learn how Flat River Infusions began Our Story
When I stop and think about it, there are several distinctive moments or activities in my life that led me to where I am now.
To start, as an only grandson with two sets of grandparents close by, I developed a solid work ethic as I was farmed out constantly to perform various tasks. I thought this was normal. Little did I realize the wealth of knowledge that was instilled into me.
In high school, my Father was diagnosed with delayed-onset PTSD from his service in Vietnam. I didn’t understand what that was at the time or how it really affects those who experience it…both the person and their family.
After high school I joined the United States Marine Corps and served in the infantry for 4 years. One of the proudest moments in my life was participating in Operation Silver Wake for which we provided security and evacuated over 900 desperate people.
After becoming injured on a hike on the Appalachian Trail in 1999, I discovered a love of Horticulture. My hiking mileage dropped from twenty miles per day to two miles per day. I was literally forced to slow down and smell the flowers. I had been carrying an Edible Wild Plants book for 500 miles and had yet to open it. I challenged myself to identify and prepare one new plant each day for the next two weeks. This challenge eventually led to receiving a BS in Horticultural Science from North Carolina State University.
After college, I worked for various ornamental nurseries and eventually started my own plant health care company, Carolina Tree Solutions. This experience taught me to look at the relationship between affected plants and their environment. It taught me how to diagnose and treat the root cause of the problem instead of treating the symptoms.
During this time, my Mother was diagnosed with cancer and passed. I saw the horrors of cancer firsthand, and there was nothing I could do to help or make a difference. The helplessness I felt was debilitating.
During the first summer of cultivating hemp, I unknowingly triggered one of my friends with PTSD. Someone I loved was hurting, and there was nothing I could do to help…except this time I had an idea. During countless hours of research, I learned that hemp has helped those with PTSD. I had no idea how much to give him, but I knew that he couldn’t overdose on CBD.
I went into the lab and rolled up a cigarette with CBD flower. I grabbed a bottle of our tincture off the shelf and walked out into the field with both. I had him take 3 droppers of the CBD oil, and we smoked the CBD cigarette while talking about his other triggers. After about 20-25 minutes, I could see that almost all his anxiety was gone. I asked him how he felt, and he was amazed…he said that in the past, it would have taken the rest of the day, if not a couple of days, to get back to normal. IN 25 MINUTES, HE WAS 95% BACK TO NORMAL!!!
In that moment, I knew God was showing me what to do with my life, and Flat River Infusions was born
– Nick Sagan, Owner