Marrone Bio Innovations, Inc. (MBI) (NASDAQ: MBII), a leading global provider of bio-based pest management and plant health products, today announced that Matthew O. Brecht, Ph.D. has joined as Key Account Manager for the cannabis agricultural market segment.
In this role, Dr. Brecht, will oversee MBI’s key customer accounts in cannabis and help grow MBI sales within this rapidly growing market. The role will focus on managing a team dedicated to understanding customer needs and the fit of MBI’s biological suite of products, including Regalia¬® CG biofungicide, Grandevo¬® CG and Venerate¬® CG bioinsecticides, Stargus¬® biofungicide, Majestene¬® bionematicide, and Haven¬® Crop Protectant. In addition, Dr. Brecht will play an integral role in the broader cannabis community by helping to educate, train and inform our retailer-distributors and their growers on the advantages of biological solutions.
According to the November 2019 ASD Cannabis Market, Global Forecast to 2023 Report, the cannabis market is expected to grow from $10.3 billion in 2018 to $39.4 billion by 2023, at a compound annual growth rate of 30.7% during the forecast period. The major factors driving the cannabis market include the growth of medicinal applications of cannabis and the increased legalization of cannabis throughout the world.
Dr. Brecht is widely renowned as a thought leader in the cannabis industry, bringing over 20 years of experience in farming systems, plant pathology, crop protection, testing, epidemiology, crop management and pest control strategies in agricultural production. Most recently, Dr. Brecht was the President and Founder of Dutch Valley Farms, an indoor cannabis producer located in Portland, OR. Prior to founding Dutch Valley Farms, he spent over 11 years as Territory Manager at Syngenta, growing one of the Company’s largest U.S. sales regions. Dr. Brecht has a Ph.D. & M.S. in Plant Pathology from the University of Florida, Gainesville and a B.S. in Biology from University of North Carolina, Wilmington, NC.
“Dr. Brecht is a well-known thought leader in the cannabis community, seen as a trusted advisor and lead agronomist on the advancement of cannabis as an important crop in domestic agriculture,” said Barner Jones, Director of National Sales and Account Management at MBI. “As we continue to see heightened interest in cannabis growing from traditional agricultural growers, it is increasingly important to have resources for farmers and their retailer-distributors on common growing practices and biological solutions to help with pest & disease pressures such as mite control, powdery mildew and Botrytis. I look forward to growing our cannabis segment in conjunction with Dr. Brecht and our cannabis team.”
“I am pleased to have joined MBI, an undisputed leader within the biological crop protection market,” said Dr. Brecht. “As a former cannabis farm operator, I have a deep understanding of the need for MBI’s products, which are unmatched in solving common issues facing cannabis growers today. I see cannabis as a segment with significant growth potential for both MBI and the broader agricultural community as a whole and look forward to working closely with the MBI team to support this growth while helping the cannabis community grow towards a more sustainable future.”
