"The smaller the operation, the more love one puts into it”

The Massachusetts cannabis market is under mounting pressure. With flower oversupply and rampant price compression, it's becoming increasingly challenging to operate in this space. That's why it's essential to carve out a niche where one can thrive despite the circumstances. A cannabis grower out of Hudson, Nimbus Cannabis, has been laser-focused on doing just that. "We are a tier-1 indoor facility." The cultivation is small compared to those of flashy MSOs, but it's the smallest of the fruits that taste the sweetest. "We are a small team – I treat my guys really well; that's a big part of this. I feel like the smaller the operation, the more love one puts into it."

Growing in two styles
An interesting aspect of the Nimbus facility is that cannabis is grown in two styles. "In one of the rooms, I grow in PRO-MIX CX bags, 2-gallon coco, and we do the traditional crop steering. On the other hand, in our other two rooms, I slightly amend the PRO-MIX HP bags and use syn-organic solutions."

The difference between the two methods is that traditional crop steering utilizes synthetic solutions, like pumping plants with a lot of nutrients to get the weight. In the other method, Keith drops the EC of the nutrient feed, adds dry amendments to the PRO-MIX, and uses beneficial organisms and fungi. "It's a blended technique that gives a better flavor to the flower."

Keith has been using PRO-MIX for 25 years, so he's very much aware of how to use their products in the best way to get what he wants out of the plants. "I tried multiple techniques – straight organics, straight synthetics – and about 10 years ago I started doing the blended method. This gives me the best of both worlds, and I was looking forward to implementing this into a commercial operation."

The choice to use PRO-MIX is based not only on the good relationship Keith has with Premier Tech, the company behind these grow bags, but also because there's "science behind their grow bags," as he puts it. "They did a great job designing them in a way that makes labor much easier. You just get them, rip the top open, put your plant in, and we're ready to roll. On top of that, my benches stay clean exactly because of how they designed them. But the main thing is that PRO-MIX is very consistent. Premier Tech controls the entire supply chain, and that plays a huge role in the consistency of the product."

Small but highly technological
When he joined Nimbus Cannabis, Keith got the opportunity to deploy his methods on a commercial scale, but also to test different technologies that, according to him, give Nimbus an edge over the competition. "The first piece of tech I installed when I joined was a unique vapor pressure system to dry cannabis," he explains. This system allows Nimbus to avoid burping the bins where cannabis is stored, as there's no excess humidity, taking an entire step out of the drying stage. "This also ensures that the water activity in each of our flower batches is tailored to a specific end product. My hand-trimmed flower is at a certain water activity, but I don't want the same for pre-roll material. Also, for extraction, it performs better at a certain water activity."

Nimbus is also trialing a new piece of tech that utilizes the same vapor pressure control, but for cultivation rooms. Aside from this vapor pressure solution, Keith explains that at Nimbus they are using a special feeding system. "I didn't have the space for your usual batch tank systems. The one we use has an on-demand batch tank."

Despite its relatively small size, Nimbus has deployed quite a number of cutting-edge solutions. "We built the ship as we sailed it," Keith says. "We use our size as an advantage. We can pivot on a dime, and it's much easier to manage new equipment compared to if this were a larger operation."

At the same time, everything starts from the very beginning, which is genetics. "All Nimbus genetics are unique. Everything in my facility is old genetics I've acquired through contacts in the industry or seeds I've made or cracked myself. I don't call myself a breeder, but more of a weed nerd," he says with a chuckle.

Putting out a diverse and unique portfolio of products is essential in a market as competitive as Massachusetts. Brand identity can then be properly established, and customers are always aware of what to expect from those products. "Now, we've trained the customer not only to expect a certain quality from us, but also in terms of price. With tariffs, everything is going up, nutrients are going up, and it's getting to a point where many cannabis companies won't be able to keep on racing to the bottom. They may be afraid to raise prices, but that also gives away that perhaps they're not fully convinced of the quality of their products – unlike us."

For more information:
Premier Tech
+1 855 867-5407
pthorticulture.com

Nimbus Cannabis
(508) 658-0251
info@nimbusvaporco.com
nimbuscannabisco.com