Our People

OUR PLEDGE

Our Community Pledge.

Prosperity Farm is dedicated to advancing our region economically. Our community projects will focus on two main areas: infrastructure – specifically, helping to supply consistent electrical service and internet access to the area – and broadening education opportunities through these improvements. These efforts are spearheaded by a local Community Liaison, a permanent seat on Prosperity Farm’s Advisory Board.

OUR TEAM

Our Staff.

It takes a cohesive effort to achieve Prosperity Farm’s quality standards. Please meet a few members of our incredible team.

“I check for plant diseases, pests, and look after the well-being and growth of the plant. I love my job because of the experience that I am gaining. [It’s] amazing how much we have learned about plants and this makes me so proud. I get to interact with different people in different positions and get a much broader experience in the agricultural industry.

At Prosperity Farm, we don’t just learn about plants, we also get to learn a lot about life itself in a workplace, meeting many people with different financial backgrounds and views on business. I also love Prosperity Farm because, financially, I have never been in a better position my whole life.

– Malilemo Makhakhe

“I am a team leader in the greenhouse, reporting directly to the master grower. I love my job because everyone shares the same vision and is dedicated to our mission – this truly creates a family environment where everyone is there for each other. I am also gaining new knowledge daily and the versatility to be able to do a variety of tasks at any given time, and this makes us feel like we have a real sense of belonging. I love working for Prosperity Farm because we are all so well paid and highly looked after.”

– Tseliso Tlele

“I am the team leader of the dry room, responsible for ensuring the daily process of the dry room is followed [and] communicating directly with the processing manager. I love the responsibility that comes along with my job; being accountable for so many people makes me so proud. I love working for Prosperity Farm because it is a startup company and being able to go along the journey as it grows makes me so excited and an experience that nobody can take away from me.”

– Katleho Kalake

“I am a quality controller in the dry room; my job entails making sure there is no bud rot, no seeds and making sure the buds are good to be packed. To know that I worked on medicine that ends up across the world helping others to get healthier is something amazing.

Truly speaking, I really love working here. I have been here for 9 months and I already see a huge difference in my life. The company is based near a lot of rural areas, so many unemployed people from different places are getting amazing opportunities like myself and that makes me proud to be part of it.”

– Refiloe Nkhopea

"Mark has plans to scale Hemp Africa with the evolution of global demand for medical cannabis, ultimately to include up to 25 greenhouses and considerable outdoor growth, alongside an extraction facility."

OUR MANAGEMENT

Our Experienced Operations Team.

Mark Palestine

Chief Executive Officer

Mark is a Chartered Accountant (South Africa) who has spent his career taking companies public on stock exchanges around the world. Mark is the visionary behind Prosperity Farm, obtaining (2018) the largest license to cultivate medical cannabis in the Kingdom of Lesotho. Mark’s experience, problem-solving nature, and determination are channelled into all aspects of both Prosperity Farm’s operations in Lesotho as well as with global clients.

Eli Kazom

Chief Operations Officer

Eli has been involved in the cannabis industry for over 20 years, including setting up vertically integrated cannabis companies in Austria and Italy, an extraction facility in Switzerland, and retail outlets throughout Europe. Eli joined forces with Mark in 2018 to provide cannabis expertise to this new venture. Eli directs all aspects of Prosperity Farm’s grow operation, ensuring quality and good practices; his deep relationships also contribute greatly to global client development.

Gregg Steinberg

Director of Corporate Strategy & Member of the Advisory Board

Gregg brings 30 years of executive leadership scaling early-stage companies that have generated over $2B in organic revenue. Within the cannabis industry, Gregg has served as Co-Founder/CEO of Growcentia, Co-Founder/CEO of Greenway DNA, and CEO of Belushi’s
Farm. Gregg guides Prosperity Farm’s execution and expansion blueprint and leads the Advisory Board. Gregg is a past board member of The Arcview Group, and a two-time INC 500 Top 10 awardee.

Jordan Fishfeld

General Counsel

Jordan is an early innovator in the the FinTech space, as Co-Founder/GC of Peer Realty (sold) and CFX Markets/OpenFinance Network (sold). An initial investor in Prosperity Farm, Jordan combines his venture expertise and legal experience (Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP) to oversee issues related to corporate structure. Jordan holds a BA from the University of Florida and a JD/MBA, Magna Cum Laude, from the University of Miami.

Dan Derby

Director of Capital Markets

Dan is a consultant and private investor, focused on identifying and analyzing unique opportunities in the international capital markets. An investor in Prosperity Farm, Dan advises on corporate strategy and coordinates external projects including capital raises.
Prior, Dan served as Managing Director – Institutional Fixed Income Sales and Trading at RBS Greenwich Capital. Dan earned a BSE from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

David Farber

Head of Logistics & Vice President of Business Development

David has been instrumental in translating the vision for Prosperity Farm into action. David oversees day-to-day logistics of the farm including procurement and export, as well as being development lead on several key relationships. David’s prior work experience included roles at Trackmatic Solutions, a software solution for fleet management, and Payflex, a South
African fintech platform. David holds an LLB from The University of South Africa.

Andrej Zlahtic

Master Grower

Andrej has over 25 years of experience running cannabis operations in both Europe and Africa, leading teams through the full growing cycle including farming, growing, and extraction. Andrej specializes in both indoor (hunting phenotypes, cloning, vegetation and flowering) and outdoor (biodynamics, organic growing) progressive agricultural practices. Andrej is also a qualified mechanic who specializes in servicing machinery for production purposes.

Matevz Ciric

Master Grower

Matevz has 5 years of experience working in indoor growing operations within the medical cannabis industry, with specific focus on climate control and irrigation systems, as well as the processing and packaging of cannabis. Matevz has been instrumental in developing, training, and leading Prosperity Farm’s specialized grow teams. In addition to his agricultural knowledge, Matevz is also a qualified electrician.