Elexa, Jake and Derek are Redwood Remedies- a full-scale, year-round cannabis greenhouse operation nestled in the foothills of Redwood Valley.

Founded in 2013, the three families came together as one- in part to create a wholesome, work-life balance that would support the raising of their children while building a superior cannabis brand.

Derek arrived in California in 2004. “I came for cannabis, for the weather, the topography. I wanted to be near the ocean but in the mountains. There was a pioneer aspect to moving west, and a need to get out of Indiana,” he laughs.

Elexa came from Ashville, North Carolina in 2008 to work in the industry. “Asheville has pieces of the whole of California, but California has it all,” she smiles.

Prior to working their Redwood Valley farm, Derek managed a flagship property for the esteemed Berkeley Patients Group, which was created to support Mendocino County’s 9.31 program. “From there, it was clear to us from that experience that full licensing was our best path forward,” Derek explains.

Inside the greenhouse, the young, growing plants are positively vibrating with vitality and hardiness.

“We believe that greenhouse gardening offers us a great option for full control of the plant,” notes Elexa.

The team focuses on a small number of distinct, primary brands. “We’ve done a lot of pheno hunting to find and bring excellent genetics to market,” she continues. “We work with licensed breeders from California and around the world.”

“We’re always experimenting- mixing in something new and fresh with our favorite, older, time-tested varieties,” Derek explains.

The farm abuts a working vineyard, which is tended by Jake. The team recently created space in the vineyard to grow outdoors. Together with the greenhouses, Redwood Remedies is growing 10,000 square-feet of cannabis between the greenhouse and the garden.

“We pulled a few vines to create space for an outdoor garden, which we are very excited about- going from the greenhouse to native soil has been a long-held dream of ours,” he continues. We started with Smart Pots, then worked on building the soil, sequencing into working directly with the Valley soils here on the Redwood Valley Bench. Thus far, we’re getting great results via testing, and the plants exude health and vigor. It’s great to have sun-grown and mixed light farming year-round.”

The farm began producing their private label cannabis in 2013. “We’re putting the best of the best into our Estate jars,” says Elexa. For now, they are self-distributing, straight from the farm to retail operators. They are proud that their cannabis is certified through the Clean Green Program, considered by many to be the closest to organic certification. Clean Green farms must employ organically based operations, using natural pesticide control methods, must be compliant with State cannabis regulations and abide by the company’s high standards of certification.

One of the most important aspects of their business is the fostering of integrity within the cannabis community.

“We are parents and community members. We are very committed to normalizing the cannabis industry- not just for our community, but for our children. It’s been a tremendous sacrifice, but one we’d do again,” says Elexa.

“We’re here on the ground, doing the work. There’s not a lot of glitz and glamour- just a lot of time spent doing our jobs, being with the plants and being on the land. What we do does not really lend itself to mass marketability,” Elexa continues.

“We’ve really been looking forward to the Kure Mendocino Invitational,” says Elexa. “It’s wonderful for the community to have the opportunity to get a bit of the backstory of our farms and purchasing a box with 28 selections is very affordable, considering people pay $70 for an eighth.”

Despite the turmoil created by last year’s precipitous price drop and the ongoing regulatory challenges, the team members are confident in their business and their ability to stay afloat.

“We Mendocino operators can and will hold our own,” Elexa concludes.

Redwood Remedies entered Sugar Cane in the Kure Mendocino Invitational. Visit them on Facebook and at their website.