Cannabis News

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Feb. 2, 2021 – PRESS RELEASE – Eteros Technologies, owner of Mobius Trimmer, a top brand of high-end cannabis and hemp processing equipment, has acquired California-based Triminator, a pioneer in harvesting equipment for professional growers of cannabis and hemp. The acquisition provides the Canadian-based Eteros Technologies with a broader product range and increased access to the U.S. market. Financial details were not disclosed.

The Mobius and Triminator product lines combine to form the world’s largest manufacturer of cannabis and hemp harvesting and processing equipment. Eteros Technologies, parent company of the Mobius line, plans to retain Triminator employees and leadership, and the company said both brands will continue to operate independently. Working in synergy, each will marshal greater engineering, sales, training and support resources to offer customers a comprehensive suite of processing solutions. This acquisition also means that the full Canadian designed-and-built Mobius line and full U.S.-built Triminator product line will be stocked and available across North America.  

“Just like Mobius, Triminator has built an amazing business from the ground up,” said Aaron McKellar, CEO of Mobius Trimmer. “Using innovation and ingenuity, Triminator’s team created machines that helped define the post-harvest process in modern cannabis and hemp agriculture. We look forward to building upon each other’s strengths to help even more farmers increase the efficiency of their harvest.”

The two product lines complement each other precisely because of their differences. Each is focused on providing full support to a specialized market. Triminator is committed to the cannabis and hemp farmer by building a community of hands-on brand ambassadors who have their own farms and can mentor other end-users on the craft of processing. The Mobius line has been focused on equipping and supporting growers who are operating in a large-scale, highly regulated environment, where SOPs and often GMP requirements drive processing operations and investing heavily in developing the training resources and technical documentation necessary to serve these end-users.

“This acquisition could not be a better fit from our perspective,” said Dana Mosman, CEO of Triminator. “We equip some of the most advanced farms across the globe and maintain our commitment to supporting farmers. Now our options to help these cultivators just increased exponentially. We look forward to continuing to meet the needs of the farming community, to help growers increase productivity and profitability in the rapidly evolving cannabis market.”

Each brand serves different customer segments. Mobius is one of the most technologically advanced harvesting options available, holding a number of patents in trimming technology and the largest market share in Canada among large-scale cultivators. Triminator has focused on the agricultural sector and small-to-midsize cultivators. The acquisition will give Mobius access to these businesses while providing Triminator access to Mobius’ customer service and technology.

For more information on the product lines, visit www.mobiustrimmer.com and www.thetriminator.com. 

The culture of the cannabis industry is filled with passion that many envy, and for valid reasons. The roots of the cannabis plant go back thousands of years. As of this writing, there are no documented human deaths that were caused by a phytocannabinoid overdose. However, it is not all rainbows and unicorns.

Before breaking ground, fundraising, proper facility design, competitive application and permitting requirements are just the start. Once operating, businesses struggle to stay current with regulations that continue to evolve. Cannabis cultivators struggle to scale while mitigating pest infestations, which is a part of life in the conventional agricultural industry. A lack of consistent products frustrates consumers, while regulators and policy makers continue to struggle on the best way to regulate a commodity that has seemingly endless demand. The reality is dizzying!

However, amidst all of the challenges and opportunities, a continually overlooked tool stands out: a Quality Management System (QMS). Merriam-Webster defines a system as “an organized set of doctrines, ideas, or principles usually intended to explain the arrangement or working of a systematic whole.”

A QMS documents processes, procedures and responsibilities that ultimately direct an organization’s activities to meet customer and regulatory requirements as well as continually improve its effectiveness and efficiency. In other words – it steers innovation through the collection of data while ensuring products are safe for the consumer. For further reading, the American Society for Quality (ASQ), now over 70 years old, is an excellent resource and provider of resources and formal training programs that are recognized and revered around the world.

Step 1: Define your stakeholder requirements

This all starts with knowing your stakeholder (e.g., customer, regulatory body) requirements. For simplicity’s sake, let’s start with your customer; at a fundamental level, they expect safe, consistent and reliable products that impart a certain experience.

How does that translate into specifications? Let’s look at them one at a time.

What does “safe” mean? For an edible, safe means the product is free of physical, chemical and microbial hazards. Knowing what potential impurities could be in your product requires understanding your raw materials (inputs) and the manufacturing process. To take a deeper dive, some of the aspects of safety and quality, product specifications and testing considerations are discussed in this recent Cannabis Industry Journal article by Dr. Roggen and Mr. Skrinskas here.

What does “consistent” mean? This builds off and complements the safety profile. It could mean a consistent fill level, an acceptable range of cannabinoid concentration, and so on. For example, in the US Pharmacopeia’s peer-reviewed article about quality attributes of cannabis inflorescence (commonly known as flower or bud), they recommend 20% as the acceptable variance in cannabinoid content. For a product labeled as having 25% THC, the product will actually test to between 20% and 30%. This may be surprising, and discomforting for some, but the reality is that products on the market consistently fail to meet label claims.

