A B.C. cannabis production company that’s family owned and operated is nearing its first fall harvest.
And the amount they’re about to reap is staggering: 60,000 plants.
“It’s been a long time coming; we couldn’t be more excited,” said Speakeasy Cannabis CEO Marc Geen, noting the crop has been years in the making for federal permission.
“It took six years, nine months and three days — it was a grind.”
The grow-op is located in the Southern Interior village of Rock Creek, a two-hour drive southeast of Kelowna near the U.S. border.
The company says the outdoor grow-op is one of the largest in Canada, and is around 60 acres (24 hectares) in size. It’s also largely hidden from public view.
“We’re expecting about 150,000 pounds total,” said Geen. “And that’s the flower and finished product. So we will have a pretty good supply.”
As one of the pioneers in Canada’s budding cannabis market, Geen says security was up to them to design. There are four layers of security, not including the fence.
The Geen family has deep Okanagan roots from farming 1,000 acres of cherries in the valley.
And when it comes to crops, Geen says Rock Creek may be the best place in Canada for growing outdoor cannabis.
“Being in the area where it’s so dry, relative humidity is around 30 to 40 per cent and temperatures are still up in the 30s during the day,” said Geen.
“It’s absolutely perfect for plants to grow vigorously.”
The harvest will create 80 jobs, with more to come as they expand indoor operations in the near future.