Tripping over the finish line is extremely frustrating, regardless of what that finish line represents. Growing cannabis is already a particularly financially and labor-intensive job, and seeing products get spoiled right before they reach retail stores can be painful. Cultivation, however, is only part of the business. Even if a plant leaves the grow room in perfect condition, it still needs to go through post-harvest processes, and that's where more headaches arise. "As a grower, I put all my love into growing the plant, and then post-harvest ruins it. The post-harvest guy, on the other hand, wants you to grow a better product," says Joe Black, founder of EzTrim, a company specializing in post-harvest equipment. A major issue Joe has observed in the industry is the disconnect between growers and post-harvest teams. "We're trying to bring those two sides together because the process is one—it's not two separate things."
Four steps
Joe and his team identified four essential steps often overlooked in the post-harvest process: defoliation, drying, bucking, and touch-up. "A lot of big facilities have pieces of the process, but they miss small, crucial tweaks," Joe said. "I can save 20% to your bottom line just by fixing those." According to him, the real challenge lies not just in trimming, but in everything that leads up to and follows it.
The rush to automate all processes, while potentially good for saving on labor costs, is not a solution to all the struggles and challenges. "People often think they can just get a trim machine and expect it to work miracles," Joe explained. "But if you're re-trimming everything after using a machine, you're not saving time, and you're affecting the quality of the product."
The issue, as always, stems from a lack of standardization, which particularly affects post-harvest processes, especially for growers operating in multiple states. "Being active in different states, MSOs have different facilities and often don't have a standardized procedure on the post-harvest side," Joe points out. "That's because such organizations have strict chains of command, and there's a lot of bureaucracy involved, so it can be hard for the post-harvest manager to pay attention to those details that ultimately greatly impact process efficiency." However, as the industry has matured and the cost per pound has decreased, growers no longer have the luxury of running inefficient processes. "You can immediately spot if a grower doesn't have a top-notch post-harvest SOP, or is not using their equipment correctly. Buds aren't aesthetically pleasing; they look cone-shaped, and so on."
Functionality over form
EzTrim sells a wide range of equipment, from trimmers and buckers to sorters and curing systems, designed with functionality as the top priority. "When we develop equipment, all I care about is functionality over form. I don't care about flashy designs. The equipment has to be cost-effective, last long, be easy to clean, and easy to maintain," Joe stated.
One of EzTrim's most popular machines is a commercial trimmer capable of processing up to 60 pounds per hour. However, Joe emphasizes that throughput metrics mean nothing if quality suffers. "It doesn't matter how fast a machine runs if you have to touch up the buds afterward. Our goal is to eliminate touch-ups, maintain bud structure, and save the smaller buds. With our machines and processes, touch-ups go down by 20-25%."
EzTrim has also developed a drying and curing system called "Easy Cure," which helps growers control airflow and humidity during the curing process. Joe notes, "It allows you to dry and cure the product more effectively, and it sends alerts to track humidity levels so you can monitor it remotely."
Joe also created a harvesting calculator to help growers understand their costs and optimize the post-harvest process. "We know what our costs are, and we offer this tool for free so people can figure out where they stand," he explained.
EzTrim's equipment helps growers of all sizes, from home growers to large commercial operations, but Joe emphasizes that the process is just as important as the machines. "Most grows have most pieces, but missing even one is very costly because every step is critical to success and profitability."
Joe and EzTrim have helped many growers not only by fine-tuning their processes through their machines but also by tweaking their SOPs so their cannabis can express its full genetic potential, even in retail stores. "Two years ago, I was working with a grower who was using our equipment, but the product wasn't top-notch," he recalls. "When I looked at what they were doing, I noticed they weren't defoliating properly. That affects not only the grow but also the post-harvest. You get issues with light penetration, plants occupy more drying space, and the post-harvest team had to deal with that. Just fixing that one step changed the game for them. It increased their yields, buds were of premium quality, and cultivation and post-harvest were finally working as intended. In unison, that is."
For more information:
Ez Trim Harvesting
+1-720-505-1979
eztrim.com