What does “reliable” mean? That could mean that you always have inventory of certain products on the shelves at your dispensary. Defining “always” as a SMART goal – perhaps it means that you will have your top 3 products in stock at least 90% of the time. Customers need to feel like they can rely on your business to provide them with the products they want. Take the time to capture the data on what your customers want and work to satisfy their needs and you’ll watch your business really accelerate.

Step 2: Build your processes to meet these expectations

This is where your written standard operating procedures (SOPs), forms and records come into play. Your SOPs serve to memorialize your operations for consistency. Most SOPs in the cannabis industry are not written by the actual operators of a process. Rather, they are written by the legal and compliance team without review by the operators to confirm that what they are stating reflects operational reality. The audience needs to be the operators. Without effective SOPs that are utilized by your employees, your business will struggle to meet the established specifications. Cannabis businesses in Colorado, the oldest regulated adult-use cannabis market in the United States, continue to see 1 in 8 of their products fail final product testing! Cannabis businesses that understand their processes, document them in SOPs and have records to prove they follow their SOPs (see Step 3) are able to reduce errors that ultimately lead to costly rework and product failures.

Step 3: Monitor and improve

You have your requirements, you have your process, but how do you know that they are being adhered to? By the time you have results from a third-party lab, it’s too late. Look internally. Records and logs that show preventive maintenance was performed, room and canopy temperature and humidity checks, inventory reports, production records, extraction equipment report and employee training records shouldn’t be filled out only to be filed away. These records are data, which is your most valuable tool. Unfortunately, records are one of the most overlooked assets in today’s cannabis business. A team independent from operations (typically a Quality Unit) should be regularly reviewing these for inconsistencies and trends that can alert you to catastrophic failures before they occur.

Initially, the additional expenditure and learning curve may make this seem like an added burden, but keep in mind that succeeding in today’s cannabis industry requires long-term customer retention. By biting off one piece at a time, you can slowly implement a QMS that will improve your business, increase customer satisfaction, and ensure your brand is a staple for years to come. Remember, quality and compliance is a journey, not a “set it and forget it” situation.

The definition of a Quality Management System includes ‘continuous improvement’. Look forward to a future article which will discuss the importance of tools like a CAPA Program – Corrective Action Preventive Action (which all cannabis license holders in Colorado are required to have in place as of January 1, 2021) and how they complete your QMS, keeping you compliant and mitigating your business risks!

Many might expect that the wine industry shares similarities with the cannabis market, from the strict regulations to brand development strategies, but few might think to compare cannabis with window treatments.

However, according to Allison Siegel, the former president of Next Day Blinds and a former information technology and marketing executive for Total Wine & More, both roles provided valuable experience and expertise that will serve her well in her new position as chief operating officer for CULTA, a Maryland-based, vertically integrated cannabis operator.

RELATED: How CULTA’s Jay Bouton Works: Cannabis Workspace

At Next Day Blinds, Siegel grew accustomed to owning the customer experience from manufacturing to sale to installation, which is not unlike overseeing the cultivation, manufacturing and sale of medical cannabis products. And, she adds, the cannabis industry is growing rapidly like the wine industry once was, which makes Siegel excited to lend her talents to another quickly evolving market. 

Here, Siegel shares more about her professional background, how her experience guides her perspective of the cannabis market and her overall goals for CULTA as the company continues to grow in Maryland.

Melissa Schiller: Can you describe your background and previous experience with Next Day Blinds? What did your previous role entail?

Photo courtesy of CULTA

Allison Siegel: Most recently, I was president of Next Day Blinds, a Maryland-based, vertically integrated, direct-to-consumer business with 400-plus employees. I ran the day-to-day business until I led the company through a strategic sale to a national competitor. Prior to president, I was chief revenue officer, responsible for sales and marketing. While at Next Day Blinds, my team significantly improved top- and bottom-line financial results and we had a fun time doing it! We implemented a full technology replacement, upgrading our systems while enabling a thorough omni-channel experience for our customer. We also increased our gross margin through our manufacturing plant while increasing customer satisfaction. We did all of this while improving employee engagement scores, too.

Prior to Next Day Blinds, I worked for Total Wine & More for 10 years. I built and ran the IT Applications & Business Process teams for Total Wine for many years, and then spent my final three years there building a [customer relationship management] (CRM ) system, a loyalty program and a consumer insights group within the marketing team. 

I also worked for a number of years at Anderson Consulting (now Accenture), mainly focusing on strategy and technology implementation of product-based companies. 

I studied industrial and operations engineering at University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Go Blue!

MS: How will your background and previous experience benefit you in your new role as CULTA’s COO?

AS: My experience at Next Day Blinds running the day-to-day operations will help me both understand and implement the process, people and technology needs to effectively run the operations at CULTA. Even though the product is very different, Next Day Blinds was a vertically integrated company, owning the customer experience from sale to manufacturing to installation. That experience will help me here at CULTA as we are a seed-to-sale vertically integrated operator.

The focus of customer experience at Next Day Blinds is also something that mirrors the CULTA business. We at CULTA believe the customer experience always needs to come first, focusing on a quality product and always being transparent with our customer. In addition, my years of experience in retail will help me support our growing dispensary business.

