Sarah Millan is an extraction manager. She started her career designing extraction equipment and testing it with hops. Today she runs an entire extraction department for a cannabis company. She shares about:
- The value of an engineering degree in the cannabis industry
- Her passion for science and extraction
- Why she is extremely meticulous with the product she produces
- How she got to design her entire lab space
- Why equality for women is important in the cannabis industry
We are processing products that people use as medicine, and it’s extremely important that their medicine is clean. My mentality is that we either do it right or we don’t do it at all.
What drew you to the cannabis industry?
I was working with my professor as a teaching assistant, and one day I was explaining to him and a coworker that I was struggling to find an internship. I really needed an internship so that I could get a job after graduation. My coworker asked me if I would consider cannabis or if I was against it. I told him that I only smoked a few times but was definitely not against it.
He worked for a manufacturing company that built extraction and laboratory equipment designed for the cannabis industry. He got me an interview, and I landed the internship. I started learning how to design, troubleshoot, and maintain these machines and systems.
Before I got there, I didn’t know a single thing about the cannabis world. Since I was going to be designing the extraction equipment, I needed to understand everything about the plant, from how it grew to its compounds and oils. I didn’t receive much training. They just threw me in, and we all hoped for the best! I pretty much taught myself with the assistance of the principal engineer. The principal engineer helped me learn as much as I could about cannabis, the oils, the equipment, and the basics of organic chemistry. He taught me everything I needed to be able to design this type of equipment with practicality and functionality in mind.
What’s your cannabis ‘why’?
I am passionate about everything extraction. I love science and all of the organic chemistry involved in processing and manufacturing cannabis. The things you can do with this plant are mind-blowing. I am passionate about doing extraction and post processing as clean and correct as possible.
There are many companies out there that have solvents in their products, but I am in a position where I can prevent that. I have set a standard in my department and am very meticulous in overseeing the product we are creating. We are processing products that people use as medicine, and it’s extremely important that their medicine is clean. My mentality is that we either do it right or we don’t do it at all. I will not let a subpar product get pushed out. If it’s not quality, then we reprocess or repurpose it.
When you have a good team, it’s a blast. Every day is a different day. Yes, there are a lot of challenges; equipment is expensive, there are pressures and timelines, but that’s everywhere. The raw talent and passion from your co-workers makes it worth dealing with all the stressful situations.
What was your first role in the cannabis industry?
Once 2020 hit, I moved to North Carolina with my family, and then to Florida. I found a job at a family-owned hemp start-up company that needed somebody to run short-path distillation units. I had barely any experience with cannabinoid distillation, but I knew enough to build the system and troubleshoot it. I got the job because of my technical and educational background. Bringing an engineering degree to the cannabis industry proves to be beneficial in many industries you’d think are unrelated.
My cannabis career started as a technician cleaning buckets and scraping floors. I spent two years there and learned ethanol extraction, short-path distillation, and cannabinoid conversions. I was in charge of two 22L distillation units, which we grew to 5 units. At the time, we were distilling 250,000 grams of distillate per week. Since then, I have applied my expertise in every cannabis company I have worked in and worked my way up the career ladder.
What is your current role in cannabis?
After two years of working in the hemp industry, I made my way to a licensed medical marijuana treatment center (MMTC), in which I was hired as a supervisor for the extraction department. Once the MMTC was bought out, I was the only employee left standing within my department.
Currently, I manage a solvent-based extraction department that is undergoing scalable growth. I had the opportunity to design my entire lab. I thought about the space, the equipment, and the step-by-step process so it would flow. I worked with contractors to make sure that they had what they needed, made sure the team was comfortable doing their job, and the design processes flowed efficiently. Part of my responsibilities is to train employees, maintain good manufacturing practices and standards, and dial in processes, equipment maintenance, and troubleshooting. I’ve also had the opportunity to work directly with the state and county officials to ensure we are compliant throughout our processes.
What’s one thing that everyone coming into the cannabis industry should know before making the transition?
Work-life balance is not always consistent. You will most likely be working 10-12 hours per day, depending on the company, and 7 days per week, especially if you’re a startup. The industry is full of passionate, talented people, which can also come with arrogance. If you’re a female, you need to be strong headed and hold your ground, because a lot of people won’t take you seriously until you prove yourself. If you can get past all that, you’ll be genuinely amazed by the love and care given to the plant and the excitement teams feel when they overcome challenges and make exceptional cannabis flower and derivatives.
What are one or two things you’d like to see change in the cannabis industry?
- In Florida, regulations should be revised and improved. Societal stigmas around cannabis would be extinguished with open-mindedness and education could be improved. It’s not all about getting high. This is plant medicine that we provide to people who need it.
- It would be a blessing to see the industry move towards providing women equal opportunities as men and prioritize work ethic and attitude over gender.
- The industry needs more hard-working, humble, and passionate professionals, and companies that invest in their employees’ education and advancement.
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