It was with a degree of transparency that the guests were greeted by the director of the Cannara Biotech Inc. factory on December 16th, at the inauguration of the cannabis production site.
Taking over from TGOD, Cannara simultaneously continues development of the site, thanks to an investment of $ 18M which complements the $ 250M previously invested for construction. Please note that the 1,030,000 ft2 building, built in 2020, has 24 independent grow rooms for a total grow area of 775,000 ft2.
“We bought TGOD in June. We paid cash 27 million and we took the responsibility for paying the deposit on Hydro Quebec, for another 6 million. We know that the site was not finished. We have a TGOD budget of $ 10 million to finish the project, but it’s over $ 30 million. We have already spent 8.5 million and I have another 6 to 7 million to put in before we finish the phase”, says Mr. Zohar Krivorot, President and CEO of Cannara.
It should be noted that the 24 rooms will be transformed into 4 phases which will each include 6 production rooms. Eventually, 230,400 plants will grow in the plant, allowing four harvests per year, for a total of 110,000 kg annually, which will be transported to Farnham for drying and processing operations. This represents, potentially $ 240M, annually.
“Currently, production volumes from the 625,000 sq. Ft. Farnham plant are not sufficient to meet demand. We are more than confident that future productions, by following our development plan, will allow us to best serve consumers in the long term”, underlines Mr. Krivorot.
The design of the site is unique. It includes automated systems for nutrient distribution and irrigation, HPS lighting, climate and temperature control, misting, dehumidification, a state-of-the-art table growing system, blackout and shade curtains and a top quality tempered glass roof. In addition, air exchange and filtration systems and water systems operate in a closed loop to reduce waste and costs.
Consistency, quality and price
According to Mr. Krivorot, the secret lies in consistency, quality and price. “This is the secret recipe for the success of a cannabis plant. If you have a good product, but it’s too expensive, no one is going to buy it. If you have a product that has a good price, but is not consistent, a customer will buy it once, but not buy it again. To do these three things, we need a platform, like we have here.”
If, in the long term, 300 workers are needed to run the industrial site in Valleyfield, a major first recruitment operation will begin shortly with 170 positions to be gradually filled. Maintenance and sanitation workers, integrated pest control workers (IPMs), cultivation workers or even quality assurance associates… “It is important for us to have employees who enjoy working at Cannara. The way we do it is you work in the garden, you work with the plants, it’s alive, it’s interesting. If we see that the person likes it, when we open another phase, we can put that person as a team leader. They can grow with the company.” In addition to offering jobs in an attractive high-tech environment, the company offers, among other things, participation in the form of shares to its employees.
In fact, when VIVA MÉDIA leaves the establishment, an employee calls over the journalist, telling her, with a smile, how much she enjoys working at Cannara.
