MEET Sunbright gardens
Gus & Mo
Partners Gus and Mo founded Sunbright Gardens in 2016, as the passage of Prop 64 was taking form. They were cultivating for personal medical reasons previously under Prop 215 but made the transition to a commercial garden when the opportunity became available.
Gus has a background in plant pathology and in 2003 he found his way from Arkansas to Round Valley in Mendocino County to learn cultivation techniques to grow cannabis. His father studied alongside Alan Chadwick in the 1970’s at the Covelo Village Garden Project located in Round Valley so Gus grew up surrounded by a love of gardening and living a sustainable simple life.
He met his partner Mo through mutual friends at the Emerald Cup back when it was hosted at the famous Area 101. And after returning from a vegetable-farming project in Maui, Hawaii Mo decided to plant some roots in Round Valley.
The two fell in love sharing a passion for sustainable living across a broad spectrum and began growing a garden together. In the winter of 2011 they purchased a beautiful 45-acre property on the edge of the Mendocino/Trinity county line near the North Fork of the Eel River. The land was bare with no structures or water developed so they took a giant leap of faith in purchasing it. But they got lucky with a well that produced great drinking water and were able to continue forward building their home and garden. For the past 10 years they’ve been building a homestead, growing cannabis living off grid and raising their 4-year-old son. They care about community values and Mo founded a local advocacy group (CCAG) to uplift small farmers and engage in cannabis policy reform. She’s also been actively involved in the Mendocino Cannabis Alliance since its formation.
