A trim from Big Leaf
John Banister had a crew of workers packaging cannabis at a marijuana manufacturing business. Another crew was helping with a harvest at a cultivator’s site. Banister also had workers trimming and making joints at another cannabis facility.
It was a typical Thursday for Big Leaf, a 6-month-old company that provides skilled labor and consulting to marijuana growers and manufacturers preparing to get their product to market.
“The one thing we do best is trimming weed,” Banister said. “Trimming weed is the foundation of the company.”
The business started as a side gig for Banister, a carpenter with nine years of experience working in the marijuana industries in Colorado and California.
Banister said his carpentry business was successful, and he started in Alaska’s marijuana industry at first to help friends with the daunting task of processing marijuana at harvest time.
“I always said, ‘Call me when it’s time to cut it...
