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5 Questions Skunk Magazine

BURROWING FURTHER INTO THE PLANT WITH JEFFREY L GARBER, CEO/FOUNDER OF YELLOW DREAM FARM 

Ifirst met Jeffrey a couple of years ago during the event known as the Hall of Flowers. I was immediately struck by the care and quality of his self-grown flower and ebullient packaging. In an age where so much cannabis is grown private-label, I found it deeply refreshing that Jeffrey’s cannabis is very much like his personality. And that would be outgoing with a ready smile and a firm handshake that says. We are the GoodGood, don’t forget it! And I didn’t forget because what Jeffrey has brought to the market is deliciously fun and deeply bemusing. I was especially impressed by his flowers. They speak my language. Their LOUD. And the effect? Deeply healing. They are, truly- in my humble opinion, the GoodGood. Impressive and agreeable to my body. I love the attention to detail in the rolling of their pre-rolls. They pack a lot of cannabis in each joint. Each one is just perfect. Every time.

But this article isn’t just about their marvelous flowers, it’s about the man behind the brand, Jeffrey Garber, and I hope you feel his challenges and successes, one puff at a time. Cheers! WB    

Warren Bobrow: What obstacles do you face in your company? How do you remove them? 

Jeffrey L. Garber: We have overcome many obstacles since the birth of the Yellow Dream Farm, starting with the licensing and construction stage, getting power, and doing a full license and build out in 6 months for our state-of-the-art 30,000 sq. ft. cultivation facility. Our biggest challenge has been pioneering vertical farming and dialing in our genetic line and our seven flower rooms of 162 lights double stacked with 20ft ceilings. Dialing in the microclimates, airflow, VPD, and managing the different dry backs of the plants throughout the different areas of the rooms. It has not only been a difficult challenge but a very exciting one. The team and I thrive on seeing the daily improvements we make through the different cycles. 

Vertical farming in cannabis has had rapid growth in the industry and has gained a lot of traction recently not only due to the advancements in technology in the industry but also the volatile marketplace, price per pound being lower than ever, worldwide inflation creating higher COGS, and high tax rates. We are looking for every edge above the competition to cut costs, maximize efficiencies, and lower costs to stay competitive without compromising the quality of flower we produce. This has been our main goal and mission for the company, and our first house brand GoodGood aims to prove that narrative and produce boutique quality cannabis at scale and provide luxury cannabis products at affordable prices.  

Vertical farming does not have decades of knowledge and experience like the traditional growing styles of single-tier HPS lights. We learn from trial and error as they did decades ago and always aim to share the knowledge we have gained along the way with other farmers looking to grow vert. We are able to remove these obstacles with our full automation of feeding and environmental controls and our media sensors, all of which collect an abundance of data that we thrive off. We live in the grow rooms but spending time analyzing this data is key to success in commercial cannabis and helps guide our decision-making process. 

Building the right team around you and finding trustworthy, passionate people remains our top goal and priority. We love to teach, and your team is everything; and finding a loyal, dedicated, passionate team that shares a similar mindset. We are so grateful for the team we have built today.  

WB: Goals? Six and twelve-month goals? 

JLG: Our big goal for Yellow Dream Farm is to become 100% vertically integrated through our delivery operations and eventual retail stores. We’d like to see GoodGood gain 30% of the market share in California on the branded side of the cannabis industry. In the next 6-12 months, we’ll have a fully operational delivery and retail arm, and we are looking forward to launching more in-house brands and collaborations with the best artists. 

We recently ran an exciting promotion on social media called #GoodGoodUnderground, where we asked artists to submit exclusive designs in a contest to design our next merchandise item, a t-shirt. 100% of the proceeds of this merch item will be donated to the Last Prisoner Project, whose mission is to free all non-violent cannabis prisoners and work to right the wrongs of the drug war. 

 WB: When you smoke, what is your favorite stoner food? Why?

JLG: I love pizza, especially because I’ll always be a New Yorker at heart. My favorite flavor is classic cheese pizza. 

WB: Favorite food memory from childhood? Why?

JLG: Right after school ended in high school in New York City, I used to go to my favorite pizza spot to get the 2 for $5 deal. Two slices of pizza and a drink for $5, and I’d spend the other $15 on a dub of Sour D. My friends would all reconvene in a coveted spot called the Great Lawn in Central Park, where I met some of my best friends. Weed always brought people from different neighborhoods and lifestyles together, and that was one of my favorite parts about growing up in the melting pot. 

WB: Favorite restaurant now. Why?

JLG: Now that I’m living in LA, I’m always on the hunt for the best sushi spots. Sushi Fumi is my most frequently visited spot as well as I love the chicken parm and spicy fusilli from Jon and Vinny’s

WB: What is your passion?  

JLG: Outside of cannabis, I play polo with my family (that’s the sport played on horses.) It’s always been a big passion of mine growing up, and I play with my siblings on our family team. We will soon be starting our GoodGood polo team in our area. I’ve also done a lot of charity events and philanthropic events through polo, serving underserved communities and hospitals in our area. I still play in the Santa Barbara and Palm Springs areas, and the sport is becoming more and more popular on the West Coast.

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