cannabis Association for Responsible Producers concluded a year-long negotiation and reached a historic agreement between the CARP Growers and the Santa Barbara Coalition for Responsible Cannabis on a cooperative agreement for odor abatement. Currently, I am on the Board and Treasurer of the California Cannabis Industry Association (CCIA). As an association and Board Member, we promote the growth of a responsible and legitimate cannabis industry and work for a favorable social, economic, and legal environment for our industry in the state of California. Before moving to the agriculture sector, I was focused on a career in commercial property development and management utilizing my CA Brokers License.
Autumn Brands takes a pesticide-free approach allowing beneficial bugs to thrive, and the PURE guarantee marks a product that provides a clean, potent cannabis experience. We have created a modern, artisanal approach to sustainable cannabis cultivation and raise our crops without insecticide sprays. It’s all possible with the native California ladybug doing its part.
The Autumn Brands family farm along the coast of Santa Barbara County uses traditional farming techniques, natural sunlight and pesticide-free cultivation. This means setting an industry standard with 100% no-spray cannabis farming and a commitment to the purity of our products with rigorous testing and hand trimming. This takes more effort, time, and attention, but it’s worth it to keep our flower pure. Autumn Brands is a woman and family-owned business that cares for the consumer, the community and the environment. For more information, follow @AutumnBrands_ or visit www.autumnbrands.com.
We offer a wellness line of products which includes our Nourishing Muscle and Joint Salve that is amazing for pain and skin irritations and our Warrior and Thrive Elixirs. These are traditionally called tinctures, but ours are free of alcohol and additives. We also have a full line of assorted strains in 3.5 gram Premium Flower jars, 14 gram Premium Smalls, 6 pack of pre-rolls, 10 pack of mini pre-rolls, and a 1 gram pre-roll in either compostable, reusable and/or American made packaging. Our products are designed for the health conscious and sustainably focused consumer that appreciates premium products at a reasonable price.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
The biggest challenge was meeting the strict regulations with getting our California Cannabis Cultivation licensing, Land Use Permitting & Cannabis Business licenses in Santa Barbara County. The applications are very labor intensive and detailed where we also need to demonstrate proof of compliance with all state and local cannabis laws. A partial list of agencies signing off includes CEQA (California Environmental Quality Act), Fish and Wildlife, Regional Water Board, fire departments, law enforcement, planning and development, flood control …This extensive and exhaustive process took us 4 ½ years, spending over $2,000,000 to be fully permitted. There is a strong anti-cannabis sentiment across a few groups in our area that was issuing appeals and convincing local government to make the process as difficult as possible to the point of losing the business altogether. And then the California Cannabis Market crashed reducing sales prices by more than 60%. I have never experienced anything more difficult than the years between 2017 to 2022 fighting to be in this industry and to have a business we believe in. We are still fighting to keep our business alive, but I do feel like I can finally come up for air and that we got through the worst of it. Myintent.org word is Resilience. It’s important to always continue to look forward, learn from past, pivot as needed and continue to grow and that is what I will always do.
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
Being a women and family owned and operated business that stays true to its values and provides a consistent product.. Along with running a large-scale cannabis operation presents a variety of challenges for any commercial grower. Every aspect of cultivation requires strategic precision, from selecting the hardiest strains to keeping up with increasing demand for products. In a notoriously competitive market, many sellers rely on harsh chemicals and pesticides to speed the growth process and ensure a strong final product. Under the watchful eye of our Head Grower Johnny Brand, we far surpass state regulatory standards, offering powerfully potent strains of clean, pesticide-free cannabis from a name customers trust for quality and consistency.
“You can wash your lettuce but not your weed” – the saying is a regular reminder that drives our team toward an uncompromising approach to clean, safe practices. While other growers may claim a “pesticide-free” process relying on neem and similar oils, Autumn Brands’ “no spray” policy means just that… and customers can look for the ladybug PURE stamp of approval as the gold standard in integrative growing techniques ensuring clean, pesticide-free cannabis products they can count on for quality and safety. The brand’s PURE guarantee marks a product that is:
● Pesticide-free, grown and nurtured by hand according to integrative, no-spray techniques that allow beneficial creatures like ladybugs to coexist peacefully
● User-first, always keeping the safety and experience of customers top-of-mind during every step of the process
● Responsibly-grown, using hydroponic methods and natural well water on a closed-loop system
● Eco-friendly, incorporating into the grow process earth elements like sustainably sourced coco noir fertilizer that keep the brand’s carbon footprint small
Contact Info:
- Website: autumnbrands.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/autumnbrands_/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/autumnbrands/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/autumn-shelton-94093428/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/autumnbrands/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqSX53S2LQ_JVM4x7mwMf3Q
Image Credits
Courtesy of Autumn Brands