Mother Labs Inc. – LP Spotlight
Saskatchewan Herb Producer Reinvents Itself to Become Second Nursery Licence Holder – LPC
Six years ago, Mother Labs Inc. wasn’t even a dream for owners Brian and Roberta Bain. In fact, they had just opened the first commercial vertical farm in Saskatchewan. Back then, the company was called Ecobain Gardens, producing live basil and other plants to ship across Western Canada.
The switch to Mother Labs Inc. came in November 2018 when the couple first started the Health Canada licensing process. Turns out, the growing method for cannabis is very similar to growing live herbs. And much more lucrative. Others in the industry have said that cannabis generate 10 times what vegetables can.
“Growing cannabis starting material is very similar to our basil production,” Brian Bain told Greenhouse Canada. Successfully transporting seedlings is a key part of a successful nursery business. Mother Labs Inc. has that part down too. “Cool chain management and logistics are second nature to us. We have become experts at shipping basil in cold Canadian winters – cannabis material is much less temperamental.”
The nursery will supply both commercial and at-home customers.
“Mother will be starting with a very large germplasm for genetic diversity,” he said. “We will be selling all sizes of vegetative plants for commercial and micro producers throughout western Canada.” Mother Labs Inc. will also offer “helpful” services to the cannabis industry, he said.
“Green” Techniques Built into Mother Labs Inc.’s DNA – LPC
From the start, Ecobain Gardens was a lean, green operation. Now Mother Labs Inc. will continue that tradition with LED lights and of course the vertical farming techniques that make the most use of the space available.
“Well, we run very lean already,” Brian Bain said. “We grow a very large amount in a very small space. It is easier to control limiting factors.”
The farm was also “green” with their staff, providing them with paid vacation time while the farm changed over. The farm needed new equipment, new security, new lab areas and, of course, the licensing process.
Mother Labs Inc. is now the first commercial cannabis nursery in the province, and only the second in Canada. InPlanta Biotechnology was the first LP to hold a nursery licence. Switching to cannabis was both an easy and a difficult decision.
“It is very rare to have an opportunity like this in a lifetime,” Brian Bain said. “We have the ability to capitalize and execute fairly quickly, so that helps.”
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