"If a process is instrumental to get the quality we're striving for, that's the path we will take"

There are a number of elements to take into consideration in order for a cannabis company to thrive. Capital is just one of them, of course, but this alone is not enough: knowledge is also one of the most important elements, as constantly growing high-quality cannabis requires unprecedented attention to the smallest details; therefore, it is important to know in advance where to look and what to do to achieve such a goal. At the same time, there are other important characteristics that a number of cannabis companies do not value as much as Thrive Cannabis does: passion and family.

High quality, whatever it takes
Thrive Cannabis is a licensed producer based in Ontario, Canada, and its mission is to produce the highest quality cannabis, whatever it takes. “Quality is baked into our culture,” Geoff Hoover, Thrive Cannabis CEO, explains. “Almost everyone at Thrive is a cannabis enthusiast whose personal mission is to achieve the highest quality possible in every product we make. We don’t care if a process is a little slower or a bit more expensive, if it is instrumental to get to the quality we’re striving for, then that’s the path we will take.”

Indeed, Hoover further explains that what sets Thrive Cannabis apart from other companies is the attention to detail and the extreme focus on producing top quality cannabis concentrates. “Great concentrates always start with great cultivation,” he says. “We cultivate 100% of the flower that goes into our extracts, we know exactly where every bit of it comes from and then we process that in our proprietary hydrocarbon extraction lab for our concentrate products.”

Everything starts with the cultivation
The company grows cannabis both indoor and outdoor, utilizing the most advanced technologies and technique to ensure consistency. “We even have outdoor hydroponic cultivation,” he explains. “Outside, our flower is grown in large pots and fed with a proprietary nutrient formula, we have a complete fertigation and irrigation system in the field. Our plants are very large, and the yields we get are always amazing, and increase with every cycle we complete.”

Recently, Thrive Cannabis made a deal with Canary RX to make use of their indoor cultivation facility and efficiently augment their existing indoor square footage. “They had an asset that we could commission and operate,” Geoff says. “So, we assumed managerial control of the facility and we are doing a profit share with them. We are going to produce 5,000-7,000 kilos of dried flower from that facility. We are now focused on launching a 7 gram ‘Top Cola’ format, which should be in the market by fall. This product will allow us to fit at least one large 4-6 gram nug of the highest quality in each jar, which is something that most producers don’t offer. Why would you go to all the trouble of growing these big, beautiful buds only to chop them up?”

Same goes for the Live Resin extracts. “The product destined for processing is taken directly from the field at harvest and immediately flash frozen. In this way, we can preserve all of the terpenes – those compounds that are responsible for the great aromas and flavors – until we are ready to extract it into terpene-rich Live Resin concentrates such as our Live Resin Vapes and a dab product we are calling ‘Terp Slush’ which is an original formulation from Thrive.”

Also, in the indoor cultivation, standards are very high, and Thrive Cannabis complies with them thanks to particularly advanced technology. “Our indoor has some engineering that is beyond what you see in the market,” Geoff says. “We can run the entire facility from the phone, our growers are checking the plants constantly, 24/7, we are monitoring nutrient uptake, we can move the lights up and down to control the amount of micromoles the plants get, and we have a complete bio-stimulant and nutrient program.”

Passionate and committed team
However, none of this would be possible without the utterly committed staff at Thrive. “Our incredible team is what our company is built on,” Hoover remarks. “Our brands and products are built on a very talented and passionate team. For instance, we have an expert CTO and head grower from Humboldt County, California, a cultivation expert and a geneticist, both from South Africa. We scoured the world to find the best and most passionate people. And our flagship Greybeard brand reflects this true passion that we all have for cannabis, and for the company as a whole. This is a culture that was originally put in place and promoted by Art Bluhm, the founder of the company, since its inception. We are building a brand and a company that blends a passion for high quality cannabis with the feel of a family business.”

As the cannabis industry enters a new post-COVID-19 phase, Hoover believes that a number of things are going to change. “We will see more retail privatization that will make distribution easier and more robust. As we get that figured out, we are going to see this market catch up with the alcohol sector in terms of its share of the overall wallet of the Canadian consumer. With Thrive Cannabis and the Greybeard brand, when that day comes, we want to be known as a leader in the ultra-premium segment, targeting those enthusiasts and cannabis connoisseurs, showing everybody what true craftsmanship is all about.”