Tropizen expands in Puerto Rico to tackle sharp increase in demand for cannabis

As cannabis use grows exponentially in Puerto Rico, companies like Tropizen are trying to keep up with the demand by investing millions of dollars in expanding their cultivation facilities. One of the main projects of the company is the construction of a new outdoor grow space, which is expected to add around 7,000 square feet (650 square meters) ready for cultivation.

The development of medicinal cannabis in Puerto Rico has been surging in the past month, adopting new users every day which has led to a sharp increase in demand for cannabis. In order to tackle this issue, the cannabis firm ‘Tropizen’ will start dealing with the shortage of cannabis on the island by increasing its crops by 400 percent in the coming months.

It is worth mentioning that the sale of medicinal cannabis products is an important part of the general demand as they represent an average of 20 percent of the market, in terms of sales to dispensaries.

Explaining their plans, Tropizen announced the successful cultivation of its first cannabis crop at its new outdoor growing facility. It will be used for the sale of cannabis to authorized dispensaries and the manufacture of cannabis-infused products.

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Tropizen will focus on production as supply fails to meet consumers’ needs

“This harvest represents an important milestone for our company as we continue to expand to meet patient demand for high-quality cannabis” said Tropizen co-founder Marni Meistrell. We grow our cannabis near the base of the El Yunque rainforest, following industry best practices as we research and test new strains that can flourish in this location”.

To that end, the company will add 7,000 square feet (650 square meters) of outdoor grow space to the 10,000 just completed before the end of this year, Meistrell said.

Tropizen’s increase in cannabis production capacity by 400 percent was accomplished with an investment of more than $ 1 million. Moreover, the new cannabis crops are made up of five of the company’s best performing strains, which will help to solidify their position of high-quality cannabis producers.

The firm alternates cultivation between five primary and five secondary strains, including ‘Brian Berry Cough’, ‘Ogiesel’ and ‘Agent Orange’, all exclusive to the company in Puerto Rico. One of the company’s priorities is to grow rare tropical strains as part of the research and development processes.

Also, the company will introduce a new product that will be more accessible in price but with the same medicinal effectiveness as the “premium” one.

Tropizen has become a key company in Puerto Rico’s cannabis sector

Tropizen became the first grower on the island to offer cannabis dispensaries individually packaged, rather than in bulk which allow them to generate higher sales volume. Also, patients get a fresher product as the packaging protects the cannabis from exposure to degrading conditions, including oxygen and moisture.

Presently, the prepackaged cannabis represents 20 percent of sales to dispensaries. Tropizen offers product consistency, exceptional plant genetics and attention to detail, according to Novacann Labs COO Christian Burgos.

“Normally we see that quality suffers when production volume increases, however, that has not been our experience with Tropizen. Also, the results of their harvest show strict compliance and consistent quality control,” explained Burgos.

The trend in the industry has been to use living soil with beneficial insects and organic processes in its cultivation facilities. An outside entomologist serves as a technical advisor and conducts weekly inspections of the plants. And most importantly, no chemical pesticides are used during the cultivation process.

Finally, Meistrell pointed out that this summer the cannabis flower has been scarce.

“Dispensaries are consistently running out of product even though our production volume has increased. It seems that we are approaching a worrying scenario where patients would have greater difficulty in obtaining their medicine, leading to an increase in prices”, he mentioned.

Experts believe the growth of patients on the island could be a determining factor in the increasing demand for cannabis but no official figures have been published this year.

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(Featured image by Ryan Ancill Shulman via Unsplash)

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