In 2019, Richard Borges and Steven Ramirez stood at a crossroads. Borges, a construction business owner and Malden firefighter who’d become the city’s first Latino Lieutenant and Captain, had heard his brother-in-law’s pitch about cannabis investment multiple times during visits to California. But it wasn’t until Ramirez moved to Massachusetts that year that conversations turned serious.
Their first scouting trip nearly ended the dream before it started. After visiting two legal cannabis facilities in Maine, Borges told Ramirez it wasn’t for them. Then they flew to California to tour 420 Properties in Adelanto. “As soon as I walked in, I said I would build it like that,” Borges recalls. “We also wanted to bring our culture and the best cannabis to a hurting market.”
On July 15, 2020, in the middle of a global pandemic, they signed a lease and host agreement with the city and Cannabis Control Commission licensing. What followed was a three-year gauntlet of supply chain nightmares, COVID-19 construction challenges, and an immature market where most potential employees had zero cannabis experience. The costs mounted. The timeline stretched. But on March 15, 2023, Advanced Cultivators received their license to cultivate. Seeds went into coco that same day.
Built From Nothing, Built With Purpose
The leadership team Borges and Ramirez assembled reflects their philosophy: bring in people who understand discipline, precision, and hard work. John “JB” Brown leads cultivation operations. Randy Torres heads marketing. Steven Shankle runs maintenance. Gerardo Ramirez rounds out the core team that’s turned a 12,000 square foot facility in Lowell into one of Massachusetts’ most talked-about cultivation operations.
Their approach isn’t mystical, it’s methodical. While many commercial operations still hand-water their plants, Advanced Cultivators installed 63 sensors across three grow rooms to enable true crop steering. “Hand watering in a commercial facility is not accurate and you can’t crop steer the plant,” Borges explains. Their irrigation system hits within 5% variance, well below the 15% industry standard.
But data alone doesn’t win awards. Advanced Cultivators has earned 18 trophies in 13 months, not by chasing trends, but by obsessing over details most cultivators overlook. They put products under microscopes. They innovate with under-canopy lighting. When they discovered their sensor company’s standard operating procedures weren’t compatible with their chosen coco substrate, they didn’t compromise. They worked with the sensor company to reformulate the equation, then wrote new SOPs that now benefit anyone using that particular coco medium.
“We micro dose, we have analytics on environment and testing, and we’re setting the standard for the cleanest facility from the front door to the restroom to the grow rooms to the attic space,” Borges says. Every batch comes with published COAs. Real transparency. Real results.
Proof Not Promises: The Advanced Cultivators Method
Walk into most commercial grows and you’ll see efficiency. Walk into Advanced Cultivators and you’ll see reverence. Not for mysticism, but for the plant itself and the precision required to unlock its potential.
Their cultivation philosophy is: “The KISS method: keep it simple stupid,” Borges laughs. But simple doesn’t mean easy. It means stripping away ego and focusing on what actually moves the needle: environmental control, consistent feeding schedules, phenotype selection, and relentless attention to detail.
The team hunts phenotypes every grow cycle, searching for genetics that deliver on multiple fronts. Borges lights up discussing their flagship strains. “Pluto and Obama Runtz; we have access to the original breeder’s cuts.” Obama Runtz catches eyes with its color and candy diamond appearance while delivering serious yield. Pluto brings a unique aroma profile and smoke quality that keeps consumers coming back.
But even elite genetics mean nothing without proper execution. Advanced Cultivators learned that lesson early. Their first investor pitch was a disaster; “we had never given a pitch and we didn’t prepare to the level of an experienced businessman,” Borges admits. “One of the panel members educated us on what is expected and that you only get one shot. We thanked him for his honesty and didn’t give up or get offended; we learned and leveled up from that point on.”
That mindset, treating every mistake as a lesson, extends throughout their operation. First harvest came June 1, 2023. Their product hit dispensary shelves December 1, 2023. In the months since, they’ve navigated market conditions most cultivators didn’t anticipate: dispensaries not paying on time, falling prices, buyers more interested in margins than quality.
“The market is always looking for what’s next,” Borges notes. “You need multiple strains to stay competitive while dealing with price points and taxes.” Their response has been to double down on quality and education; teaching budtenders and consumers why craft cultivation matters, why sensor data and crop steering produce cleaner, more consistent results than traditional methods.
The Revolution Continues
Advanced Cultivators’ story draws power from something deeper than business strategy. Rooted in Hispanic heritage, the company sees its work as continuation, not innovation. “Our ancestors engineered temples aligned with the stars and irrigation systems that fed entire civilizations,” their mission statement reads. “Our modern heroes fought for land, dignity, and the people who worked it. That same discipline lives in every strain we select, every room we dial in, and every batch we release.”
The image of Emiliano Zapata on the train isn’t just branding, its lineage. From Mexico to Lowell, the metaphor holds: movements built on grit, crews that stand together, work that doesn’t wait, culture carried forward with intention. “We didn’t buy our way onto shelves,” Borges emphasizes. “We earned our way onto podiums.”
When they’re not in the grow rooms, both founders stay grounded. Borges hits the gym, spends time with family, shoots, and plays golf. Ramirez coaches his son’s sports teams and also golfs. But the work is never far from the mind. “Growing is not easy,” Borges reflects. “It takes a lot of time, patience, and most of all, love for the plant.”
Looking ahead two to three years, Advanced Cultivators plans to expand from 12,000 to 36,000 square feet, open a dispensary, and build national recognition as a household brand known for quality. The industry’s evolution excites them. “Everyone left operating in 2026 in Massachusetts is here for the long haul,” Borges observes. “Consumers are more knowledgeable. Quality and terps are becoming the focal point. We’re seeing collabs between cultivators to bring the newest and best cultivars. The industry is going from bro code to science-based methodology.”
Their advice to growers considering their approach: “always keep learning and don’t be afraid to fail.”
Connect With Advanced Cultivators
Advanced Cultivators operates from Lowell, Massachusetts, where they’re proving that disciplined cultivation, cultural pride, and data-driven methodology can coexist. Visit their website and social media channels to follow their journey, or download their new app to access real-time COA data, strain information, and the latest from a team that’s redefining what Massachusetts cannabis can be.
This is ancestral innovation meeting modern precision. This is proof, not promises. This is built, not bought.