My foot hits the soft dirt of a rainy August day in Montana. I look up and out over an acre of cannabis plants. The sun is breaking through the clouds and the jagged leaves shimmer in the light. This is not your average southwest Montana farm. This is a cannabis farm, and the outdoor yield that I’m walking through is only a small percentage of what’s grown by 710 Montana bud tenders.
In addition to this field, cannabis is being cultivated in green houses on the property, and even more is being grown at 710’s indoor warehouse a few miles down the road. 710 Montana has become one of the state’s largest wholesale distributors, selling cannabis in over 90 stores. They are a powerhouse company pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in cannabis.
And who is the unstoppable force behind it all?
When I walk into 710’s downtown Bozeman dispensary, a space that was once a beloved dive bar and pool shooting hang-out called The Scoop, I find Stephanie Martino at the cannabis counter wearing huge, square-framed glasses and a swirly patterned jumpsuit. She exudes poise, spunk, confidence and warmth. She gives us a tour, pointing out all the beloved remnants of the old space that she’s kept around because, for her, the spirit of the place matters. There’s the original pool table, the mosaic “scoop” sign lining the back wall, and a poster hanging in the bathroom made of stickers from the bar top. After chatting with her for a while, this makes sense.
Martino cares about her work environment, family, and of course her beloved cannabis plants. She cares deeply about every single person she employs and each person who walks into one of her many storefronts. That’s what makes 710 Montana what it is. Laughter, family, dedication and passion all come together to create the healthy bones of this business that’s only getting stronger.
A Natural Evolution
It all started as a side project. When Martino began spending time with her next-door neighbor, who would soon become her life partner, his contracting business had suffered from the financial crisis in 2008 and they decided to take a chance on cannabis. They sectioned off part of a warehouse to dedicate towards learning about and growing cannabis. As she was preparing to become a court reporter, she began spending her free time at the grow house.
“I couldn’t even keep a cactus alive back then. I didn’t have house plants,” she says. “But something was different with these plants; I loved them and cared for them in a way I had never experienced before.”
Three months into the venture, Martino began running the show. She became owner, budtender and distributor. She would enter the homes of her clients with the pound of cannabis allotted to her, explain the differences in the strains and give them what she had. The people she met sparked her passion further.
Following her interest in the therapeutic qualities of cannabis, Martino found herself under the instruction of some of Gallatin Valley’s first medicinal marijuana providers and doctors, pioneering the convergence of the medical world with the healing qualities of cannabis in Montana. Amongst them was her mentor Dr. Curt Kurtz. She began helping at his clinic, sitting in on patient reviews and learning all she could about how cannabis could help people live with their sicknesses more peacefully. From Parkinson’s patients to cancer patients to those wanting to move away from prescriptions, everyone’s experience was unique. Through this, she began to see what sets cannabis apart and what gives it that therapeutic edge.
“When we do look at these therapeutic elements, we can actually help people who want to calm anxiety or need a sleep aid, as well as those who just want to laugh and have fun,” she explains.
Terpenes, which Martino refers to as “the essential oils of cannabis” are the natural compounds found in plants that give them their characteristic tastes and smells. In cannabis, terpenes carry a lot of therapeutic properties and play a big role in the effects of a strain. This is what she set her sights on. What growing conditions will create plants with the highest percentage of pure terpenes? How can we grow our plants with the intent on creating the best possible experience for our consumers?
Finding A Voice And Making A Name
After years of working as a sole proprietor, Martino finally named the business “710 Montana” in 2014, ready to expand. A decade later, they’re still growing.
In the greenhouse in Belgrade, located just west of Bozeman, the 710 grow team is using living soil to facilitate healthy plants. They use solely organic material in large rolling beds and turn over soil after each harvest, reusing plant scraps as compost with a supplemental vermicomposting system. This has proven fruitful.
Adam, one of the lead gardeners, rarely hits less than 2-3% terpene levels, which Martino confirms is a great percentage. There are about 12 different strains in the greenhouse, plus the 12-15 sungrown strains, and then the multitude grown in the warehouse under LED lighting. This variety gives 710 a leg up. There are very few things they haven’t done. This is the beauty of having a team of people excited to explore ways to improve.
The 710 team is proud to be a woman-owned business that also relies on a strong female workforce: In fact, women make up 80% of the team. “I’m so happy to have the women on my team that I do. I have an immense amount of trust in them,” Martino says. “To support women and watch them grow is the most amazing thing for me.”
Martino attributes her dedication and strength to her mother who showed her what it means to work hard and create a full life for oneself. Working in a male-dominated industry hasn’t been easy though—especially in the beginning, back when no one remembered her name and simply called her “jar girl.”
“There were quite a few meetings where it was difficult to get your voice heard…I was looking after everyone the same way that these gentlemen were, but sometimes they didn’t know your name,” Martino recalls. “I’d show up with a jar of money that was raised just so we could keep funding these associations, and I was simply referred to as ‘jar-girl’ because they didn’t remember my name. But, I feel like now, women have a huge presence in this industry.”
But that was just another hurdle for her to jump over. And there’s no doubt that Martino has made a name for herself when it comes to cannabis.
Martino lets us in on a secret about running a cannabis business: It’s not easy. Her advice to anyone starting out on their entrepreneurship journey? Be ready to never sleep and to sacrifice for what you love. Know that your voice matters. And perhaps most importantly: “If you’re not learning, you’re not growing.”
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