How did you get into the vertical farming?
Since it is international customer apperication day we wanted to showcase one of our customers meet Martin Tétreault Biologist and Master Grower of Ste-Mari, a Cannabis Grow Facility in Quebec.
We asked him a few questions about himself, his favorite aspects of his job, where he sees the future of vertical farming, and what the top 3 P’s are when it comes to starting your own grow ( prepared, passionate, and patient ):
How did you get into vertical farming?
The building we are growing in is actually an old cedar barn that we renovated inside. We have limited space indoors and didn’t want to construct a new building or add an extension (which can be costly and time-consuming.) Instead, we decided to go with mobile vertical grow racks, which allows us the flexibility to add another tier if we are looking to increase our crop yield.
Before, the land surrounding the barn was actually used to grow vegetables for years. They would use the barn to clean and package everything, and the surrounding community would come and pick up their weekly vegetables. Happy to have the opportunity to continue to use the land for its original purpose of producing high-grade products for the community (just a little different this time.)
What’s your favorite part of your job?
What’s your favorite part of your job?
The favorite is the that it is diverse. For instance, today we are trimming, a few weeks later we could harvest, then the week after that is something completely different. There are so many aspects involved with this job, especially since we are trying to produce the best product, in such a competitive market. It can be challenging.
There are more and more micro-producers, producing quality products compared to back in the day when you had big LPs who focused on producing in quantity, not quality. Now consumers are more aware of quality v quantity, so we need to keep reinventing the process and focus on the needs and asks of our customers.
We are also in the medical part of the business. We are in the process of a medical and also a transformation license, so we will be able to sell oils, creams, and more. We are very excited.
Advice And The Future of Vertical Farming
What advice would you give someone getting into the industry?
Before getting into the industry, you have to be well prepared that it might be challenging. If you just want to get into this industry for money, you should maybe consider a more lucrative business. Three things for success in this industry are: be prepared, be passionate, and be patient.
Where do you hope to see the vertical farming industry in the next 5 years?
I want to see vertical farming expand across the whole world. As the market continues to open up everywhere. In Canada, we luckily have a lot of space. You have a choice of building a large building or going to a smaller footprint with vertical systems. We have that option here compared to other countries where land can be more expensive and less accessible, so vertical farming is the best option for where the space is limited.
Any words of wisdom based on your on-going experience?
Try to enjoy every phase of the process, and be in the moment while you're going through it, because it will be overwhelming, but definitely worth it in the end.
