"I think that the industry is going to evolve as it has been in the last little bit to where the indoor guys are going to struggle and cost of production is going to become more and more of a play. It may not on the flower side, it may not on the dry side, but I certainly think on the liquid side, when you look at our cost of production versus somebody growing indoors, I just think it’s not sustainable. Those types of changes are going to evolve.”
– Rob Jones

“Prior to the cosolvent coming on stream, we were running 24 hours a day, seven days a week. And the simple math was saying we weren’t going to get completed all the biomass we had in the barn by the end of next crop year…You’re only as fast as your slowest piece of equipment…Our young guys are just absolutely thrilled with that piece of equipment. You come to work every day and it’s pristine, it’s clean, and they treat it like it’s theirs. It’s a Rolls Royce, and they treat it like a Rolls Royce, so much appreciated.”
– Rob Jones

Rob Jones is the President of Christina Lake Cannabis, and formerly Executive VP of Business Development and Sales. Located near the American border in the intersection of two lower BC valleys, Christina Lake Cannabis is uniquely positioned to use the natural outdoor environment to grow healthy, robust cannabis plants. The “outdoor advantage” brings with it a lower cost structure and results in a natural, high-quality product which treads more lightly on the planet.

Before getting into cannabis, Rob had a professional hockey career and then gained 35 years of experience in trading agricultural commodities around the globe. When Rob relocated to Palm Springs in December 2019, he thought it would be for retirement. But a few months later, after the pandemic hit and Rob returned to Canada, an encounter on a golf course led him to sign on as a mentor for agricultural startups. Not long after that, Rob learned that a cannabis company was looking for someone to sell oil. Within the week, Rob was visiting Christina Lake Cannabis, looking across a “magical” 18 acres of pot plants. The rest is history.

In this episode, hosts Jason Laronde and James Seabrook welcome Rob to share his expertise and industry insights, including lessons to be learned from the commodities industry, the importance of COAs, and why outdoor growing represents “agriculture at its best.” A satisfied Vitalis customer, and the first recipient of the Vitalis Cosolvent Injection System, Rob also gives his honest advice to industry newcomers on capital expenditure decision-making and finding the right partner for your business.