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Tag: cultivator

One man’s journey to grow the cheapest cannabis in Canada

Written by David Brown on . Posted in British Columbia, Cultivators, Profiles.

Todd Veri has been working with, and adjacent to, cannabis in BC’s Kootenay region going back decades. 

When legalization lumbered its way into Canada, like many in his walk of life, he decided to take a crack at getting a federal license to grow cannabis on outdoor farms in the region.

What began as a co-op with two different farms (with plans for more) has been pared down over the years through layers of regulations and business and interpersonal challenges into a one-person operation on a small farm about one hour north of Nelson, BC.

Todd Veri on his cannabis farm

Among the goats and cows and the hay he feeds them, Todd Veri grows four acres of cannabis varieties at Cedar Bug Farms, as he’s done there for several years. Now, after more than five years of trying, learning, and adapting, Veri says he hopes this will finally be his year to bring a crop fully to market. 

“This year was all about trying to put the pieces together that worked. We had a lot of challenges in previous years, but I also learned a lot along the way.”

One of those lessons was not to over-build and to see how the plants respond to being left more to their own devices. In the first few years, the farms had multiple employees working all season long to plant, weed, tend, and harvest. This year, Veri has done most of this work on his own. And that has meant learning to let a lot go. 

“Weeds were a big part of it. I learned to let a lot of the wild plants just grow, which created a more beneficial micro-ecosystem that seemed to support itself, rather than spending a lot of time and money weeding and mowing.”

This move alone meant he could handle on his own what would have been handled by a team of ten in the first few years. He says that keeping costs down was always part of the plan, which is one of the reasons he chose outdoor production.

“We chose outdoor because I saw the drive to the bottom in terms of prices. The amount of overproduction was predictable. I still see outdoor as the best way to deliver something of high quality and value for people to smoke.”

Though, over the years, the entire process has taken its toll on Veri and the farm. Not only did the co-op model unravel in the first few years, but he now needs to sell the farm to cover the ongoing expenses he’s incurred to get to this point. 

Despite these challenges and obstacles, Veri is one of the more optimistic people in the industry. He says he prefers to own and learn from his mistakes rather than focusing on the things he cannot change or finding external situations to blame. 

“It’s been very hard. Having to sell the land I’ve been growing on is hard. But I have to stay positive, and that perspective is why I think this is still a viable business. Every year, I’ve learned what to do right and what not to do next time.

“My hope is to find someone who will buy the farm and I can continue to operate it for them, so this year’s harvest will be what I hope will prove that model.”

Veri has about one-third of his field planted this year and expects 50-80kg to be ready for sale in the coming months. 

His dream has been to sell into the BC market as an outdoor, BC-grown product, but he’s also exploring other options, including the export market. Finding a market for outdoor product in Canada can be difficult, he says, but he believes that growing at a lower cost than indoor, and with a better terpene profile from the natural light, will win over consumers who may be more accustomed to indoor product. 

“BC has a long history of great outdoor cannabis, especially in the Kootenays. We need a way to bring that to the legal market.”

Paradise Valley Botanics draws on decades of experience

Written by David Brown on . Posted in Cultivators, Profiles.

Adam Mint wants to see the cannabis growers of the Kootenays have an opportunity to finally showcase decades of experience growing craft cannabis to the world. 

Mint, the head grower at Paradise Valley Botanics, located near Nelson, British Columbia, received a micro cultivation licence this past March. Although his first crops are just hitting the BC market, he brings more than 30 years of experience growing cannabis in the Nelson area, joining the ranks of many other micro growers in BC’s Kootenay region.

It’s this rich history that Mint hopes the area can build on, finally welcoming the world to experience its deep community, which has until recently been kept hidden away. 

It won’t be like back in the legacy days where every other person was a grower. But I think we can work together in this community to create an area like Napa or Burgundy in France.

Adam Mint, Paradise Valley Botanics

“When you have an intense concentration of people who have been dedicated to their craft for that long and have given a lot of time, passion, and energy to try and be the best at their craft as they can be, that’s what I strive for, to try to create the best product I can. I would just love it if we could start to showcase all this work we’ve done for so long that has always been underground.”

Mint is also proud of Paradise Valley’s awards over the past few years, which include first and third place flower and third place for hash at the Unicorn Cup 2021, first place at the Karma Cup 2022, first place at the Solstice Cup 2023, and first place Dab A Doo Cup Hash 2023.

