Sunjoined

In 2012--13, Lamar Wilson came across an article on social media about the amazing benefits of hemp.  Being a lifelong entrepreneur, Lamar saw the economic benefits of the plant but also saw the sustainable nature of hemp as an accessible renewable resource. Lamar, a Kentucky-native, realized that hemp could be an incredible economic engine for dormant family farms. It could help resurrect some farms due to hemp's incredible flexibility. 

But there was one problem. In 2012, it was illegal to grow or process hemp in the United States.  It was still on the federal controlled substance list.  So the idea of Sunjoined had to wait for its moment in the Sun.  

Hemp Freedom ......The Farm Bill of 2018

The Farm Bill of 2018 was passed on Dec 20. This bill removed hemp from the federally controlled substance list  and opened the door for Sunjoined to form.  

Lamar immediately went through the licensing process for Kentucky and Kansas, and began the journey of building the world's largest hemp network.  He recruited longtime cannabis horticulturalist, Joel "Kashta" Williams and raised money from people across the U.S. to sponsor grows for first-time hemp growers and family farmers in 3 states. These sponsorships provided seeds, equipment, resources, and best practices to help aid in the successful cultivation and harvest of high CBD hemp materials.  

Many of the farms that were initially sponsored were African American farms.  This is significant because across the country, African American farmers are becoming extinct. Today, only 1.4% of all U.S. farmers are Black. 

Providing access and resources to marginalized farms is part of Sunjoined mission.  Sunjoined farm network helps marginalized farmers, regardless of race, creed, sexuality, disability, to fight toe to toe with some of the largest agricultural corporations in the world, by working together.  

After only 4 months, we're in 7 states, and receive inquiries to join, daily. Currently over 20000+ acres of capacity.

More on the vision, Interview with Branded 78

https://www.facebook.com/bigmarh/videos/438069550201524/

Grass roots digital distribution!

Along with growing a network of farmers, Sunjoined has begun setting the pillars of an organic distribution network.  The Sunjoined Hemp Group  has grown to over 2,400 people within a few months of launching.  

This group on Facebook was birthed from another group of economically minded people called Koinda.  Koinda, also co-founded by Lamar Wilson, grew to over 25,000 members in a year, and is filled with business and economic minded individuals who, many of which, are eager to join a vertically integrated distribution network that benefits all parties, from the farm to the shelf.  Many of the members of Koinda were some of the first sponsors and farmers in the network.

Currently over 700 members between these two networks are signed up to begin marketing and distributing products with Sunjoined, for our family farmers.  

The value is in the network and as the network grows so does the value to every participant in it.   We are currently building the network through social media and gaining tremendous traction.

CBD: a $22 billion industry by 2022

The popularity of CBD has taken off in the United States and the industry is still very early.  CBD is a compound found in cannabis plants that have been used in cremes, oils, pet food, and even ice cream.  The industry is young and ripe for innovation. CBD products are the initial focus of the materials in the Sunjoined supply chain. 

Sunjoined is on the ground floor.  Having network participants along the entire supply chain, uniquely places the Sunjoined network in a position to control an entire industry vertical, which increases profits for all participants in the network.  

Why are we raising now?

Sunjoined is raising funds right now to get a head start on building this network.  Our competitors believe in creating silos and driving farmer revenues to the bottom through competition, which in turn creates an unhealthy supply chain.  Sunjoined can get a fair price for all farmers by collectively working together, which creates a healthy foundation for the supply chain of large professional buyers and the Sunjoined distribution network.  When farmers are happy, they have the resources and morale to  produce better crops.  

Sunjoined will utilize the invested funds to begin building infrastructure to support network farmers.  We will help to mitigate the risk of growing such a new crop by providing education, best practices, on-site consultation, plant starts, and equipment.  The funds will also allow us to keep a great chief grower on staff to help bring along new farmers. Sunjoined is investing first in the foundation of the network, the farmers and their crops.

The Future is Sunny!

The future is bright for Sunjoined. In the same way Uber is the world's largest taxi company, without owning any taxis, Sunjoined aims to be the greatest supplier of hemp in the world, while allowing small farmers to keep control of their farms. Sunjoined will be the connective tissue that binds the entire vertical of decentralized entities into one amazing network for change.