Maya Gilliam

North Carolina, USA / Kigali, Rwanda

Indoor & Outdoor Hemp Cultivation in NC + Indoor Medical Climate Controled Grow Pod Cultivation in Rwanda

Favorite Strains/Variety: CBD favorite is “Purple Urkel”

THC favorite strain is “Gorilla Glue 4”

Fat Nugs Mag: When did you first connect with the plant? Maya Gilliam: Right before COVID-19

FNM: What do you consider your specialty?

MG: Product formulation with natural ingredients, and long, strong, white roots and vegetation

FNM: What is the most important part of what you do?

MG: Utilizing hemp and cannabis to heal the planet Also, to heal people mentally, physically, and emotionally

FNM: What are your plans for the future?

MG: We are are building a small cultivation facility in Rwanda within the next three months for a licensed medical grow, while securing multiple agreements with pharmaceutical companies, dispensaries, and hospitals for export in legal, international cannabis markets

Hempress Farms

FNM: What are some of the hurdles you have to overcome as a BIPOC Woman Grower?

MG: As we all know there are a lot of hurdles to overcome in the industry; marketing, insurance costs, social media issues, and the list goes on and on. Unfortunately, I also deal with blatant racism from local farmers in Yadkinville, North Carolina Sabotage is real thing and it's forced me to grow outdoor in fabric pots instead of in the ground at times When it comes to Africa, I have to overcome constant bullying from my male counterparts who don't like to see a woman in charge and calling the shots, even though I am the one paying for the operation, I often get push back from men

Magazine: Who do you grow for?

Sahir Al Salam: I will be doing commercial growing for my own companies in 2023 My team, Michigan Agricultural Services, has two licenses in Inkster, Michigan, for growing and processing I also own a commercial Green Zone property and formed a company called Certified Culture We'll be focused on craft cannabis in Detroit in 2023.

FNM: When did you first connect with the plant?

SAS: I first connected with her on a deeper level in 2012, an OG in my neighborhood, who was from California, taught me how to grow My dad and I built a 10x10 grow space, and less than a month later, he was showing me how to grow the plant and handle the work load that came with it

FNM: What do you consider your specialty?

SAS: My specialty is growing craft cannabis focused specifically on highprofile terp and taste, with a grounding body experience.

FNM: What is the most important part of what you do?

SAS: The most important part of what I do now is organizing. With having a lot of cannabis projects at one time, organizing and keeping everyone on the same page is paramount Networking is also an important part of what I do I try to always be in the right place at the right time

FNM: What are your plans for the future?

SAS: Opening our facility doors this year to Michigan Agricultural Services (Inkster) and Certified Culture (Detroit) and launching a new Cannabis brand High Prophecy in California and Michigan. 2023 will be big for me and my team.

FNM: What are some of the hurdles you have to overcome as a BIPOC Woman Grower?

SAS: So many hurdles - being a Black lesbian grower for me personally was an amazing experience that taught me patience, love, and creation It opened me up to a level of healing and understanding myself that I didn't posses prior.

I was a very good grower early, I was super in love with the plant. When I was entering the industry it was hard to find space, because I was a woman growing in a male dominated space.

I had to create space for myself and eventually found small communities to be a part of that were very accepting to who I was as a person and grower

After 5 years of growing I launched a delivery service in preparation for the legal market having delivery licenses available to cannabis companies. Unfortunately, when the legal market opened for delivery, they only made them available if you had a dispensary license attached to it. I spent years investing and building a cannabis company that I couldn’t go legal with.

That didn’t stop me, my team, Michigan Agricultural Services, was formed and we obtained our licensing through the city of Inkster, Michigan, for growing and processing We're looking to open by end of this year

I also recently purchased a space called, Detroit Life Lounge. It's a cannabis friendly workspace, event space, podcast, and media space all in one.

