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The District of Muskoka is known for more than just the natural beauty of its crystal-clear lakes, sprawling forests and serene sunsets. The region — located about 2 hours north of Toronto — is also famous for craftsmanship, creativity, and a tight-knit but welcoming community. From hand-made wooden boats to the inspiring paintings from the Group of Seven, all of Muskoka’s treasures reflect a sense of pride, quality, and attention to detail from the people who produce them.
It’s this mentality that drew Muskoka Grown Ltd., an ACMPR licensed producer, to the region. According to Founder and CEO David Grand, creating a community-focused, premium craft cannabis company has been his vision since day one.
“We wanted to create something special here in the Muskoka region, not just by producing a hand-crafted, quality product, but also by supporting the local economy and community as a whole,” he says.
The benefits of small-batch growing
Craftsmanship is a prevalent theme in the company’s small-batch approach to cannabis production. Guided by the highest standards and best practices of cultivation and care, Muskoka Grown’s small-batch craft growing refers to the process of growing a crop of cannabis in a smaller, controlled grow room that is tended to by a Master Grower.
“For Muskoka Grown, craftsmanship drives everything we do, from the purpose-built production facility with state-of-the-art features, to the actual growing and tending of the plants themselves,” says Grand.
With the indoor production facility spanning over 65,000 square feet, Muskoka Grown has 21 automated hydroponic cultivation rooms designed to produce multiple strain profiles, tended to indifferent growing conditions over the same period of time. The company is devoted to cultivating and producing cannabis following Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards, using the cleanest methods, materials and production processes. Muskoka Grown’s finite environmental control systems and small-batch grow rooms ensure every plant can grow to its full genetic potential.
“Our sophisticated systems play an active role in our cultivation practice, allowing us to track and monitor multiple data points to ensure we can maximize the genetic potential of each plant,” explains Nick Anderson, Muskoka Grown’s Vice President of Operations.“Once we’re able to achieve the maximum genetic potential of each plant, we can use those data points and our controlled rooms to reproduce the same outcome time and time again.”
Cultivated with care, the plants thrive in a pesticide-free environment and are fed nutrient profiles based on their individual strains. They are constantly monitored and carefully tended to, from the planting to drying to trimming process.
Supporting the local community
In rural communities where farming and manufacturing used to thrive, Muskoka Grown — and the broader cannabis industry in general — offers hope and optimism for sustained job creation and economic development.
“We’ve been working closely with key individuals within the Muskoka region, and are committed to continue improving the economic and social well-being of the region as a whole,” says Grand. “This includes creating jobs, building infrastructure, working with local trades, corporate social responsibility community initiatives, and more.”
Grand — whose own Muskoka roots date back to the 1860s — credits the local community with helping him get his company off the ground. “The amount of support we’ve received from local politicians, investors, and trades has made this feel like a real community initiative,” he says.
In fact, Grand has pledged to hire contractors, trades, and craftspeople from the District of Muskoka as much as possible. “We’re very fortunate that the Muskoka District offers the talented,valuable people that we rely on, and will continue to rely on, to grow MuskokaGrown,” he says.
“Amidst the beautiful lakes and striking green pine trees that make this place unique, we want to continue growing something special — and we don’t just mean cannabis.”
Anne Papmehl
