CEO To Rainmaker
CEO To Rainmaker
Episode #76 "Dancing In the Mud", Redefining How Food Is Done with Dr. Gina Oliver and Richard Hutchinson
When Gina Oliver and Richard Hutchinson decided to blend ancestral wisdom with modern technology, they conjured more than just crops—they sowed the seeds of change. In our heartwarming conversation, these pioneers share the story of 'From the Land,' a venture transforming the face of sustainable indoor farming with the heartbeat of community at its core. We delve into their fascinating integration of adobe building techniques with cutting-edge farm automation, a fusion that earned them a patent-pending status and a USDA grant. Their tale is one of resilience, a tribute to Gina's rich family legacy, and a testament to their unwavering commitment to making nutritious food accessible to all.
The episode isn't just a science class on advanced agriculture; it's a lens into the world of food deserts like San Bernardino and how innovative solutions like 'From the Land' can revolutionize food security. Listen as Gina and Richard reflect on the journey from academia to entrepreneurship, where perseverance is served alongside pesticide-free produce. They emphasize the art of learning new skills and adapting to challenges, all while nurturing a business that isn’t just about profit but about feeding the soul of a community. Join us for a narrative that's ripe with hope, brimming with innovation, and rich with the spirit of two entrepreneurs determined to harvest a healthier tomorrow.
Dr. Gina Oliver- 1909-583-4389
fromtheland.us
CEO2rainmkr.com
909-2300024
Dancing in the mud redefining how food is done. You know, it never ceases to amaze me how creative young entrepreneurs can be, especially the young ones. They're just smart, they have passion, they have purpose. That doesn't mean that's also all. Folks don't have that too but if you've ever met a young person on fire, you know what I'm talking about. Usually their ages are roughly 21 to 38. So beyond that, you're a year old.
Speaker 1:I love interviewing them because I like to ask them what drove you to start your business? Where did the business idea come from? They don't just come from anywhere. There's a reason. Where did it come from and how do you make money? As I speak with them, I learn a lot of new things and it energizes me. My goal of today's show is to inspire and educate my listeners on the genesis of a new, revolutionary business. That should mean a lot to all of you If you like eating healthy food and you care about your environment. So if you don't like food and you don't like the environment, turn off the button. Okay, everybody loves that and maybe, maybe your existing business needs a new facelift and today's show will create some new ideas percolating in your brain to improve your business.
Speaker 1:Gina Oliver and her husband, richard Hutchinson, are co-owners of a very unique new business called From the Land From the land. We're going to talk about their mission statement of the business, what products and services they offer and what are the benefits that they're offering a crew to their target market. We're going to get all businessy on you. Before I do that, I just want to do a quick bio on the two owners. Gina grew up in a large Hispanic family in San Bernardino, like what we like to call San Bernardino. Have you ever heard that? I don't know. That's okay. She was a first generation college graduate and earned her STEM doctorate, and she's a national science foundation fellow. She has presented at conferences all over the world on one of her specialties, which is sustainable food production innovations. Richard is an accomplished materials engineer, having been a research consultant at STEM Cultures LLC. His work has contributed to advancements in biomedical startups, led technology and sports body armor.
Speaker 1:For you, young kids, that does not mean pierced earrings. Now you're thinking the same thing. I'm thinking. They sound like they're really smart. So what are they doing? Dancing in the mud? Let's bring them out and find out. Gina and Richard, what's this mud thing about? Come clean or I guess, come dirty whatever.
Speaker 3:Yes, come ready to get your hands dirty and feet dirty. So we had this idea of building indoor farms using ancient technologies. Right, we've been OK. Yeah, as humans, we've been building with mud for a really long time Hundreds, even thousands of years.
Speaker 1:OK.
Speaker 3:And it's really good at maintaining indoor temperatures Right. So if it's really hot outside inside like a mud hut or like an adobe structure, it's going to be really cool inside.
Speaker 1:And so that just like cool temperature, are also cool, like being really cool to do it. So that's why you dance in the mud.
Speaker 3:Yes.
Speaker 1:OK, now that we got that out of the way. So where did this idea come from? To start from the land, richard Gina, whoever wants to chip in, where did the idea come from?
Speaker 2:So we met on a fundamental value back in 2014 about the fact that we care about giving back to our communities and we want to take the skills that we developed and the knowledge that we've picked up and learned and apply those towards impacting people in positive and profound ways. But the core from the land really comes from Gina, and I'm going to let her talk about it.
Speaker 1:So before you say I think, excuse me for interrupting, I have a theory come from your grandmother.
