7ACRES celebrates growth, success and Legalization Day

It was a cold, windy day as the cannabis production company, 7ACRES, and its hundreds of employees marked the first anniversary of Legalization Day in Canada, Thursday (Oct. 17).

Nestled in the location of the former greenhouses in the Bruce Energy Centre, northwest of Tiverton, the company, a subsidiary of The Supreme Cannabis Company, also celebrated the impressive growth and success it has experienced since it purchased the property in 2014, and first opened as a medical marijuana producer in 2016.

In three short years, it has expanded to 230,000 square feet and about 700 employees, and it's not done yet. Once construction is completed by next spring, it will encompass 440,000 square feet, with 25 grow rooms and five more for propagating, processing and secure storage.

And since legalization day last fall, it has been a wholesale producer of recreational marijuana as well as medical marijuana, selling to distributors across the country.

Not only did 7ACRES management and staff celebrate Thursday, it was also an opportunity for local media to tour the plant.

After being outfitted in uniforms, safety glasses, hairnets, safety boots and gloves, the group proceeded into an early-stage grow room, a late-stage grow room, the processing room, and secure storage, under the watchful eye of tour guide Margaux Bucher who has worked at 7ACRES for a year and two months.

The halls and rooms were busy with workers who were friendly and welcoming. Bucher said these are full-time, permanent jobs, with full benefits after a three-month probationary period. “It's a great place to work and it fills the gap between minimum-wage jobs and Bruce Power.”

There is also opportunity for career advancement, she said, through the School of Management.

Bucher said the employees wear protective gear when they are in the plant for their benefit and for that of the cannabis crops. The five values at 7ACRES include respect, community, innovation, leadership and passion.

At the north end of the building, 5,000 square feet of space is used for propagation and fertigation of the plants which are all female. Then it's into the grow room where each cannabis plant has a birth certificate and label so it can be tracked later, if required.

There are 3,000 plants in each room, all grown under controlled conditions, and clipped to ensure a consistent canopy. No pesticides are used; instead, “beneficial bugs” keep the plants clean of insects.

Sanitation is a high priority throughout the building to maintain quality control and product safety.

The cannabis grows for 16 weeks and is then harvested and placed into a drying room for two weeks. From there, it goes into the processing room, then weighed, packaged, sealed and placed into secure storage before it is shipped out.

During processing, the cannabis buds are trimmed and cleared of leaves and plant debris. The trims are saved and used for extraction of oils for other products.

Bucher said there is extensive record-keeping which is part of the licensing for the cannabis production. “We have the highest of standards when it comes to our regulator's requirements, and that's how we maintain a good relationship with Health Canada.”

With cannabis edibles soon coming on the market, she said, 7ACRES will likely see an increase in production. “It's an exciting time for this industry.”

Following the tour, the media joined shivering employees as they huddled under a huge tent for brief speeches and refreshments.

Jenny Posthumus, communications manager, welcomed everyone to Happy Legalization Day.

Lorne Lazenby, senior director of human resources, told the crowd that in 2017, 7ACRES hired 104 people. Last year, it hired 157, and this year, it hired 451, for about 700 workers at the plant.

“We have great people doing a great job,” he said. “We are the second-largest employer in Bruce County, next to Bruce Power. We can be proud of selling quality cannabis to our customers from coast-to-coast.”

General manager Ram Davloor also congratulated the hard-working staff. “More than five years ago, we bought this place and thought we might have about 200 people working by now. What amazing growth over the past year, to about 700 employees.”

He then presented to Mel Carruthers a trophy that was given to 7ACRES at the Grow Up Awards, naming the company “Craft Grower of the Year.”