Irene Villanueva takes home cultivation prize

Villanueva attributes much of her success to the extra drive she feels as a woman competing in a “man-driven industry.”

Irene Villanueva, director of cultivation operations at The Source, worked her way up through the trenches in the Las Vegas marijuana trade. Her hard work and dedication to the craft were key factors in her winning took home the top cannabis cultivator prize at the Green Market Report Women in Cannabis Awards in New York last month.

Villanueva, who started growing marijuana 10 years ago in her garage as a side hustle for extra cash, launched her full-time cannabis career in 2016 with Las Vegas Cannabis after realizing that she prefers “working with plants rather than people.”

Irene Villanueva

“I was given the opportunity to follow that dream eight years ago, I fell in love with the culture of the cannabis industry and here I am,” Villanueva told Green Market Report.

Villanueva moved to The Source in 2021 after five years at Las Vegas Cannabis, and was first hired as the post-harvest director. In less than a year, she was promoted to running the entire grow operation. Villanueva attributes much of her success to the extra drive she feels as a woman competing in a “man-driven industry,” she said.

Villanueva is also no stranger to awards for her efforts; she said some of her proudest moments were taking third place in the Las Vegas for the Cannabis Music Festival last year, as well as several awards she helped Las Vegas Cannabis land.

In her decade of time in the cannabis trade, Villanueva said the biggest hurdles she’s had to overcome have been changes in company management, which have forced her and others to adapt.

“In the three years that I have been with The Source/CAMP, I have gone through three major management shifts. Every year I’ve had to deal with new management, and every time each has had their own vision,” Villanueva said. “The biggest hurdles would have to be adapting to change and having to prove yourself every time. In a sense it has been a blessing in disguise.”

As for what she’s looking forward to in coming months and years? More success.

“I am looking forward to continuing to educate and advocate for the cannabis plant. To prove that you can have a career in cannabis and be successful,” she said.

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