Speaker 3:Oh, yes, yes.
Speaker 1:How's that? Huh, Detective huh. Ok, go ahead. I'm sorry.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so I grew up surrounded by really good food, but my, my grandmother, she was a single mom raising eight kids and they, yeah, they didn't always have a lot of food and and so that kind of is a little bit of background of maybe you know, I think, what has driven me to kind of think about a business idea around food.
Speaker 1:OK. Ok, came from somewhere, go on.
Speaker 3:Yeah, but yeah, I think, just my kind of a lot of different experiences in my life that got me to stem a career which is science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Speaker 1:So. So that's what that means. Ok, got it.
Speaker 3:Yes, um, and I actually really took a liking to geology and people think of rocks.
Speaker 1:Yeah, ok.
Speaker 3:Yeah, but a lot of it is learning about how the planet works and I got my PhD in it and I loved it and after like a couple of years in the PhD program, I really didn't want to continue in academia.
Speaker 1:OK, OK.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and I wanted to see if I could take the skills that I've learned, especially in my PhD program, where I created it's like I recreated environments in the laboratory.
Speaker 1:OK, oh, it's something we all do.
Speaker 3:Yeah, totally.
Speaker 1:I do that every day.
Speaker 3:Yeah, um, and so you know, this business is really just kind of a blending of all of my different experiences and, ok, I want it to be around food. I want to still use the, the science that I learned, and can we make it so, you know, more people can access more food.
Speaker 1:OK, so, so you felt that you could accomplish your own with both of your mission statements better with a business than teaching it. Yes, ok. So are you guys a nonprofit or a for-profit, or we don't know what we are.
Speaker 2:We were part of this new generation of companies that would have been a nonprofit, but decided to go for profit because we believe that it's important to have a sustainable business. Ok, we also believe that we can do good and great while also being profitable.
Speaker 1:OK, that's good. Ok, so you're in, while you have your social entrepreneurship and you want to give back to the community because you're a for-profit and you have you have a family and you have housing needs and groceries. You've got to make a profit.
Speaker 3:Yes.
Speaker 1:Got it right.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah OK.
Speaker 1:So in caveman language, in 25 words or less in general, what does up the? Excuse me, what does from the land do?
Speaker 3:So we produce 25 words. Ok, we produce eco friendly indoor farms, so they're.
Speaker 1:OK, microfarms.
Speaker 3:So think of like a backyard shed.
Speaker 1:OK.
Speaker 3:And a tiny house. Exactly.
Speaker 1:OK, ok.
Speaker 3:And grow food using all of the vertical space.
Speaker 1:So you're OK.
Speaker 3:And these farms used by anyone and anywhere.
Speaker 1:Are you talking businesses or individuals, or both?
Speaker 3:Both.
Speaker 1:OK, so anybody that wants to raise their own or grow their own produce would be a target market for your indoor farms.
Speaker 3:Yes.
Speaker 1:And what benefits come to them by virtue of buying your stuff.
Speaker 3:Yes. So um say, somebody doesn't have a whole lot of land.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 3:You can put a, you know, a farm in your backyard and you can grow a lot of food. But what's really cool is that our farm you don't need a lot of no high electricity bills, um, you don't use a whole lot of water and there's no pesticides, um, and so you know what's going into your food and what's. You know what you're eating, um. So those are some really major benefits.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Okay, so is it. Is it vegetables? Is it produce? So what? What food categories can you grow on your own by using your indoor farms? Can you make a big mat? Can you make an In-N-Out?
Speaker 2:Burger. So mini, mini livestock is actually absolutely something that, um, we can grow in there. Right now we're growing insects, and not everybody would want to eat insects, but you could do insect.
Speaker 1:Did you say insects? That bugs me when people do that.
Speaker 2:But you could uh, you could have chickens in there.
Speaker 1:Really Okay.
Speaker 2:Rabbits fish. Um, right now we're growing tomatoes, onions, peas and saffron alongside the insects. Wow.
Speaker 3:Or even, uh, you know, prawns would be wonderful to grow in this type of facility.
Speaker 1:Okay. That's amazing, that is amazing. So how long now has uh from the land-bidded business?
Speaker 3:I believe for four years.
Speaker 1:Yes, four years. So if you could share with me, you guys, what's, what's been the biggest obstacles to your success? Cause I'm sure there's other people who say, oh yeah, I have that one too.
