{"href":"http://player.captivate.fm/services/oembed?url=http%3A%2F%2Fplayer.captivate.fm%2Fepisode%2F0aef3c00-e82e-4d3d-bd1f-c9440b70fda0","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Captivate.FM","provider_url":"https://www.captivate.fm","width":600,"height":200,"type":"rich","html":"","title":"S4E45: Matt Ryan CEO of Soli Organic on Identifying a Clear Vision & Fulfilling a Vision","description":"Episode Summary:\r\n\r\nJoin Harry Duran, host of Vertical Farming Podcast, as he welcomes to the show Matt Ryan, CEO of Soli Organic. Formerly known as Shenandoah Growers, a name inspired by their start in Virginia\u2019s Shenandoah Valley, Soli Organic is a controlled environment agriculture company that grows exceptional organic produce, at an affordable price, nationwide. Today, Harry and Matt do a deep dive into Matt\u2019s incredible business background, from working at Disney and Starbucks to eventually pursuing an exciting opportunity at Soli Organic. Matt talks about the high growth in the indoor agriculture sector, what Soli Organic is doing to differentiate themselves in this market and the importance of fulfilling the vision of a brand. \r\n\r\nEpisodes Sponsor:\r\n\r\nFreight Farms \u2013 https://www.freightfarms.com/ \r\n\r\nGlobal Vertical Farming Show \u2013 https://verticalfarmingshow.com/ \r\n\r\nCultivatd \u2013 https://www.cultivatd.com/ \r\n\r\nWhat We Covered:\r\n\r\n03:41 \u2013 Harry welcomes to the show Matt Ryan, who joins the show to discuss his experience as a business leader going through Covid-19, what he learned from his time at Disney and Starbucks and the journey that brought him to Soli Organic \r\n\r\n13:02 \u2013 Understanding markets and fulfilling the vision of a brand \r\n\r\n19:27 \u2013 Matt\u2019s vertical farming origin story and his first 90 days as CEO \r\n\r\n29:49 \u2013 Matt explains how Soli Organic is differentiating themselves in the world of controlled agriculture \r\n\r\n35:03 \u2013 From Shenandoah Growers to Soli Organic \r\n\r\n42:32 \u2013 A tough question Matt has had to ask himself recently and how he thinks about expansion and growing Soli Organic \r\n\r\n47:22 \u2013 Mentors who have inspired Matt along his journey and something that Matt has changed his mind about recently \r\n\r\n50:36 \u2013 Harry thanks Matt for joining the show and let\u2019s listeners know where they can learn more about Soli Organic and connect with Matt\r\n\r\nTweetable Quotes:\r\n\r\n\u201cThere\u2019s no such thing as a simple business I learned. And certainly that\u2019s true at soli Organic as well. There\u2019s complexity everywhere and understanding the nuances of business is really important. But, if you don\u2019t understand what the consumer and the customer want, you\u2019ll never get anywhere.\u201d (12:27) (Matt) \r\n\r\n\u201cI also knew, way back when, as soon as I started doing advertising that I felt like I understood markets. And I think that understanding markets is what business is all about.\u201d (14:52) (Matt) \r\n\r\n\u201cI\u2019m starting to feel like I\u2019m in that sweet spot where I have all of the perspective of somebody who\u2019s joined from the outside who sees the opportunities, who sees the challenges, who knows the world from a different angle, plus real understanding of what the business is like and how it operates and how the technology and the science work and the people at the company and everything else.\u201d (27:49) (Matt) \r\n\r\n\u201cThe problem with developing brands and marketing in a business like produce is you can\u2019t have a brand if you don\u2019t have consistency. And the way you get consistency is by having a standardized product. And the only way you can get a standardized product in agriculture is to grow stuff indoors.\u201d (39:24) (Matt) \r\n\r\nLinks Mentioned:\r\n\r\nMatt\u2019s LinkedIn \u2013 https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattryancmo/ \r\n\r\nSoli Organic\u2019s Website \u2013 https://www.soliorganic.com/ \r\n\r\nSponsor Info:\r\n\r\nCultivatd Website \u2013 https://www.cultivatd.com/ \r\n\r\nCultivatd Instagram \u2013 https://www.instagram.com/cult_ivatd/ \r\n\r\nCultivatd\u2019s Twitter \u2013 https://twitter.com/cultivatd \r\n\r\nCultivatd\u2019s Facebook \u2013 https://www.facebook.com/cultivatd/\r\n\r\n\ud83c\udf99\ufe0f\ud83c\udf99\ufe0f\ud83c\udf99\ufe0f\r\n\r\nPodcast Production & Marketing by FullCast\r\n\r\nSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300,"thumbnail_url":"https://artwork.captivate.fm/92b942a3-9ea8-47ac-bfba-ebb624eb36bf/image.jpg"}