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Agricultural Entrepreneurs: How Cal Poly Inspires Student and Alumni Businesses Story By Morgan Nunes

Cal Poly’s website reads, “Students are known for taking what they learn and putting it to work.” And that’s just what alumnae Molly Morris and Haley Boyajian and third-year student Walter Lafky are doing. All three ambitious and determined individuals have applied the Learn by Doing motto to their real-life careers in more ways than one.

Molly Morris, a recent graduate of Cal Poly, started her very own photography business in January 2020. While attending Cal Poly, Morris was an art and design major with a minor in integrated marketing communications. She had the idea that one is supposed to go to college to find a job, not to struggle to create their own. Morris knew she wanted to go into a field that allowed for creativity but didn’t know exactly what profession that might lead her to.

Before creating her business, Morris realized what she would be most passionate doing wasn’t working for someone else’s creative endeavor or in an office, so she started Molly Virginia Morris Photography. “There’s a connection and story behind each client I work with which never ceases to amaze me,” said Morris. She is an equine, agricultural, and Western lifestyle photographer located in San Luis Obispo County. Coming from Orange County, California, with no real background in agriculture, Morris’ passion for agriculture and equine photography grew through experiencing Cal Poly’s Learn by Doing approach. Four years at Cal Poly helped her become involved with agriculture through work experiences, clubs and classes. She fell in love with both photography and agriculture and loves the career she has made for herself.

Morris said she was able to have her business, branding and portfolio polished by the time she graduated because she used her assignments and projects from classes as a head start for her growing business. She emphasized it is important for students to not be afraid to carve out their own career if they see a niche.

“If you see a need you can fill with a skill and passion you have, be creative with how you meet that challenge, even if it’s a lot harder than the next best thing,” said Morris. Photos by Molly Morris.

Check out Molly Virginia Photography on social media.

Haley Boyajian, another trailblazing Cal Poly alumna with a degree in agricultural communication, put her skills toward starting a business with her brother, Jake. Their company, Fresh Generation Foods, located in Half Moon Bay, California, features a produce box delivery service offering high-quality seasonal items right to customers’ doorsteps.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, grocery stores were having a hard time supplying fresh produce in the store and people were afraid to go to the store, said Boyajian. The sister-and-brother team saw an opportunity to make fresh produce easily available to people in their community and created Fresh Generation Foods to fill the gap.

Photo by Fresh Generation Foods

Left to right: Brother and sister duo Jake and Haley Boyajian deliver produce boxes to their customers in Half Moon Bay. Photo by Fresh Generation Foods.

While the original goal of the company was to help their community during uncertain times, the siblings realized the company could flourish beyond what they had imagined. Fresh Generation Foods began with a list of 36 emails for people they thought might be interested in ordering boxes. Now, almost eight months later, they have more than 500 customers. Boyajian said her parents have always been supportive of her, and her dad had hoped it would be something agriculture related. Boyajian remembers her dad always saying, “No matter what is happening, people have to eat.”

“I never imagined I’d start my own business right out of college,” said Boyajian. But she credits the skills and talents she learned while at Cal Poly. Her advice for seniors graduating is to take advantage of all the opportunities that Cal Poly gives you. She said she uses the experiences she learned at Cal Poly but continues to learn every day.

“The connections you make and the lessons you learn will help you grow and move forward with your future career,” said Boyajian.

Check out Fresh Generation Foods on social media.

Photos by Fresh Generation Foods

Walter Lafky, a third-year agricultural business major, grew up in Bend, Oregon. At 15 years old, he started growing and selling tomatoes from his garden. Soon, Lafky realized how challenging the food production system is, and knew he wanted to one day be part of changing it. His small-business efforts grew into Harvestly, a hyperlocal digital marketplace connecting local products to local consumers. The company was started in San Luis Obispo and operates there as well. Lafky always wanted to solve problems and empower other people, so for him it was never about starting a business but rather about helping people. He is extremely proud of everyone who has helped the company grow.

Photo by Harvestly

“I remember a year ago going to every farmers market trying to convince a farm to be our first vendor," said Lafky. Harvestly now has over 130 vendors in San Luis Obispo, and Lafky is not stopping there. He has his eyes set on the rest of the country.

“I believe if you set out on a mission to help people, success will come,” he said. Of all the valuable skills he learned at Cal Poly, the most valuable he says is the ability to learn. While none of his agricultural business courses directly taught him what to do to set up and run Harvestly, Lafky said Cal Poly definitely provided opportunities where he had to adapt and learn to come out successful. His words of advice for graduating seniors, are “your ability to learn is more valuable than what you’ve learned.”

Top photo, left to right: Lars Schilderink, Madi Petersen, Walter Lafky, and Perrie Lundstrom; Photo by Harvestly

Check out Harvestly on social media.

While Morris, Boyajian and Lafky have shown those with dedication and ideas can achieve their goals, and they stand as examples of how Cal Poly students can make great things happen when they have faculty and staff that help them push to reach their full potential. These three entrepreneurs exemplify that Cal Poly graduates are ready, from day one, to make an immediate impact on the world around them in their careers and throughout the rest of their lives.

Visit these Cal Poly connected businesses online.

Article header photo by Molly Morris.