Tropizen pumps $1M to boost manufacturing, cultivation capacity
Tropizen, a licensed local cultivator and manufacturer of medical cannabis products, announced the investment of over $1 million in a significant expansion of its cultivation facilities and production capacity.
The company also announced the successful completion of its first harvest from the expanded facilities, as it continues to operate under the coronavirus pandemic.
“As a result of the expansion of our cultivation and manufacturing facilities, Tropizen will be better equipped to meet the strong patient demand for our products,” said Tropizen co-founder Marni Meistrell. “Our goal isn’t to be the biggest grower. It’s to create innovative, world-class products that are the best in Puerto Rico.”
Tropizen has increased its cannabis flower production capability to 400% of its original capacity, the company confirmed.
The recently completed 16,000 square-foot expansion project included the construction of both indoor and outdoor cultivation capacity, as well as the addition of manufacturing space.
The current harvest stems from the new indoor facilities, while the outdoor cultivation area is projected to produce its first harvest in July 2020.
The company completes a cannabis harvest every three weeks. For each one, Tropizen will be rotating eight primary strains with six additional secondary strains, Meistrell said.
“We’re taking advantage of our newly expanded cultivation capacity to launch new strains which will allow us to continue diversifying our product offering for patients,” she announced, while adding that Tropizen continues to move forward with its aggressive product development program.
Tropizen has continued to hire employees through March and April, despite the COVID-19 pandemic. By the end of May, Meistrell expects that the company’s employee roster could be almost 30% higher.
The company continues to enforce strict COVID-19 protocols covering areas such as cleaning and employee management. For instance, while new employees have been hired to ramp-up production levels, a number of employees from other functions are now working from their homes.
In terms of the current state of the cannabis industry, Meistrell noted that producers face a series of challenges to maintain production.
“As a result of the pandemic, we now have to deal with scarce supplies, employee absenteeism, logistical delays, increased production time, and increased cost of goods,” said Meistrell. “There is also the concern that at some point we might see dispensary sales slowdown due to patients not having enough money to buy their medicine.”
Recently, cannabis e-commerce wholesale marketplace LeafLink recognized Tropizen as one of Puerto Rico’s top three cannabis brands, placing the company among “the best in the United States.”
It highlighted Tropizen’s “pilones,” (lollipops) as the island’s “most unique cannabis product” and Agent Orange as the “most popular cannabis strain.”
