About Us
Ben and Marley were born and raised in Oakland, California and first met while attending high school at Marin Academy. While friends throughout high school, they didn't become close until reconnecting at Reggae on the River in 2005. Marley had been attending the festival throughout his childhood and he and Ben bonded over a love for live music, the beautiful setting on the Eel river in Humboldt county, and the amazing selection of locally grown cannabis.
After college, Ben spent several years traveling around central Asia (where he grew that trademark beard of his). Upon returning to the states in 2009, he and Marley started working together on a small grow in Anderson Valley, where they discovered their mutual passion to create the highest quality, most unique cannabis possible. This shared vision laid the foundation for their cultivation principles, including an adherence to organic farming practices and a scientific approach to phenotype hunting. They had no idea the experimental work during this time would become the foundation for Esensia.
In the early days, Ben and Marley grew a wide variety of plants from both clone and seed. The partners shared a keen attention to detail and quickly determined that while the environment was special, not all plants thrived. That revelation led to the endless search for the perfect genetics to match the environment, as well as cultivation techniques to allow the plants to reach their full potential. After years of training themselves on identifying unique and desirable characteristics, Ben and Marley dove into breeding and started applying their refined eye towards pheno hunting their own seed stock. All of the varietals they currently produce were developed through this painstaking process and represent years of breeding and selection. Once a plant has been selected, it is inducted into their tissue culture library with partner Rapid Clones to ensure that it is free from pest or disease and reproducible for years to come.
The fall of 2015 was a pivotal moment for Esensia. While the garden was legal under the medical laws of proposition 215, it was cut down by unidentified law enforcement repelling from a helicopter just days before harvest. The only evidence was a note on the garden white board that read “we came, we saw, we f*cking conquered.” Coincidentally, it was just weeks before the passage of proposition 64, which made cannabis legal for recreational use across California. Ben and Marley were devastated by the loss of a year's worth of work and considered leaving the project behind completely. Instead, with a new avenue towards compliance, they used it as an opportunity to continue their genetic and cultivation work. They built their farm anew, and after the 2016 season, Esensia was awarded their first Emerald Cup award for Lime Juice. This recognition affirmed their decision to continue cultivating and further motivated them to pursue their passion for craft cannabis.
In 2017 they moved to their current site in the High Valley region of the Mayacama mountains east of Hopland. This new site offered the opportunity to expand into the full 10,0000 square feet allowed by county regulations and continue to grow and develop their genetic library. They launched the Esensia brand in early 2020 which was the realization of a vision to create a cohesive home for their unique proprietary genetics and offer their craft flower to the greater California community. In addition to flower and pre-rolls, they have collaborated with many industry leading partners to create a wide range of products including concentrates, vape cartridges and tinctures. Since moving to the High Valley site, they have won an additional seven Emerald Cup awards, including second place CBD flower and three placements within top ten of the Licensed Sungrown category in 2021.
