Maximum Yield Modern Growing | Canadian Edition | May June 2017

groundbreakers
you tell us
Dr. Earth
PO Box 460 Winters, CA 95694
1-707-448-4676
drearth.com
26 Years in Business
“A Chance to Change the World”
Among the first companies to merge probiotics
with organic products, Dr. Earth’s strength lies in its
ability to innovate, create a family of manufacturers,
and use existing relationships to grow together.
The company owns three federal patents and
manufactures a complete line of organic fertilizers—
both dry and liquid —soils, controls, fungicides, and
OMRI-Listed weed killers. Based in California, they
now distribute in every US state and employ a staff
of 122. Founder and CEO Milo Shammas explains
how Dr. Earth has been expanding over three
decades and what lies at the heart of their success.
What did you and your partners do
before starting this company?
I founded the company when I was 25 years old in Los
Angeles, California. I worked in multiple industries prior
to Dr. Earth, including construction of custom homes with
my older brother as an architect and general contractor.
I worked in landscape installation during these
construction jobs. I also worked both in front and behind
the camera whenever I could, as I grew up with all the
major studios within walking distance from my home.
How did you get into this industry?
I was an organic gardener when I was seven years old
and took botany when I was 12 years old, while in
Grade 7. I loved plants and loved to grow them. I came up
with a fertilizer idea, which was to add living organisms
to organic fertilizers to make them work. And they did;
by the time I was 27 years old, I had single-handedly
changed the face of the lawn and garden industry.
What were the start-up years like?
Hard, exciting, full of promise. I was terrified and
had to beg, borrow, and work with what I had. I never
expected anything and everything was difficult
because it was new and I had no one to help me. Some
of my struggles included paying the bills and dealing
with regulations at the city, county, and state level.
That was the hardest. I asked as many people as I
could for advice how to overcome these challenges.
I was in desperate need of a mentor with experience.
58 groundbreakers