Founder Real Talk: Sanctuary Farms
Joao and Eliza Pires of Sanctuary Farms
In 2016, Jane Garcia and her daughter and son-in-law, Eliza and Joao Pires, were convinced by a family friend to add Cannabis to their small, organic farm and landscaping company in Nevada County. Today Sanctuary Farms’ cannabis production encompasses a nursery with two outdoor cultivation sites at the original location and a mixed-light cultivation site in Mendocino County. It’s still a family affair, with Eliza’s brother and niece, Ramon and Makayla, rounding out the core team.
Eliza, Joao, and Makayla took some time out to talk to Best of SF about Sanctuary Farms and their place in the cannabis community.
Give us a little background on the farm and the business. How did the name for Sanctuary Farms come about?
E: The place where we live is truly a sanctuary near the Yuba River, a peaceful place that provides everything we need. Our family friend Miguel Molina knew that legalization was coming and suggested we add cannabis to our family farm here, and really pushed us to establish ourselves in the legal cannabis market. [My husband] who came from Brazil, brought his cultural and ancestral farming techniques to revitalize our land. Makayla and Ramon are [at the] forefront in the Bay Area. They make sure that our brand is being represented by our family. Ramon runs the distro. Makayla handles all our training and represents the brand at events - as well as running the socials.
J: Farming and construction have always been a part of my life, so it was an easy transition from the 215 days growing medicinally. I got to continue to do what I love, building out the farm for various utilities and continuing to grow - which is something that I have been doing my whole life while in Brazil with my grandpa. We're not just a cannabis farm, we are an actual farm with chickens and fruit trees and [we] grow our winter and summer gardens so it was a very natural and easy transition - and a fun one at that.
Joao, Eliza, and Makayla
Are there advantages to having such a small, close-knit team?
M: Sanctuary Farms distinguishes itself in the cannabis industry through an unwavering commitment to cultivating high-quality flower with exceptional flavor, terpenes, and overall excellence, all within the constraints of our modest gardens. Joao, being the head grower, consistently comes to the table with innovative and traditional farming practices and Eliza handles all the back end, legalities, and licensing, dealing with the county and the DCC. We have a few helpers that work on the farm year-round but that's it.
Our owners are involved and touch every part of the process which truly allows us to make sure that we have a connection with not only the plant but the consumer as well.
We also make sure that everything we bring to the market has been peer-reviewed by our friends and family, and other industry experts to make sure nothing boof or bunk goes into our packaging. Only gas and fire allowed!
Speaking of fire, Sanctuary Farms’ Blunicorn strain placed 1st in Highest Terps and 5th in Sungrown Flower at the 2023 Emerald Cup - Congrats! What’s the secret behind those high terp and THC percentages?
E: What we provide is an all-natural flower that we allow to reach its full potential, working with all-natural, native, living soil that very few farms are doing. When you farm the way that we do - we allow the full expression of the plant to come out that's high in terpenes and rich in flavor as well as consistently high THC percentages that we get only because of the way we grow it.
M: Additionally, our ownership of a nursery enables us to engage in Pheno hunting, exploring unique strains with distinctive profiles and characteristics, enhancing the overall cannabis experience for anyone interested in trying our product.
“We think budtenders are similar to pharmacists and they should be able to give the consumer what they need for their body and minds. It's very important for us to teach the budtenders about the medical effects of the flower as well as the different terp profiles and taste so they can truly give the people what they want or need.”- EP
“We also have a really deep connection with our artist Guilherme Lemes (@guileemes). [He] is able to really grasp the concept and vibe of our strains and is able to produce original art that represents the flower exactly how we intended.”-MG
Is that what keeps you inspired? How do you keep your offerings fresh and exciting for the customer?
J: By offering a variety of products with diverse and distinct flavors and smells every time they open a package. We tailor our choices of what to grow with the input we get when we interact with our consumers at events and in-store demos and receive feedback.
E: Education is key for us to understand the medicinal aspects of our products as well as how and why we grow the way we do and why that translates into a superior product.
We like to share with the consumer the way we grow, that’s why one of our motos is “Farm Like We Do” because we want people to be able to choose the effects, terpenes, and tastes they enjoy; that works well with them. Which is why we have so many strains each year, we want the consumer to educate themselves on what works with their body.
For the employees, we want them to be able to give the consumers what they NEED. We think budtenders are similar to pharmacists and they should be able to give the consumer what they need for their body and minds. It's very important for us to teach the budtenders about the medical effects of the flower as well as the different terp profiles and flavors so they can truly give the people what they want or need.
M: We would hope that anyone who enjoys unique, terpalicious flower would try and smoke our weed. It was created using natural farming techniques, enhancing its medicinal and entourage effect which only living soil provides. Our flower is for anyone and everyone. In the same way that our multicultural, multigenerational family is able to enjoy the flower that we grow, we hope that it translates to the greater cannabis community.
Your passion for the plant is showing!
J: Advocacy is really important for us as well. For the small farmers in the industry, it’s important for consumers to know about [them], because if they knew about the struggles of the small farmers in the industry they would be more apt to support those struggles and give more value to small craft farmers' products.
J&E: We are members of the local cannabis alliances in both counties that we operate in. We are currently working on building a facility with multiple license types, one of them being an “S” type license that allows small brands that aren't able to meet the financial and logistical burdens of the cannabis industry to use the space and the license to get their products on the shelves. The vision of this facility is to build a network of connections between small farmers and other pieces of the industry that they normally wouldn't have access to.
We’re also a part of the Equity Trade Network which is a network of people and brands in the industry who are businesses owned and operated by Black, Brown, Indigenous, LGBTQ, Veteran, or system-impacted people. We share resources and uplift each other in this growing industry that's not doing much to support the smaller brands.
“…We believe that everYthing we put in our body should be exceptional from what we eat to what we smoke and we want everyone to be able to indulge in that luxury.” - MG
Ramon, Eliza, Joao, and Makayla
How do you see Sanctuary Farms meeting the challenges of being a craft farm and progressing?
J: We want to completely self-integrate to the point where we sell straight to the consumer. Dealing with the dispensaries has been a struggle for not only us but small farms and businesses all around. We want to follow a farm-to-table model and utilize what comes out of our garden to create a plethora of products that people will enjoy, with the same mindset and direction of providing all-natural products from edibles, topicals, concentrates, etc.
M: We didn't enter this industry to make money, we truly enjoy growing the flower and want to be able to share with people at a price that anyone can enjoy. In the same sense that we eat the organic food that we grow on the farm, we believe that everything we put in our body should be exceptional from what we eat to what we smoke and we want everyone to be able to indulge in that luxury.
E: In these early pioneering days in this industry things are constantly changing every day. We roll with the punches and do everything we can to stay positive and stay alive. It's exciting to be a part of this industry being built from the ground up and [we] look forward to watching it mature. We hope that with the support of the consumers, quality, craft, legacy small farmers will continue to have the opportunity to thrive in the days to come. Small farms are fading away every day. We want to not do that. Like the Lorax said, “We speak for the trees.” UNLESS someone like you buys our product nothing's gonna change! (Laughing) We love the Lorax!
If you love the Lorax too, or gas and fire weed - or both - you can follow Sanctuary Farms’ journey at their website: sanctuaryfarmsca.com and on IG: @sanctuaryfarmsca. Their organic flower, grown in living soil can be found at dispensaries throughout the Bay Area, including Pipeline Sunset and Pipeline North Beach.
