This was not a Normal Gow Op visit.  The Puff team received coordinates of the “Location” the night before converging on the Northern Canna Grow Op somewhere in the Centre of Everything. We were stunned … really?  We were expecting to go somewhere into the Countryside where all the Craft Growers operate.  Right in the middle of the city …. Wow.  That’s Crazy.

Northern Canna is a new Craft cannabis Brand that is taking cannabis consumers to the Mind Melting “highs” earning everyone’s respect and enjoyment. Against the backdrop of an Industry plagued with crippling bankruptcies, enters Northern Canna delivering Cannabis as we Expected and gaining Mind Share. There is Excitement in the Air in anticipation of meeting Mike, the Grower and Lorenzo, the Operator.

Mike and Lorenzo have been friends for years.  Mike, a large person with an imposing presence, introduced himself and made a Statement, “I have a Grade 9 education.”  And, this is the Source of all the Good Weed?  Mike has been growing for years developing his skills in the Legacy market.  For someone who has a Grade 9 education, the attention to detail needed to produce the Northern Canna Quality requires a level of Master Class organization skill set … self taught.  Success in growing Cannabis is not bounded by Education.

Lorenzo, initially a Bay Street finance banker, shifted to the Cannabis industry back in 2019.  Lorenzo ran a Cannabis extraction business in California.   At the time in 2019  California, 510 carts were 55% of the Cannabis market.   Meaning Lorenzo was one busy guy!   This insight into the legal cannabis industry gave him the tools to create his own company here in Canada.  After contacting his old friend Mike, they had a route to take and a mission to accomplish.  Needless to say… They CRUSHED it. Now looking to expand in their current facility, Northern Canna is just heating up!

Mike dropped out of school at the ripe age of 15 and started working at an auto body shop.  He also started growing Cannabis in his teenage years. Northern Canna was born in the Trap.  Literally.  The brand was well established in the Black Market here in Canada prior to becoming a Legal Brand. This is the natural transition from legacy to legal. In our opinion, it is these legacy grower’s that can deliver on the quality of Cannabis.

The proof is in the pudding. Mike leaves himself no longer than 3 weeks from Harvest to fill an order from the OCS. This means the pressure is “ON” in every growth cycle. Mike has to deliver in order to maintain Northern Canna’s General Listing status, or be pushed down to the Flow-Through ranks.  Only true legacy grower’s know how to operate in these demanding conditions. If you can’t fill the PO from the OCS… well, you won’t last long.  But imagine the crop isn’t to your liking … You either risk being flagged or put out something you’re not proud of.  Maintaining General Listing status with the OCS requires the ability to deliver on Demand.  Pressure’s on.  Trained in the Trap.

In addition to delivering on demand by the OCS, the challenges in the business of producing Cannabis in Canada revolves around operating details like the cost of packaging and the importance of Child Proof packaging, which is why some cannabis packaging are almost impossible to open without a hammer, or screwdriver.  For all the cannabis consumers in Canada who complained about the difficulty of opening cannabis containers, the Government made them do it.

For Northern Canna, the cost of packaging is also not trivial at $0.57 per glass jar in volume.   Mike prefers glass jar for the best packaging solution.  Packaging is a big deal in the delivery of Cannabis and takes up precious resource and time.   Next time you open a Cannabis product, know that the packaging is a Pain Point for Cannabis producers.

The entire facility was immaculately clean. The mother room was neatly organized with clone cuttings on drip lines directly across from their Moms.  This is where it all Begins. 

Trimmers are an important part of the production process.  The Picture is proof Northern Canna buds are not machine trimmed.  In Ontario, cannabis trimmers typically earn between $16.50 to $25.00 an hour.  British Columbia cannabis trimmers salary can go as high as $31.50 an hour.  The Best product is always Hand-Trimmed.

This is what it is all about … a real Big Bag of Buds.

But the real secret is, Northern Canna is only paying $3,500 a month in electricity bill.  This is a Fraction of the cost Ontario craft growers who we know are paying an order of magnitude more at $35,000 a month.  Managing cost is critical to sustainability.  And. Mike runs a tight ship.  The facility is only running at 33% capacity with expansion in progress.

Our take away is Northern Canna is a lot smaller than we expected given the number of Products they have on the shelves.  With a handful of grow rooms, Northern Canna has managed to deliver a broad portfolio of cannabis products.  What really blew us away is the Grow Op is right in the middle of a City where we would expect cost to be higher.

Despite a horrific history of Cannabis producers bankruptcy, Northern Canna is one of the Hot new Cannabis producers emerging in 2024.  This is different than the Tweed, Aurora and Tilray of “Build and they will come”  as they brag about their multi-million sq. ft. facilities.  Northern Canna illustrate the importance of Business 101, which is start small, market to get the Brand out there and expand when there is traction.  This is not rocket science.  Just simple business logic ….

Thank you Northern Canna for sharing with Us.   Northern Canna is privately funded.

Here are Lorenzo, Mike, Dougie, Frankie and Val.

Special shout-out to Mitch Service – our professional photographer. Follow him on Instagram! @mitchservice