Speaker 3:Um, you know, I think trying to um, we're not recreating a new market, but we are developing a really different and distinct product, and so trying to get the funding to test it and and we've been testing it, uh, for the last three years, and that's been important because we want to make sure that where are all of the pieces where people are going to have an issue with it, and so I got you, so you haven't had any quote unquote official sales yet, but you're getting closer, yes, and one of the most important ones is access to capital to continue your um, I guess we can call it research and development or concept testing or that kind of stuff, exactly.
Speaker 1:So, um, and and, all right, I get that. So what about what's new on the horizon? What's, let's say, you get phase one of from the land? What sort of, uh, what are some other scientific things you're thinking about that you could do if you can share?
Speaker 2:that Sure. So, uh, first of all, a very um, a simple one is building a network of these. Imagine, around your neighborhood, having a network of these facilities that are linked together and you can communicate with other people in the network. It's a lot like a fast food franchise model, but instead of it being a larger corporation, it's the individuals in the community that can be making money off of growing the food, and we're not going to have another supply chain meltdown because the supply chain is local. Your farm to this, your farm to table distance is now, instead of thousands of miles, just right down the street.
Speaker 1:Oh, okay, okay.
Speaker 2:So that's, it's um a little bit more innovative, a little bit less sciencey on the science side.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah, but on that you can kind of think of like a large co-op Right, kind of all working together Um. But yeah, on the the science side, um, we've, uh are developing technologies to bring, like sunlight, natural sunlight, indoors, um and uh, really low cost and efficient ways to use um, um any sort of like we basically want to take this uh indoor farm off grid, and so all of our technologies have to be very efficient.
Speaker 1:Well, that's sort of yeah that sort of leads into my next question Is there anybody that's doing what you're doing? Do you have any viable competitors?
Speaker 3:So kind of our, our market is shipping container farms. And basically, they take a shipping container farm, they insulate it, um. They have, uh, really a lot of different high tech or you know um with LEDs, um, and sophisticated um HVAC systems, um, and so that's kind of our like major competitor.
Speaker 1:Are they on the West Coast?
Speaker 2:They're all across the US.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:Okay, there are similar shipping container companies internationally. The biggest downside is a lot of this. Indoor agriculture, including the shipping container farms, didn't think about energy and energy costs, as well as the fact that sometimes our grid goes down. And if our grid goes down, what happens when you lose entire crops that people are relying on for food?
Speaker 1:Aha, gotcha.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 1:Okay, we've taken that down. Okay, so is there anything unique where the subject of intellectual property would come up, or trade secrets or patents? Are you doing anything that nobody else is doing in terms of techniques or innovation, or you're just doing it a different way, or what?
Speaker 3:Yeah, so I think. So we have a patent that we submitted our application for our farm design.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 3:And really, even though Adobe Building, or you can also call it Cobb Building, no one's ever really blended that technology with the kind of the automation that we have developed for it.
Speaker 1:Okay. So can you explain to me, gene, a little bit more clarification. Adobe what does that mean?
Speaker 3:Yeah, so our indoor farms. The walls are made out of Adobe, which is a blend of sand, clay and straw. Okay, and so?
Speaker 1:And that's where you dance in the mud.
Speaker 3:Yep, yeah.
Speaker 1:Okay. To make of our buildings. Aha, okay, so I understand you guys received a USDA Phase 1 grant. Tell me about that. That must have been exciting.
Speaker 3:Yes, that was. We got that award in 2020 and we were able to build our first indoor farm, and so during that time, richard spent a lot of time dancing in the mud and I placed mud, so we built the walls.
Speaker 1:So you made the dance floors and Richard was the dancer. And what is NIFA? What is that stand for?
Speaker 3:Oh, nifa is a, it's the.
Speaker 2:National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Is that right? Yes, I believe it's the National Institute of Food and Agriculture and it's part of the USDA.
Speaker 1:Okay, and you've got the blessings of and support and say add a girl, add a boy for these two large, large organizations. Right, yeah, so someone likes what you're doing. So what's the California Dream Fund? Is that about the Beach Boys or what?
Speaker 3:So that was a funding opportunity that came from the California Office of Small Business Advocate.
Speaker 2:Okay, and thanks to that fund we met a mutual contact, Mihai Patru from the Caravan Sire Project, who introduced us to you.
Speaker 1:Oh, yes, I know Mihai, he's a legend, yes, okay. So I always say money always flows to good ideas. So a lot of people out there like your ideas and what your mission statement is. Otherwise the money would not flow, because it's a competitive marketplace. Everybody would like a grant right, but not everybody gets it. So, gina, what did you learn from your grandmother that made you the business person scientist you are today?
Speaker 3:Cool, it was my grandmother and mother Just seeing. My grandmother never gave up.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 3:She always worked very hard and my mother kind of took that and my mother and father had started their own business.
