“Our relationship with the environment is at the core of what we do.” Petalfast, a route-through-market platform for the cannabis industry, recently announced its partnership with Solis, a California-based cultivation and brand putting the sun at the center of their business. “We have the California sun with a cooler breeze coming out from the ocean. Therefore, it is not too hot, and there is considerably less humidity, less mold, and less impurities. All of this makes it possible for us to scale and to be efficient and cost-effective in our growing,” explains Jonathan Swope, Co-Owner and CMO at Solis. With a permanent area of 65 acres, Solis grew 35 acres last year using sophisticated indoor technology outside.
Source: Instagram @solisbrandsca
From controlled drip irrigation to recipes being adjusted daily and a microbial lab for root growth, that’s just some of the technology the company uses. “Our computer regulates the nutrition that plants receive. We test every day what the plants uptake and adjust the recipes accordingly. Also, a lot of outdoor growers have beds or just grow in the soil. As we grow in pots and with the drip irrigation system, we don’t have a lot of water runoff or overwatering happening,” Jonathan explains. The microbial lab off-site allows them to produce beneficial fungi, bacteria, sugars, and amino acids with great impact on the crop. “The main reason why we boost biological activity is to get substantial root growth, which increases the terpenes and resin production that will give us higher THC.”
A safe and sustainable product
“We are lucky not to have a lot of pests, which is partly thanks to the breeze we get. We also monitor very well and use plant protection products that we are allowed. California is very strict in terms of what you can or cannot use, and they test very heavily. We get tested on 65 pesticides, and there is further testing on heavy metals as well,” Jonathan says. As a result, Solis grows safe and sustainable sun-grown cannabis, which impacts the consumer positively.
Efficient waste management
Solis’ irrigation system not only allows them to produce less runoff but there are more benefits. “We are reusing the pots and are able to reuse the fertigation and irrigation lines for many years. We are also currently doing an R&D trial with last year’s soil, using it again this year to see how efficient it is. We are testing right now if we can expand the soil that we are using onwards to 3, 4, or 5 years,” Jonathan says. “A lot of that has to do with cost savings, but we also want to make sure our footprint is very small. We’re trying to make sure that everything we do has a low impact on the environment around us.”
Navigating competitive markets
As a sales, marketing, and distribution platform, Petalfast has now partnered with Solis to drive their high-quality products into new retail channels. Solis will join Petalfast’s rapidly expanded brand portfolio in California. “We saw an opportunity in the cannabis market. It was very clear that there were a lot of great farmers with great products, but it is challenging to get to market. Petalfast helps them to connect with the consumer the right way,” explains Jason Vegotsky, CEO of Petalfast. “We continue to look for competitive markets. When competition increases, that’s when you need a larger, more sophisticated selling organization that helps you separate yourself from your competition. Therefore, we do not go into states with limited licenses. Our goal is to help differentiate products and continue to grow,” he explains.
Sustainability as a differentiator
“We are always looking for the best products and to continue to diversify our portfolio. Therefore, we look out for sustainable outdoor flower that has a good price, good story, and good operators. That is why we decided to partner with Solis. They have the perfect setup for us to help them launch and take them to the next level in the California market,” Jason says.
Solis is focused in California but also wants to ramp up in the future: “We want to do what we are doing at a very high level within the state limit of California. We want to see what we can do here and replicate that in other states. Throughout that process, we want Petalfast to be the vehicle to take us there,” explains Jonathan.
For more information:
Solis
www.solis.biz
Petalfast
www.petalfast.com