As legalization continues to spread across the U.S., investment in grow facilities to meet consumer demand in both new and maturing markets is likely to continue at a steady pace well into the future.
The company got its start after Ben Arnet and Brett Stevens, now Fohse president and CEO, respectively, suffered the loss of a cannabis crop valued at $750,000 at a cultivation operation they had invested in together.
Around the same time, Arnet and Stevens were approached by longtime friend Alex Gerard, a bioengineer from a family steeped in horticulture, who had developed an advanced and efficient LED grow light.
“There’s nothing else you can possibly do to make a more powerful, efficient LED fixture for horticultural use in the market,” Arnet tells Cannabis Now.
Arnet says that when early iterations of LED grow lights first caught the attention of cannabis cultivators, many found the high cost of the initial investment and modest yields a dealbreaker.
“We spent more money designing, manufacturing and building our fixtures, making sure that they have the highest IP ratings, warranties, outputs, performance and efficiency.
Growers implementing the Fohse A3i are able to reduce energy costs while seeing a boost in cannabinoid and terpene levels.
The Fohse A3i also has other advantages over traditional cultivation fixtures.
With the help of the Fohse team, Howard outfitted a grow room at The Grove with A3i fixtures to test the new technology.
Historically, sun-grown cannabis from California’s Emerald Triangle was considered the benchmark of quality.
“We’re going to see outdoor and greenhouse weed go more toward edibles and extracts.
The higher level of control afforded by an advanced indoor operation leads Howard to believe that the future of commercial cannabis cultivation lies in hi-tech facilities running advanced grow lights like the A3i.
“The future is with power, and I think with power comes LED, just because you don’t have that radiant heat,” he said.
Arnet says the future of indoor cannabis cultivation is a moving target, in part because commercial production has only been truly legalized in the last decade or so.
“Then it was three pounds a light, now it’s four,” Arnet said.