At CANNA we’re excited to share passionate grower stories from across Canada that resonate with our community and inspire us to “grow big or grow home”.
GROWER SPOTLIGHT
Can you share your best-selling product and where it's available in Canada?
Our best-selling product right now is Orange Squeeze. It’s available in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, and the Northwest Territories, and we’re actively working on expanding into more provinces.
Tell us about your facility and how you grow.
We’re a super small facility—basically micro-sized. We grow in soil and everything is done by hand. That includes hand-watering, hand-trimming, and hang-drying our plants for 15 to 17 days. Even the packaging is done by hand. It’s an entirely hands-on process, and that attention to detail really shows in the final product.
Can you share how you got into growing cannabis?
I started growing about 12 or 13 years ago, after my partner was in a car accident. We were buying a lot of medical cannabis, and it was really expensive. So, I started growing as a way to reduce costs—and in doing that, I developed a real passion for it. A few years later, I had the idea for Partake, met the right people, and we were able to bring it to life.
What continues to drive your passion for growing?
For me, it's always been about quality. That has never changed. I’ve always been focused on growing the best cannabis possible—period.
What do you enjoy most about the growing process?
I think the best part is smoking it, testing it. You grow a plant for 10 to 12 weeks, and being able to sample the result—it’s incredibly rewarding.
What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced as a grower?
Definitely paperwork and documentation. In the early days, it felt repetitive and frustrating, but over time we’ve been able to build SOPs (standard operating procedures) that work for us. That’s been a big turning point—it makes everything more efficient and saves time and money.
What standards do you hold for your grow media and nutrients?
Consistency is key. Especially with media, you need to know exactly what you're working with every time. The same goes for nutrients—they need to be consistent and offer good shelf stability. That reliability makes all the difference in delivering a top-shelf product.
How have your growing techniques evolved since legalization?
One big shift has been in cleanliness and sterilization. I was always clean in my personal grows, but in an LP setting, it’s taken to the next level. We take great pride in having an extremely clean and sterile facility.
What innovations or tools have had the biggest impact on your grow?
Monitoring and environmental control have been huge. Having proper redundancy in your HVAC and dehumidification systems is critical. We learned early that you need more than what’s recommended. Reliable equipment and real-time monitoring have dramatically improved our performance.
What are some key differences you’ve seen in the industry now versus when you started?
The market is maturing, and consumers are demanding better cannabis. That’s great to see. While some companies are falling off, others are getting better at what they do. The industry is progressing, and I think that’s a good thing.
What advice would you give to other companies trying to compete?
It all starts with growing good weed. No matter how much you spend on marketing, if your product isn’t something people want to consume, you won’t get far. Quality is everything, whether your product is budget or premium.
