Drew Greco: The Job of a Good Cultivator Is to Balance a Facility's Limitations

How he creates the best possible grow environment, his proven SOPs and the benefits of bringing technology into the grow.

Editor's Note: This episode was filmed in May 2024. Due to some technical difficulties, we thought the podcast was lost, but our producer, Alex Shanahan, was able to resurrect it. So, thank you, Alex and Drew, and we apologize for the delay.

Second Editor's Note: Download the audio version below and click here to subscribe to our newsletter.

This week, Drew Greco, founder of GreenStar Cannabis Cultivation Services and director of cultivation at Solaris Farms, joins Cannabis Equipment News to discuss how he creates the best possible grow environment, his proven SOPs and the benefits of bringing technology into the grow.

Drew Greco started in the industry in 2012, working as a trimmer at a small medical grow in Colorado. Greco, his younger brother and a pair of friends left their homes in North Carolina to find their place in the upstart cannabis industry. Greco fondly recalls his first job, with memories of sitting around a table in a barn, smoking weed and trimming. He says it was "paradise," the greatest thing he's ever experienced.

Starting at the very bottom of the industry, Greco's ascent to roles as director of cultivation and owning his own consulting firm came after years of sweat equity in an industry he loves.

Greco knew he had a green thumb from an early age. His mother was a master gardener and he has been surrounded by plants his entire life.

Jump around:

  • His cultivation mentors. (4:33)
  • Why he is drawn to large-scale cultivation. (6:14)
  • The importance of leading by example. (7:41)
  • Best practices to prevent cannabis contamination. (9:35)
  • How he remotely manages multiple facilities. (12:29)
  • The benefits of bringing technology into the grow. (15:16)
  • His top three cannabis grow facilities. (18:44)
  • His proven SOPs. (20:14)
  • The AI and automation tools he can't live without. (26:41)
  • Equipment procurement strategies. (29:33)
  • The value in attending industry tradeshows. (37:09)
  • Why collaborations breed success. (41:56)

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