Sahir Al Salam

Indoor LED and HPS Lights

Favorite Strains/Variety: Gelatos

Personal & Commercial Grower

I Started off growing in Detroit, Michigan in my own basement. Quick funny story I made my dad build me my first 10x10 grow room. He did it with a smile.

Love is in the air in February, and this month we are highlighting Daily Grape (Daily Driver x Grape Pie), grown by Stewart Farms out of beautiful New Brunswick.

The Stewart Farms team have been innovators from the very start of legalization up here in Canada’s great green north. Acting as the heart of the team is CEO Tanner Stewart, who as the name might suggest, is owner as well.

Any good heart wouldn’t be complete without a set of lungs, and COO Catrina Jackson and Head Grower Genevieve Newton fill those roles respectively. With a complete focus on quality, the team uses an organic, all-natural grow methodology known as aquaponics.

Simply put, happily fed fish make nutrient rich water, which is used to fertigate and feed the cannabis we enjoy. As a Ganjier I am always looking for sustainable and ecofriendly cannabis, not only because it promotes a healthy future, but it also produces some of the most flavorful and highquality bud on the market.

This is evident in Daily Grape’s third place finish at the inaugural ‘Grow Up Cannabis Cup’, this past September in Niagara Falls. I had the fortune of being one of the 14 judges at the Cup and caught up with Tanner and Genevieve after the event to ask how they met and the story behind their Daily Grape.

Tanner was quick to mention Genevieve’s passion, true love, and respect for the plant. As a medicinal patient herself, she gained great appreciation for its medicinal value, which led her to grow her own medicine and then share it publicly.

Like many in the industry, Tanner initially had trouble assembling a dream team, but after a few personnel changes, he was directed to Genevieve’s social media and was fortunate enough to find his own unicorn in the herd, as she’s known to her team. She has since not only been providing us with top notch cannabis but has been learning from the best.

Career cannabis hustler Kevin Jodrey, based out of Humboldt, California, has been crucial to the team, operating as an advisor and doing what he does best, teaching. Kev is one of those rare souls in the cannabis industry that has likely forgotten more than most will ever know about the plant, and is ready, willing, and excited to share his wealth of knowledge with those worthy to listen.

Gen and her team have been smart enough to take those lessons to heart to form a mutually beneficial relationship. Frankly put by Kev, “It’s a mentorship so to speak, but to me, it's friendship.”

With both dedicated work from the whole team and the invaluable guidance from Kev, Daily Grape was selected for its Sundae Driver lineage, and was picked from a three hundred seed pheno hunt by Gen and team. In the end, the team ended up with four different cultivars of Daily Grape, and despite some bumps in the road, #6 Daily Grape pheno was the winner.

Appearance

Bright greens, warm purples, and varied orange hues. Trichome coverage is dense and mostly intact. Top notch cure and trim help this cultivar sprint past the finish line in full stride. Gorgeous sample of cannabis. Thoroughly impressed with the bag appeal and visual kick.

Aroma

Pungent grape overtone, intense, but pleasantly light on the senses. Refreshing with slight floral/earth undertone. Acidic/acetone. Sharp and bright. Candied grape marker coupled with a strong and a bright spice – spearmint/peppermint.

Flavor

Rich grape flavor holds true. Creamy/slightly sweet taste added to the mix. Light, sharp, floral tone. Smooth hit, with a moderate flavor hold. Halfway through my king size, I have a pleasant, light, candied grape taste on my palette. Late into my second joint I'm beginning to taste salty water as well. Slight umami texture and taste. Very clean and pleasant.

Experience

Pleasantly stimulating effect that kicks in rapidly. Grape flavor gives a beautiful sweet and creamy taste that leaves the palette full after the joint has finished. Felt energized without being jittery or wired. The smooth rise into a balanced experience and fall back to reality was enjoyable without a burnout. Very clean burn. 20 minutes after burn and I have that pleasant relaxation behind the eyes and feel like a creative sit and think. Would love to chill by a river or waterfall and relax.