Wine has a lot of similarities to cannabis, especially around the intense regulation, taxing and brand development areas. In addition, the extreme growth I was part of at Total Wine & More closely mirrors CULTA’s growth. Managing and keeping up in a growth culture isn’t for the faint of heart. I have already experienced it and loved it at Total Wine & More. I am excited that I get to be part this similar explosive trajectory at CULTA. 

MS: What attracted you to the cannabis space, and to CULTA specifically?

AS: My path into this space was not a traditional one. While exploring what I wanted to take on after the sale of Next Day Blinds, I met one of the members of our board of directors. We met (in his backyard due to COVID restrictions) and spoke a lot about the challenges that go along with the excitement of operating growing businesses, as well as the lack of business (non-government) leaders in the Baltimore-Washington, D.C. area. At some point in the conversation, he asked me if I would be interested in consulting for a cannabis company in the area. After speaking with Mackie Barch, CEO of CULTA, as well as one of the other directors on our board, they quickly won me over with CULTA’s story, growth and vision. I agreed to consult with them for a few months. 

Once I was consulting, I got a tour of the CULTA Cambridge campus and realized, this is a real business. What made me decide to come on board full time was three-fold:

1. I have never seen a company where the employees are so proud, happy and fulfilled.  If you walk into any space occupied by CULTA employees, you can feel them living and breathing the CULTA culture. They have a sense that they not only are part of the culture, but that they were part of defining and building it. And they take the role of preserving that culture very seriously. 

2. I am inspired by people who are the best at what they do. People who you always feel are at the top of their game and, even then, they continue to evolve, learn and grow. This is one of the things that drew me to CULTA. We have the best people, those that are true experts in their field, and they are open to new ideas and always ready to learn.

3. I can help. My expertise, background and passion are areas where there was an obvious hole that was created as the company went from start-up to growth mode.

MS: What is exciting to you about Maryland’s medical cannabis market in particular, and CULTA’s operations in the state?

AS: There is so much exciting about the U.S. cannabis industry, and Maryland is just a microcosm of that excitement. It’s an incredible opportunity for me to drive growth at CULTA, while also help to normalize cannabis, both medicinally and politically. 

I am a Maryland girl at heart. I grew up in Baltimore and currently live in Rockville, Md. It is exciting for me to be part of the change in Maryland around [the] acceptance of cannabis as a mainstream medical treatment. The community here has made huge strides from where we were just a few years ago.

CULTA has had a positive impact on Cambridge, Md., where we are located. Our operation has brought new jobs to Cambridge and we are so happy to be able to make a difference in this community.

Our dispensary business is continuing to evolve, as well. While we already have a loyal following, we are continuing to invest in the dispensary business and the team. We will continue to ensure we are able to service our patients with the best products, most knowledgeable budtenders, and a clean and enjoyable dispensary experience. 

MS: CULTA seems to be in the middle of a growth spurt, with a new headquarters and additional new hires, such as Vice President of Retail Sales Jonathan Lassiter. How do you plan to help support this growth in your new role, and where do you see the company headed over the course of this year?

AS: A growth spurt would be putting it lightly. This company is still in its infancy, yet it is growing leaps and bounds month over month. This company went from start-up to growth mode over an 18-month period. The board of directors and the current management team have recognized that in order to continue [the] amazing growth, additional talent is needed to complement the current players. 

In my role, I am going to help drive the growth using more mature methods than are used during a company’s start-up phase. Over the course of this year, we will embark on a number of projects that will take this company to the next level. Through CULTA’s growth in 2020, the current team proved that CULTA was able to keep the products’ quality high while increasing supply. We now need to continue to dial in our production while implementing our plan for continued growth. 

When you are in a growing, immature market, everything looks like blue waters. We need to ensure we have a strong plan for our growth, focus on the blue waters that we can own at CULTA and be able to pivot when we try something and fail. I am here to help support and drive those efforts and ensure our team members all feel engaged and fulfilled.

MS: What are some of your other shorter- and longer-term goals in your new role with CULTA?

AS: Short term, I need to spend a lot of time learning about the cannabis space—both what we are doing at CULTA and what the rest of the country is doing, especially in the more mature markets. I am also very cognizant that I need to be a steward of our culture. We need to keep the quality of our culture and our product at the forefront of all of our decisions, even as we grow. While the bottom line of a business is important, we can’t let short-term financial goals erode the long term, which would happen if we don’t ensure our culture and quality stay No. 1. I also have a short-term goal to start to understand the political and social landscape as it pertains to cannabis. This goes hand in hand with this industry and I need to educate myself in these areas.  

Longer term, my goal is to make this the best, most admired cannabis company in Maryland. At Next Day Blinds, I helped transform it into a top-tier brand in the Mid-Atlantic. I’m excited to contribute to CULTA’s similar growth. Luckily, all of the foundation is already in place here—I just have to build on top of it.

Editor’s Note: This interview has been edited for style, length and clarity.