Speaker 1:When I was younger, Okay, so you're a daughter of a couple of entrepreneurs.
Speaker 3:Yep and I didn't stop that until later in life and you go, but I don't want that.
Speaker 1:I'm going to go to academia, oh no, maybe I should go back to being an entrepreneur. Maybe mom and dad had it right. Call your own shots, make your own schedule, take a vacation anytime you want to no paperwork.
Speaker 2:Always in charge.
Speaker 1:No, sorry. What about you, Richard? What did you learn from your parents and grandparents? My parents- that set you the man you are today, to run this company with your wife.
Speaker 2:Thank you, thank you. They taught me love, I think is one of the biggest things. I come from two engineers that graduated from MIT and they moved out to the Silicon Valley from the East Coast and I was very fortunate to grow up in the entrepreneurial culture there, but I was very much the black sheep of the family. Also, I got in a lot of trouble and they were very patient with me.
Speaker 1:And what caused this black sheepiness?
Speaker 2:I don't. That's a good question. I always had a very contrary viewpoint to things and when people would run one way, I'd run the other way, and I think that's really benefited me and us in a lot of things in that being able to take that and then, once I finally was able to put on the academics and engineering, blend those two together, on one side we get this great structure and on the other side we get this kind of chaotic bias to action.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Well, that's a very insightful comment, because how many times have we heard this situation where someone says so why do we always, why don't we do it this way? Oh no, we always do it this way. Well, why not the other way? We just always do it this way. Has anybody ever considered doing it the other way? Well, not really. We like the way we do it. We do it this way. Entrepreneurs are graduates of. Why don't we try it a different way?
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and you have to be that. You can't be me too, right? I mean, you have to kind of march to the beat of your own drum. So what would you say other than access to capital is important? What have you learned from your four year journey thus far?
Speaker 3:working together.
Speaker 1:And how does that work out? Does Richard ever sleep on the sofa because he doesn't agree with you, or what?
Speaker 3:No, but I think he's probably do.
Speaker 1:I got you. You know all this talking is making me hungry. Do you have any free food for me?
Speaker 3:We'll send some your way and we'll stop the insects for you if you want to try them out.
Speaker 1:That's funny. No, I'm just. You know entrepreneurs, they don't happen by accident, it's there's an event, there's their family dynamics, there's their passion, there's their drive and even more successful ones. It's not being lucky, it's learning as you go and you learn more about your business than you can in any book, internet, blog. Oh yeah, you just, you learn by doing and you guys are off to a great start. Thank you, thank you If we're, if, if land is scarce and water is scarce and there are still hungry people all over all the world. I mean, I know that's an ambitious goal, but little by little, you like to chip away at that, right?
Speaker 3:Absolutely.
Speaker 1:I mean, we have people in the United States that don't have enough food, not to mention the third world countries. Which is my next question Can you, can you take your ideas and do it globally? Have you thought about that, or you've always thought about that? It just takes the money.
Speaker 2:Absolutely in both. We've talked to people about going international. We also want to make sure that we do right by the communities that we come from. So here in the Inland Empire I'd never heard of a food desert before, and San Bernardino is a food desert where.
Speaker 1:No, I did not know that Wow.
Speaker 3:So you know there's several food deserts within not just the city of San Bernardino, but many in the county as well.
Speaker 1:What's the definition of a food desert?
Speaker 3:It's where people don't have access to fresh food. Oftentimes they're too far away from like a grocery store that has like fresh produce.
Speaker 1:I see like Death Valley.
Speaker 3:Yeah, we'll live out out there, but you know, go ahead.
Speaker 1:I'm sorry, Go ahead.
Speaker 3:But you know people in San Bernardino. You know, if you don't have a car and there's not a grocery store or a place that has fresh food, you know how are they going to get that on a regular basis. You know, oftentimes they are left with, you know, a lot of highly processed food and that's the access that they have.
Speaker 1:So, yeah, there seems like a lot of people are talking about all the pesticides and food and more and more people are tuned into that, and what you're working on is free of that. Yeah, is the term organic fair in terms of what you do?
Speaker 3:Yes, absolutely.
Speaker 1:And how are the two of yours diet? Do you eat well?
Speaker 3:Sometimes, we're getting.
