It all started as a joke. Being active in the legacy market during high school time, William and Samantha Seagaard were dreaming to start a legal cannabis business once it became legal. "People thought we were crazy, laughed it off, and said it was never going to happen," recalls Samantha. One has to wonder how those people feel now looking at The Fresh Connection cultivation facility in Massachusetts, serving up to 100 retail locations throughout the state.
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Setting up shop
Massachusetts was the first state on the East coast to regulate cannabis, and when the time came, both Samantha and William knew they had to act fast. "We found a couple of buildings, but others came and swooped them out from under us." So, they had to keep on looking, until their eyes set on an old paper mill that also had a tv station. "That was quite fortunate," Samantha chuckles. "We had money coming in from those tenants, or else it would've been impossible to keep going during that period."
As they pitched family, friends, and potential investors to set up their cultivation, they observed other licensed producers spending millions of dollars for flashy facilities, and wondered if that even made sense. "If you spend so much on your set up, then those costs are going to ripple down to the price of the final product, and are customers even willing to pay that price?" A quote they received for their cultivation set up came in the region of 5 million dollars. However, Samantha had decades-long experience in growing cannabis, also as a caregiver in Oregon. At the end of the day, cultivation is about knowing a lot of little tricks, and Samantha had more than a couple up her sleeves. "We have done a lot of side by side trials, especially with regards to lighting systems. We determined that there's not much difference between a 500-700 dollar light and a 2,000 dollar light in terms of output. So, instead of going for the most expensive light in the market, we went for a more cost-effective alternative." That was the philosophy that drove the build out of The Fresh Connection cultivation set up.
© patrickrrphotos
Cost-effective
The same approach carried over to every part of the operation. Instead of chasing shiny new tech or automation, the team leaned into the craft ethos: soil sourced from Maine, beneficial insects instead of sprays, strict cleanliness protocols, and hand-trimmed flowers. "There's something special in soil that really enhances terpenes and cannabinoids," says Samantha. "On top of that, I never liked growing in rockwool."
"We try to keep automation to a minimum," Samantha explains. "Fertigation is automated because you'd break your back otherwise, but beyond that, it's people and intention. Take trimming, for instance. You can always tell the difference between machine-trimmed flower and one that's been hand curated. If you cut corners, quick drying, machine trimming, rockwool, you can still make a product. But if your intention is to make the best product, you stay patient and do it right."
Each phenotype is hunted in-house from seed, giving their menu a character that stands out in a crowded market. "In a state with some of the strictest testing regulations in the country, that philosophy turned out to be a perfect match. Outdoor-grown flower often needs remediation before it even hits the shelves, but Fresh Connection's indoor craft approach slides right through. "We always preferred indoor anyway, even before regulations made it the obvious choice," Samantha laughs. "People just want indoor flower."
© Fresh Connection
Keeping it simple
From a high school joke to a cultivation that now supplies nearly a hundred stores, The Fresh Connection's story is less about overnight success and more about the long grind of making things work with what you've got. Samantha, William, and their partner Zach didn't try to outspend competitors or chase every new gadget on the market; instead, they doubled down on experience, patience, and a fair bit of stubbornness. In an industry where the loudest voices often talk about scale and technology, their approach is quieter, but maybe that's the point; sometimes, keeping it simple is what lets you stick around.
For more information:
Fresh Connection
Fitchburg, MA 01420
[email protected]
freshconnectionboston.com
