Rebel Spirit Cannabis Company
Challenge – Year-round growing environment
Solution – Five 30′ wide x 96′ long GrowSpan
Series 500 Greenhouses
Application – Cannabis production
Location – Eugene, Ore.
Rebel Spirit Cannabis Company is a Tier II recreational cannabis producer in Oregon, co-owned by Christopher Bechler and Diane Downey. Rebel Spirit came to life through years of hard work and determination, and they are among the first OLCC licensed growers of recreational cannabis.
Rebel Spirit produces top-shelf, all-natural cannabis grown in hand-crafted soil. They cultivate a wide range of strains, making their products ideal for any consumer. In December 2016, Rebel Spirit was honored to win the Oregon Growers Cup first place award for their proprietary “Rebel Berry OG.” One of the top brands in Oregon, Rebel Spirit’s products are currently stocked in over 100 dispensaries, with more dispensaries joining their distribution team each month. Since demand for their product is so great, they’ve decided to triple their output in 2017.
Once they anticipated they’d soon be receiving their OLCC license to grow, Rebel Spirit knew it was time to find the right greenhouses. They wanted the benefits of natural light along with protection from pests and the elements. Since Oregon isn’t quite warm enough to grow cannabis outdoors year-round, they knew a greenhouse was necessary to create a non-stop growing environment.
Rebel Spirit learned about Growers Supply through a catalog they received in the mail. They attended the Marijuana Business Expo in the fall of 2015, where they approached Growers Supply’s Greenhouse Manager, Jon Kozlowski. With Jon’s valuable agricultural advice, Rebel Spirit placed an order for five GrowSpan Series 500 greenhouses, along with the accessories needed to make them functional.
In Rebel Spirit’s first season of production, the GrowSpan greenhouses provided invaluable protection for their fragile plants from high winds and rain in their area. “Many cannabis farmers in Oregon lost large portions of their crop to the unseasonably heavy rains we experienced in October 2016. Because our crops were protected by the greenhouses, we didn’t lose anything. Our farm actually benefited from the harsh weather, because it caused a shortage of supply in the market, which kept the prices of our products higher,” Downey explained.
The weather in Oregon was Rebel Spirit’s biggest challenge in the first year. Because of their chilly winters, Rebel Spirit needed to build a year-round growing environment to keep up with market demand for their product. Heading into their second season, they have installed radiant heating in three of their greenhouses to help growing throughout the winter. Without that option, they would have had to wait until June for their first harvest. With the radiant heat, they were able to plant in their greenhouses in January, harvest their first crop in February and their second crop in April.
Rebel Spirit most appreciated that GrowSpan greenhouses are simple to customize. They were able to build out the ends of their greenhouses themselves, which saved money. Their customizations have included heating, ventilation and light deprivation systems. Rebel Spirit also enjoys the easy, natural ventilation of the roll-up/roll-down sides and the structures’ durability. The greenhouses are stable even in high winds, which makes Rebel Spirit feel confident about their structural integrity.
Rebel Spirit’s experience with Growers Supply has been extremely positive. They have recently purchased two more greenhouses for their 2017 expansion. Downey said, “Growers Supply has been responsive and easy to work with. They’ve helped us with a number of production issues, including construction, heating, and ventilation.”
For more information on Rebel Spirit Cannabis Company and their GrowSpan greenhouses, visit www.rebelspiritcannabis.com.