While the region’s cannabis community continues to change, he’s hopeful for what the future holds rather than what it once was. Like many, Mint leans on examples of what BC’s Kootenay region can look like from the different regions that have become known for wineries and wine tourism. 

“It won’t be like back in the legacy days where every other person was a grower. But I think we can work together in this community to create an area like Napa or Burgundy in France. Working together to create a regional stronghold that we can promote worldwide. What we have should be broadcast around the world.”

Another way he sees this brand of BC bud being spread worldwide is how many BC micro growers have been finding interest on the international market. 

BC has long been known for cannabis, and now, as consumers in new markets can finally buy some, they are finding their high expectations met, he says. 

Currently, though, Mint’s focus at Paradise Valley is on serving the domestic market. His first products will launch in BC, hopefully followed by Ontario. Ideally, they will sell into BC’s direct delivery program, especially if he and his partners can secure their processing licence. The processing licence could also allow them to begin making their own hash, a skill Mint says he learned in the 90s in India. 

Mint says the team focuses on a high-quality craft product by keeping things small, manageable, and clean. They operate two flowering rooms planted in rockwool with alternating harvests, and one room for mothers and vegging. 

Mint says he brought thousands of plant lines with him into the legal market when he was licensed—including seeds, clones, and mothers—something he’s trying to work his way through while also working to stay ahead of consumer trends.

“My hope is first that consumers can get past this THC myth. As a grower for 31 years, no one has ever mentioned THC levels before. I just think there’s so much more to it. I could do a blind taste test with someone with a 16%er and a 26%er and I don’t think that anyone would ever say they got more stoned from the 26%. So I hope, as consumers, we can really get past that. And that will mean consumers will have access to a lot of great genetics with a lot of different terpene profiles than what’s out right now.”

Again, he points back to the wine industry. 

“When you go on a wine tour, you’re not buying the strongest wine you can buy. You’re buying what tastes good to you, what has an interesting story or farm behind it. And that’s what I think we can build here in the Kootenays, too.”

Fort 20 Farms crafting unique strains in BC Lower Mainland

Written by Staff on . Posted in British Columbia, Cultivators, Profiles.

Fort 20 Farms is a newly licensed indoor micro cultivator in BC’s Lower Mainland, located on a 40-acre farm about an hour outside of Vancouver.

The owner and director, Andrew Neitzel, started the company with two other partners who serve as the master grower and facility manager. After about a year of renovation and applications, they received their licence to cultivate in December 2023. 

“We want to make smart decisions as we go forward and create opportunities as we can. With any young business, any decision can be a make-or-break decision.”

Andrew Neitzel, Fort 20 Farms

A few months later, Fort 20 released its first two crops into the B2B market and under its brand in the BC market through local processor TriCanna—its BC Kemo and Purple Jelly, available in 7-gram SKUs and pre-rolls. Neitzel says they plan to offer products through BC’s direct delivery program beginning in July.

Neitzel says the Kemo cultivar is one of the original UBC Chemo strains, and the Purple Jelly is a unique cultivar brought in by Fort 20’s master grower.  

Although their first crops were sold into the BC market, the micro cultivators are also considering the export market. They recently received their GACP certification.

Still, they aren’t looking to make any big moves, opting to take each step carefully. 

“We’re just putting one foot in front of the other, not trying to do everything at once,” explains Neitzel. “We want to make smart decisions as we go forward and create opportunities as we can. With any young business, any decision can be a make-or-break decision.”

Currently, the priority has been connecting with local retailers in BC and talking to them about the products they have for sale through the BCLDB and through the direct delivery platform.  

“We’re out there talking to retailers, letting them know who we are, that we’re just a small team who is passionate about good cannabis, and we have some very unique strains so I think we can help those retailers have something unique.”

Being a micro producer isn’t easy, he adds, but working in agriculture much of his life as a second-generation farmer, he says he’s used to it.

“The cannabis industry is a challenging business. I love agriculture, and with a farming background we’re used to not making money (laughs). Some years are good, some years are bad. The [cannabis] industry is obviously going through a lot of changes right now, and I’m hopeful that the cream will rise to the top and people who put out a good, reliable, clean product will find success. But there’s a lot of competition, and probably a lot of people who do a good job with that. So we’re doing a good job, connecting with people and just taking it one step at a time.”