Esensia Gardens
Ben and Marley, the founders of Esensia, hail from Oakland, California, where they first met at Marin Academy during their high school years. Though initially just acquaintances, they reconnected in 2005 at Reggae on the River, a festival Marley had been attending since childhood. The two bonded over their mutual love for live music, the beautiful surroundings of Humboldt County’s Eel River, and an appreciation for locally grown cannabis.
Following college, Ben traveled around Central Asia for several years, during which time he grew his trademark beard. Upon his return to the States in 2009, he and Marley embarked on a small cultivation project in Anderson Valley. It was there that they discovered their shared passion for creating unique and top-quality cannabis. This passion led to the establishment of their cultivation principles, which included organic farming practices and a scientific approach to selecting specific strains, laying the groundwork for what would later become Esensia.
In the beginning, the duo grew a diverse array of plants from both seed and clone. They paid close attention to detail, recognizing that while their environment was extraordinary, not all plants thrived. This realization prompted an endless quest for the perfect genetics and cultivation techniques to allow their plants to flourish. After years of honing their ability to identify unique and desirable traits, they ventured into breeding and selecting their seed stock. The varietals they produce today are the result of this careful process, and once selected, they are preserved in their tissue culture library to ensure pest and disease-free reproduction for years to come.
A critical turning point for Esensia came in the fall of 2015. Despite being legal under Proposition 215, their garden was destroyed by unidentified law enforcement just days before harvest. The incident occurred only weeks before the passage of Proposition 64, legalizing recreational cannabis in California. Devastated by the loss of a year’s worth of labor, Ben and Marley contemplated abandoning their efforts. However, they decided to rebuild, and their determination was rewarded in 2016 when Esensia won its first Emerald Cup award for Lime Juice. This honor confirmed their resolve to continue cultivating and further inspired their pursuit of craft cannabis.
In 2017, they relocated to the High Valley region of the Mayacama Mountains, east of Hopland. This new location provided the opportunity to expand their operation to the full 10,000 square feet permitted by county regulations, allowing them to continue growing and developing their genetic library. They officially launched the Esensia brand in early 2020, realizing their vision to create a unified home for their unique genetics and offer their craft flower to the broader California community. Collaborating with industry-leading partners, they’ve developed a wide range of products including concentrates, vape cartridges, and tinctures. Since relocating, they have earned an additional seven Emerald Cup awards, including a second-place CBD flower award and three top-ten placements in the Licensed Sungrown category in 2021.
