"From our start in 2018, we wanted to do things differently. We decided to grow organically and choose a sustainable path for our company. This way, we are growing a better plant that is also better for people as well as the planet," says Drew Campbell, Vice President of Marketing at The Green Organic Dutchman. The Canadian company grows certified organic medical and adult-use cannabis that they sell across Canada and a few international markets. "Our goal is to be the cannabis company Mother Nature would choose if she were to use cannabis."
Organic and sustainable
Drew explains that growing certified organic means that the company is being held to a higher standard of what input they can use in cultivation. "We can only use what is approved for organic growing, following the same rules as any organic produce grower in Canada needs to follow. For example, we can't use any synthetic pesticides or fertilizers."
Beyond that, the company wanted to do more to limit their environmental impact. "We grow in a hybrid greenhouse, where we can use the natural sunlight along with broad-spectrum LED lights when the natural rays are low. Paired with a LED lighting system that uses 40 percent less energy than standard HPS lights, it gives us the ability to grow at any time of the day and any time of the year while reducing our environmental footprint."
"Moreover, 90% of the water is reused at our facility, as we use naturally purified rainwater to keep our plants hydrated. Our facilities were built to capture rainwater and melting snow from the roof, filter it, and either use it on the plant or store it. To store our water, we built a special pond that can hold up to five million liters of water. The water from the pond is filtered, then naturally disinfected using UV light. Because we are using what is naturally falling on us, we don't have to use any water from lakes and local rivers," Drew explains.
By choosing to grow in living soil, their growing medium can be reused and even gets better over time. The company uses 20 natural ingredients that are sourced from all over Canada, including glacial rock dust and maple syrup. "The plant is now in charge of what nutrients it's pulling up from the soil," Drew explains. "Rather than forcing the plant by spraying on different fertilizers, the plant can now decide for itself which nutrients to pull up to create its utmost potency or flavor." By not throwing away the living soil, The Green Organic Dutchman does not create 200,000 stone wool units of waste that typically goes to landfill every year. As a result, they are saving about three NHL hockey rinks worth of material each year, Drew says.
If they ever do want to recycle their living soil, The Green Organic Dutchman has a community farm on their property where it can go to good use. "Here, we grow organic fruits and vegetables for various food charities in the area. We have grown and donated approximately 40,000 pounds of organic produce to support people that need those food sources. It is great that even people who might not be using cannabis are still benefiting from what we do."
"Organic is not the sole goal"
While growing organically has many benefits, it is not The Green Organic Dutchman's ultimate goal. "The overall goal is to produce the most flavorful and most enjoyable product for the consumer, and that consumers get to experience the true form of cannabis in its most natural way. We don't just want to grow organic cannabis. We want to grow the best possible cannabis, which also happens to be organic."
When it comes to the future, the company is looking forward to some great years ahead, says Drew. "This month, we will be in our most stores ever, and we just reported our highest yield and highest product quality score we've ever had. We are differentiating ourselves by doing things a bit differently, identifying products that are really great and happen to be organic." Last summer, The Green Organic Dutchman wanted to make retailers and budtenders a part of the company's process. "Instead of launching promotional merchandise, we planted a seed on our community farm for every budtender of the stores that signed up. Just these past months, we were able to grow and donate another 6,000 pounds of produce. It's been really nice to have everyone be a part of that and give back to the community."
The Green Organic Dutchman is also launching some new products in October and November that they are excited to share. "The TGOD Organic Gold Butter MAC is an innovative TGOD original phenotype that is grown from a Peanut Butter Breath x (Quebec Gold x Gorilla Glue) male and a MAC-1 female. The result is a truly unique cultivar, bringing pungent frosty buds with smooth, roasted butter and nut flavor. Secondly, the TGOD Natural Leaf Wrap is a natural, sustainably grown tendu leaf that is rolled and filled with the Organic Gold Butter MAC. This unique Tendu Leaf Wrap is made with whole flowers and no sugar leaves, giving a consistent, high-quality burn that's slow and refined. We will also launch the Highly Dutch Organic Rotterdam n' Rosin, a 20:80 rosin infused distillate indica vape made from organic cannabis and native cannabis terpenes, and the Cruuzy Strawberry Jerry, a rare sativa known for its mysterious BC lineage with terps delivering a strong berry and earthy aroma."
For more information:
The Green Organic Dutchman
www.tgod.ca