Speaker 1:Have you heard of the organic donut? I'm just kidding. So what would you like to share other than the capital, other than I've already asked you? If you were to give a couple of takeaways for today's show, for today's listener, what would you share with them? Um, so you know especially young people because your role models, whether you realize it or not.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I, um, it's been kind of a challenging path that I feel that I've taken. Nobody in my family has done what I've done or tried to pursue. So you know, the college route, and then the science route, and then HD let alone trying to invent and then sell a new product that nobody really ever has. You know, it's um, there's been a lot of learning lessons, but I keep a couple mantras for myself to keep going, because some days are more challenging than others. Um, and I don't know, I'm a big movie buff and so there's two of my favorites. Have you seen Finding Nemo?
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 3:So one of my favorites I say to myself if I'm happy with time is I say, just keep swimming. And then I do the you know the cute, just swimming. And then also Galaxy Bracers one. It says never give up and never surrender. And these two things might seem kind of silly but they've helped me through some hard times like, okay, don't, don't give up. You know just, you have there's a lot of support out there that you can go and find, and some things you just have to kind of keep going, keep swimming, because you know you, we have a good idea, but we have to keep. We have to keep going to see if this, how big this can get, because it's going to help a lot of people.
Speaker 1:Well, you know, I think that's a, that's a great best practice for my listeners, for everybody in general, is don't give up. I'm sure, richard, you would echo the same sentiments. It's interesting because it's not glamorous running your own business. You'd like it to be, but it is really, really hard work. I know that I've had several businesses and so do you feel like you're kind of going through this transformative experience between being scientists, academicians and now, oh, I got to learn about boring business. But really, if you're not a good business person, your business will not be sustainable. So the learning curve in terms of your space has to increase and, at the same time, parallel your business acumen, if you will. Otherwise, all that hard work goes down the tubes because you're not a business anymore.
Speaker 1:Yeah that's a hard transformation. I had not met very many scientists or acumenitions that are good business people. Look at my doctor Great doctor, but a lousy business guy. You know he didn't go into business to be a business person, he went into business to help people. Right, I know, but you got to make a profit or else your practice will not sustain itself.
Speaker 2:I think one of the coolest things about school is we learn about ourselves and we're learning how to learn, and no matter what it is.
Speaker 1:That's a good way to put it Learning how to learn. I like that.
Speaker 2:Awesome Things that you study, if we can take that learning how to learn and maybe we did science and engineering over here, but now we're learning how to learn we're applying that learning to business and marketing and sales, which to us is a very new thing, yeah.
Speaker 1:And for all my listeners it's the same thing Don't give up and learn a little bit every day. If it's one new thing, keep adding it to your skill base, because after a certain period of time you'll wake up and you'll say, geez, you'd be kind of proud of yourself. I know a lot about business now that I didn't know a year ago and that will sustain you. So, in any event, I'm very proud of the two of you. Thank you for clarifying the dancing in the mud. I was really, really concerned about that. I thought that you guys were just out there having fun and not taking taking care of your business. But it all comes circular now and to think from San Bernardino local girl does good.
Speaker 3:Thank you.
Speaker 1:Thank you and Richard, where were you born and raised?
Speaker 2:in. Oh, I was very fortunate. I come from Palo Alto.
Speaker 1:Oh, okay, I've heard that Heard of that city. You know Palo Alto is that's tall trees, I believe. Yeah, this is not where Google's headquarters is.
Speaker 2:I'm just going to give you a preview right next door. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, okay, okay, that's a wrap, unless you have any other pearls of wisdom on my diet. I love what you're doing. I think it's cutting it stuff. Make your own food. Make it healthy. Don't use up all our resources. Solve one of community's ills.
Speaker 2:I got one thing, Gene yes, sir, You're here with Angie Lopez and she said you got to take action. And yeah, I think I left people with you got to take action.
Speaker 1:Yeah, definitely. I mean, young people are go action people. Man, you wouldn't be here today if you weren't, because so many people think about something but they don't actually do it. But you know, by definition, you're here and you're on my show that over 10 billion people listen to. Oh my God, just kidding, they're all. They're all in China, all right. So that's a wrap. Listeners, if you love the show, catch on. Catch me on February the 21st on my YouTube channel, cdo to Raymaker. You can access me through all of the general podcasts, such as Apple, google, spotify, audible, and if you want to go to my website and see all of the episodes, including today's, it might make you hungry. Ceo, the number two R-A-I-N. Rain, m-k-r makercom. And so that is a wrap. Thank you for listening and thank you for the two of you for carving out the time. It was a great show and just what you're doing is wonderful. We just need the whole world to know.
Speaker 1:Thank you Well maybe not the whole world.
Speaker 3:We can go the whole world.
Speaker 1:All right, that total world domination, that's a good, good goal. All right, see you guys later and audience, I'll see you in a couple of weeks. Bye-bye now.