the INSIDER issue
F E AT U R E
THE SCIENCE OF SCALE Natura brings cutting-edge capabilities to California’s Cannabis scene. Trekking from room to room and building to building through the Natura compound on the outskirts of Sacramento, one thing becomes apparent. This place is expansive. Not only that – it has to be expensive.
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A state-of-the-art, veritable Willy Wonka’s wonderland of weed, Natura has spared no expense to set itself up with the capability of producing high-quality products for every segment of the market, using bleeding-edge technology at significant scale. Over a series of visits and Zoom calls, we dug into the formation, the operation and the vision for the company, as well as its approach to crafting products for brands and companies hoping to scale for statewide distribution and beyond.
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AN IDEA SPROUTS
The concept for Natura cracked the husk when its founders saw a need in the industry. Co-founder and CEO Ori Bytton had taken his experience and money from a career in the solar industry and paired it with an investing partner to enter the Cannabis real estate market. Using the financial resources at their disposal, they turned around industrial real estate and repurposed it for Cannabis use – serving Cannabis businesses of different shapes, color and size. After some time, they noticed that many of their clients came and went swiftly, as the competitive nature of the nascent industry caused significant churn and turnover. They designed a large, multipurpose facility and sought out Josh Schmidt, co-founder of the multi-state brand Pistil Point, and a long-time figure in the traditional and medical market. “It sent off signals in their heads,” Schmidt said of the high turnover rate for brands in the Cannabis market. “They got together, they used their brains, and they thought of this model – the Natura model – which is a supply chain opportunity partner for brands to launch themselves in the state.” Together with VP of Sales, Seth Sznapstajler, they crafted plans to flesh out a team that could utilize a facility equipped to tackle nearly every product category, and serve nearly any brand to walk through the front door. Now, a few whirlwind years later, Natura has staffed and launched its 290,000 square feet of operational facility and growing on its 11-plus-acre campus – with cultivation, extraction, production, packaging, a large commercial kitchen and R&D capabilities, to support the company’s 22 licenses covering propagation, cultivation, manufacturing, distribution and direct-to-consumer delivery. >>
OCT. 2021
