Heritage drives Red Tractor’s future
You might already know the story behind Missouri brand Red Tractor Cannabis. If you don’t, allow us to elaborate.
Founder Kelly Waggoner has led a successful career in marketing and is a self-proclaimed brand nerd, with giant clients in healthcare and other industries, Waggoner has spent his professional life helping companies with their branding and identity. It was when he decided to enter the cannabis industry that he had to put those skills to work to develop his OWN brand.
Branding is so much more than simply deciding on a color scheme and a logo, so when he began to brainstorm what his new company would be called, he called on his childhood memories.
Having worked alongside his grandfather in farming, Waggoner recounts a story where he asked his grandfather why his tractor was red and not green, like “most” tractors he had seen.
“I come from a long line of farmers and as a child, I spent every holiday with my grandparents on their farm. Like a lot of people, I saw advertisements for John Deere tractors and associated farming with the color green. During one of my trips to the farm I asked my grandfather, “Why don’t you have any green tractors?”
He firmly replied, “I’m a red tractor guy.”
That simple statement, coupled with years of memories and life lessons about hard work and the importance of getting it right, led Waggoner to his new cannabis brand’s name and image.
“My grandfather was a red tractor guy because he didn’t care about what conventional wisdom said he should do. He didn’t need anyone to tell him what kind of tractor to use or what path to take. He made his own path and demonstrated that respect, integrity, and innovation was a formula not only for a successful business but also for a successful life. This is what our company is built on doing things the right way, the logical way, and the better way. We are committed to the Red Tractor way.”
Like others in the Missouri cannabis industry, Waggoner applied for licenses that would constitute a vertical but was awarded only a manufacturing license, and like others, he pivoted to determine what his business plan looks like as a result of the change in direction without multiple licenses.
It was during the weekend of application submission that he lost the warehouse space he had been planning on, and that too required some changes in direction. Without a cultivation license, Waggoner has to do a bit of wait and see. He’s anxious to understand who will have product available when, and certainly what pricing will look like for manufacturers such as himself.
For now, the availability of biomass is driving his decisions and without flower available yet, without pricing will look like for that flower, he’s holding firm to one core tenant – “Quality and consistency take precedence over getting in the market as fast as possible. My grandfather’s work ethic and integrity are at the heart of my brand.”
In the meantime, Waggoner is happy to share that his grandfather’s original Farmall tractor was delivered to him last weekend. One might think that finding a red tractor that once resided in the family couldn’t be all that difficult to locate, but one would be wrong. After a long search in the family annals, countless dead ends, conversations with tractor collectors, and an exhaustive search, he finally found that original piece of equipment and now that he has possession, he’s going to restore it to his former glory. His preservation of the tractor is his way of helping to preserve his family history as well as symbolize his cannabis brand that it was founded on.
