The first week of the new year is about to end, and before we dive deep into new and exciting things, let's take one last look back at the year that just passed. We are all about growers, and we genuinely love hearing their stories and learning how they cultivate their cannabis. From craft growers to larger MSOs, cannabis growers are an endless source of fascinating anecdotes, valuable insights, and, of course, funny jokes.
We head into the weekend with a final roundup focused on the best growers' stories from last year—spanning Thailand, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Uruguay, the U.S., and Canada, of course. The cannabis industry is truly global, and no matter where a grower is located, you can be sure they'll have plenty to say about their craft. Each of them has a unique story about how they came to cannabis and what it means to them. And perhaps, we can finally address the trickiest question of all: what exactly is quality cannabis?
Switzerland: Exploring the cannabis pilot in Zurich
Compared to bigger markets like the U.S. or Canada, Switzerland is a small fish. However, that doesn't make it any less interesting to learn how growers fare in such a nascent market. What's happening there? How is the market developing? And bluntly put, how does the industry operate in this small central European country? We got the chance to talk to Alpina Pharma, one of the growers participating in the cannabis pilot in Zurich. They had plenty to share, especially considering the company's unique inception.
Alpina Pharma AG is one of the growers supplying products to this pilot. However, the company's origins weren't in THC-rich products, but rather in CBD. "The company was initially named 'Members Only GmbH (2023),' and we used to grow in both indoor and outdoor facilities," explains the owner and CEO, Raffael Kühne. The company initially offered a wide range of CBD products, which were sold through the company's retail locations until they decided to discontinue that part of the business. "Our products were sold in so many stores that managing retail locations became more of a hassle than anything," Raffael points out.
Since 2021, Alpina Pharma has had a license to grow THC-rich cannabis. "The government gave us a chance to create something special with a future outlook toward legalization," Raffael continues. "There are lots of discussions right now about what will happen after the pilot ends, but everyone is happy, so we're optimistic."
From breeding berries to growing cannabis indoors
In yesterday's roundup, we revisited the story of a South African grower who transitioned from traditional horticulture to cannabis. Today, we're revisiting the story of Ian Justus, SVP of Cultivation Operations at Connected Cannabis. Ian began his horticultural journey at Driscoll's, breeding new strawberry varieties. However, another crop was calling him, and he heeded that call: cannabis.
Ian has always been fascinated by indoor farming. Unlike outdoor production, indoor farming operates in a perpetual harvest cycle, where growers are constantly rotating plants and harvesting. "On top of that, you rely on a stable and consistent system. Top-shelf, premium cannabis is one of the hardest things to achieve consistently in the cannabis industry. Indoor growing allows us to replicate our quality in different geographic locations." "If, the main question to ask yourself is: How do I scale and replicate premium quality flower? The answer is: facility design and functionality. "
Cultivating cannabis in Uruguay for the growing European market
From the U.S., we now fly south to Uruguay, one of the first countries to legalize cannabis. Despite various challenges, there are growers operating there with an eye on the export market. One such company is Pharmin, one of the few Uruguayan companies to hold all the necessary licenses to export to the European medical cannabis market. "This will accelerate our growth potential even further over the next few years. Despite facing challenges, Uruguay has been working to expand its medical cannabis export sector following legalization. The multi-million-dollar investment in Pharmin's medical cannabis production facility presents a promising chance to transform the South American nation into a worldwide provider of pharmaceutical ingredients," Vako Togonidze, CEO of Pharmin, says. "Uruguay has a very stable regulatory framework and a good track record as a pharmaceutical hub in the region."
With its 2-hectare facility, Pharmin can produce various genetics simultaneously to handle diverse market demands. "Operating in a free trade zone makes our products cost-effective. At Pharmin, we also understand the importance of standardization. Once you become the supplier of a specific ingredient, you are also the warrantor and provider of reliable treatments for patients."
"It's not like tobacco—you have to really know your market"
Let's cross the ocean now to Italy. The cannabis market in Italy is practically non-existent. However, it does have a lively medical cannabis sector and a hemp market, which is now under threat from the current government. While the sector fights to stop legislation that seems more ideologically motivated than scientifically grounded, growers are still finding niches in which to operate. The setup of Azienda Agricola Vamperti is a blend of outdoor cultivation and a small-scale indoor operation. Most of the cultivation happens outdoors, taking full advantage of natural sunlight. However, there's also a greenhouse for mother plants and germination, and an indoor facility that is used intermittently based on market needs. "For half the year, the indoor setup isn't really used—it all depends on what the market dictates," Teodoro Carbone from Azienda Agricola Vamperti explains. This flexible approach helps manage costs, especially when energy prices are high, he explains.
Growing hemp flowers in this isolated valley brings its own set of challenges. The winter months are particularly difficult, with temperatures often dropping too low for optimal plant growth. While the greenhouse helps, the persistent cold means that growth can potentially slow down. Yet, by carefully timing the cycles, Teodoro ensures that by mid-March, the plants are ready to grow, leading to successful cloning in May.
Growing CBD in Spain: "Pretty much everyone else has given up"
In Spain, it is only legal to grow hemp for industrial purposes. Yet in Málaga, around 1200 hemp plants are currently soaking up the Spanish sun and will be used for full-spectrum extracts after harvest. "Growing hemp in Spain wasn't originally the plan. I wanted to get into the Dutch CBD market," says Peter Vermeul, CEO of CBD Spain. But when that proved to be more difficult than expected, Peter looked to Spain, where he had previously lived. "I saw a great opportunity there and decided to give it a shot. We have been given permission by the Ministry of Agriculture and are able to grow outdoors without any problems."
