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Local NJ craft cannabis micro cultivator A GrowCulture LLC CEO Tom Conchado is struggling to launch operations to get to NJ cannabis dispensary shelves.
“It’s all the same sad story for all of us,” he noted.
Conchado is a Hispanic underground legacy to legal operator from Washington Township in Gloucester County.
“I’ve refused to yield and forfeit this incredible opportunity to be part of my home state’s cannabis industry,” he declared.
Their growing operation is in South Jersey. A Grow Culture’s brand to launch their craft cannabis will be “Chado’s,” named after himself.
Conchado wants to get on shelves by early next year in early 2025.
“That will be a glorious day,” he declared.
“We’ve secured our property along with municipal approval,” Conchado noted.
“It took a battle of 2 years to get property,” he said.
Conchado noted the costly price of holding real estate afterward.
While difficult, they were able to jump over two of the largest hurdles in the process.
Tom has remained unscathed throughout this process, losing building after building to town ordinances, zoning and electrical insufficiencies.
So, ultimately, they were able to submit the conversion application to get an annual license to begin operating this past 4/20.
“We’ve had our preliminary facility design and full project budget curated through an industry-leading consulting firm,” Conchado said.
“We believe in our product. We know our talent,” Conchado declared.
A Grow Culture was among an early wave of conditional licenses approved in June 2022 by the NJ Cannabis Regulatory Commission (NJCRC).
A Grow Culture has already raised $500,000 but needs more.
“We are trying to secure the remainder of our funding in order to proceed,” Conchado noted.
So far, they have raised money from friends and family.
“We have an incredible model built, incredible talent of legacy, and industry experienced cultivators on our team, a real passionate dream, and limitless potential! We just don’t have family money or connections to make it happen,” he explained.
“Institutional money isn’t coming into cannabis start-ups,” Conchado added. “Institutional money is only there for expansion.”
Most independent cannabis companies seem to be funded through money owners already have access to, or friends and family outside the cannabis industry.
The drive to be a positive change in the industry and grow exceptional cannabis has been the fuel sustaining him in this incredibly challenging landscape.
Professionals have told Heady NJ it takes a couple of million dollars to launch a cultivation operation.
Conchado noted that most of the conditional license winners are failing to convert to be able to open, especially legal growers.
“I’m a legacy grower. I risked my life to grow this plant because I loved it,” he declared.
Conchado had prior arrests due to marijuana prohibition.
“I feel the call to be a representative of the legacy industry and keep the soul in cannabis,” he exclaimed.
“As soon as we get in the game, we’re going to make a splash,” Conchado declared.
“We’re hippies at heart,” he noted.
Conchado said A Grow Culture plans to grow on a small scale initially. They won’t have double stacked racks for example, a common industry practice to maximize space.
“We’re building everything we can ourselves,” he added.
Conchado explained he has worked in construction so have many in his family.
“It’s a lot easier to start a smaller, more affordable operation as an underground legacy operator. It saves so much money,” he said.
Conchado is a great fan of craft cannabis and Living Soil.
“Our whole excitement and appeal is doing cannabis in the right way. The end product is so far superior. It’s so smooth of a smoke,” he declared.
Conchado said the Living Soil cannabis process has been refined so A Grow Culture can maximize the size of their harvest per square foot just as much as a mass-produced hydroponic flower by large MSOs.
“It’s sustainably sourced local product,” he explained regarding Living Soil cannabis.
Conchado noted that cannabis legalization led to the exploration of how more natural techniques could be used. Living Soil cannabis has a unique smell since terpene profiles are expressed naturally when grown organically.
He said the legal mass-growing process makes cannabis flower taste worse.
“I have the opportunity to provide my fellow citizens with top quality organic, craft cannabis while operating with cutting edge organic and sustainable, eco-friendly cultivation techniques,” Conchado declared.
Most of the cannabis flower in New Jersey is grown by large MSOs, which utilize synthetic nutrients known as salts.
“Living soil is the future,” he exclaimed.
Living soil produces the finest organic cannabis while using up to 90% less water consumption of conventional hydroponic grows. It uses the processes that already exist in nature to break down organic matter into food for the plants, rather than synthetic and chemical nutrients from a bottle.
Conchado believes in growing in soil beds and replicating the processes of nature.
“The food they give is organic matter. The bacteria, the small insects, they break it down for the plants,” he said. “We never get rid of those soil beds,. They just keep getting stronger.”
Also, living soil utilizes natural and organic nutrient inputs that are sourced locally rather than harmful acquired soil shipped all over the world. It reduces waste compared to conventional hydroponic methods.
Conchado previously worked for a large corporate MSO and was very critical of their operations. But he did not want to say which large corporate MSO he worked for.
Conchado ran an Internal Pest Management department to deal with bugs and mold. He said they were focused on making money at the expense of quality products.
“The whole facility was infested with mold. They just didn’t care,” he declared.
Conchado said they would try to wash away bugs and remediate them by using microwaves to kill mold.
“We were selling it to cancer patients. I just couldn’t live with myself anymore,” he exclaimed.
Conchado noted growing hydroponically in a sterile environment leaves the door wide open to cause the problems.
“Corporate greed has kept cannabis in prohibition for decades. I had to risk my freedom just to cultivate a plant I loved and had a passion for. Now that it’s legal, I’ll be damned if I’m going to let the soul and passion get ripped out of cannabis in the name of that same corporate greed!” he exclaimed.
Conchado explained getting the corporate practice to filter out pure water for the plants wastes thousands of gallons of water every month and does not have to be that way.
He feels a call to make a stand as an underground legacy cultivator to ensure the soul of cannabis remains part of this industry, which is being overrun by what he called “assembly line weed.”
“I feel the need for our citizens to smoke cannabis as it should be. “I cannot give up,” Conchado declared.
“}]] Local NJ craft cannabis micro cultivator A GrowCulture LLC is struggling to launch operations to get to NJ cannabis dispensary shelves. Read More