9 years ago, Peter wrote the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture with a question. "It's only legal to grow hemp for fiber or seeds. Yet we asked the Ministry if it's possible for us to grow the Charlotte's Web variety for CBD products. The way we grow it, it contains even less CBD and THC than the industrial hemp grown for fiber," Peter explains. After Peter explained that they would stay below 0.2% THC, the Ministry's response was positive. "As long as we stay under that 0.2%, they would allow us to grow hemp and sell them as cosmetics. We've been doing that for years now without any problems. We're in very good contact with the Guardia Civil and have had many investigations. Yet they allow us to grow our plants with no issues."
While CBD Spain was one of the first and has been producing successfully for years, other companies have not had the same success. "Because of the strict regulations in Spain, most other growers have given up. I think our advantage is that we're a small company and do everything ourselves. That gives the authorities an easy overview of our production. On top of that, we don't have to transport any plants, for which you would need a plant passport. That's a document that you won't get if you're a cannabis grower."
Why move plants around?
Ask any grower how they cultivate cannabis, and you'll get a different answer every time. There isn't a single, definitive way to grow this crop at premium quality. As Bret Roedemeier, senior director of cultivation and infrastructure at CLEANTheory, stated: "None of the stuff in my head is mine—I learned it from other people. I don't own it. At the end of the day, cultivation is about knowing a lot of little tricks, and some of them you've indeed learned from others."
Creativity also plays a role, and that's also how things evolve. That's why Bret also asked himself: "Why are we moving plants around?" "In traditional cultivation, you've got a veg room and a flower room," he explains. "That's based on the idea that growth does better under blue light of Metal Halide and flowering under orange light of High Pressure Sodium HIDs." When LED technology advanced enough to be utilized in commercial cannabis cultivation, the rules of the game changed, and Bret started questioning the old methods.
Understanding synthetic seeds for large-scale cannabis production
Growers may know a lot of tricks, but one cannot deny that scientists and researchers also help them come up with novel and more efficient ways of growing this crop. There's a lot happening in the cannabis research space, and it's not uncommon for growers to adopt new research as the basis for their cultivation methodologies. At the same time, even the best grower in the world won't achieve optimal results without top-quality genetics. Cannabis borrows heavily from traditional horticulture, and one specific innovation from that space that cannabis is developing is synthetic seeds. "The idea of synthetic seeds started around since the '60s or '70s. However, nothing was formally established into a tangible research effort until the 80s" Jack Munz from 3Rivers Biotech says. "They started in agriculture, with crops like carrots and citrus being the first published attempts."
Synthetic seeds mimic the three main components of natural seeds: the embryo, the endosperm, and the seed coat. Jack explains, "The embryo can be any tissue derived from the starting material—whether it's a shoot tip, callus, or even a somatic embryo." The endosperm is replaced by a nutrient solution in a semi-solid gel, into which the tissue culture sample, or explant, is placed. "We take that gel and make a seed coat," he adds.
"The harder a cultivar is to grow, the more rewarding it is"
Growing cannabis at scale is a hard job, and while this may scare some away, there are others who take up this challenge gladly. Cheers Cannabis out of Montreal is indeed one of those growers that would go great lengths to grow the most difficult varieties at a premium level. "We are a family-owned business selling mainly in Ontario and Quebec," says Kevin Laliberté, the company's CEO.
"The harder the cannabis is to grow, the more rewarding it is. It's high risk, high reward. We like the challenge, and the tougher it is, the sweeter the victory," Kevin says.
The 'Connecticut special': operating in a challenging regulatory environment
There's a notable difference between MSOs and smaller craft growers. Generally speaking, MSOs prioritize quantity over quality, while craft growers focus on quality over quantity. Brix Cannabis, a grower out of Connecticut, exemplifies this distinction. Its co-founder and director of cultivation previously operated within MSOs.
"When I entered this market, I realized there was significant room for improvement to provide customers with superior products," Cory McCain from Brix says. "With so few active growers, I noticed a lack of focus on what consumers truly want. Whatever quality was on the market would just sell out because there were no alternatives. I, on the other hand, wanted to curate the best genetics I could find. We brought in 23 genetics at first."
What is quality cannabis?
Finally, we come to the trickiest question you can ask a cannabis grower: what is quality cannabis? Natalia, the director of cultivation at Thai Stick, a grower out of Thailand, offers an answer not only to this question but also to why it's so complicated for growers to provide a single, definitive definition of quality cannabis. "For me, quality cannabis starts with having a plant that's easy to grow," says Natalia, Director of Cultivation at Thai Stick, a medical cannabis company in Thailand. "If I'm growing cannabis in a greenhouse, an environment that's constantly changing, I need adaptable plants that can tolerate the effects of shifting seasons. I'm interested in finding plants that essentially grow themselves."
This perspective contrasts with the common view in the cannabis industry, where THC content, terpene profile, and flavonoids are often cited as the main markers of quality. "There's a lot of gatekeeping in this industry," Natalia explains. "Because it's still a nascent industry, many people want to be seen as experts, but they often lack a horticultural background. The more you tell people it's difficult, that it's a fusion of art and science, the more you create the impression that you have something valuable and untransferable to offer."