Pubdate: Tue, 24 May 2011 Source: Vancouver Sun (CN BC) Copyright: 2011 The Vancouver Sun Contact: http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/letters.html Website: http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/477 Author: Randy Shore, , Vancouver Sun MARIJUANA MAKES WAY FOR NEW GROW OPPORTUNITY Longtime Supplier to Pot Growers Reinvents Itself to Satisfy Demand for Legal Herbs VANCOUVER - One of B.C.'s most successful hydroponic suppliers is transitioning from building marijuana-growing equipment to servicing aficionados of an entirely different class of herbs, mainly basil and microgreens. BC Northern Lights has built and sold more than 8,000 hydroponic growing systems over its 10 years in business, products targeted to the marijuana home grower, according to junior partner Myles Omand. The new spinoff, Urban Cultivator, is targeting professional kitchens and well-moneyed consumers who want the best and the freshest herbs and greens possible. The change comes just in time for the company to launch itself into the mainstream -and the locavore zeitgeist -with an exhibit at Eat! Vancouver in June. Today, owner Tarren Wolfe will pitch Urban Cultivator to the tough-talking entrepreneurs of CBC's Dragons' Den, who may decide to invest their own money in the company's expansion if they like what they hear and see. "We are totally pumped and fully prepared," said Wolfe of the TV pitch. He and his team landed in Toronto on the weekend with cultivators and lush flats of legal herbs. If the Dragons bite, the Surrey-based firm might just be the next big thing. Wolfe and company have the colourful backstory. The Northern Lights website is all about the bud, with a staff directory of stoners and party animals. By contrast, the Urban Cultivator site is slick, hightech and full of images of clean metal commercial kitchens and upscale homes, smiling kids and moms. "We are transitioning," confirmed Omand. "We have been the leader in our industry, and no bull about it we were mainly geared toward the medicinal marijuana market, but we thought why not rebrand ourselves. "Some people have moral objections to dealing with a company like that," he said. The company's new home and commercial-scale hydroponic appliances range from seven feet tall and four feet wide to compact bar-fridge-sized units designed to fit seamlessly into a home kitchen. The Kitchen Cultivator comes as a free-standing unit topped with a butcher block, or it can be installed under the counter, hooked up to drainage, water and electricity just like a dishwasher. Urban Cultivator has formed partnerships and supply deals with a number of top hotels and restaurants including Whistler's Four Seasons, Burnaby's Pear Tree and C in Vancouver. "It's essentially a living spice rack and you don't have to worry about refrigeration or wilting," Omand said. Chefs and home cooks can cultivate basil, parsley, marjoram, chives, arugula and Asian greens. The commercial machines are built-in appliances designed to churn out fresh herbs, lettuces and microgreens. Rather than fuss with seeds and maintenance time, chefs prefer to have the Urban Cultivator team deliver growing trays preloaded with seeds. Lights, fans and watering are automated in the built-in units. Home users should expect to do 15 minutes of planting, feeding and maintenance a week to maintain a continuous supply of greens, Omand explained. While commercial units cost as much as $6,000, a Kitchen Cultivator costs $2,000 for the built-in and $2,200 for the stand-alone. The residential cultivator can produce about $1,000 worth of herbs and greens a year. "The return on investment depends on what you are growing, but the commercial unit pays for itself in about a year," Omand said. "The home unit takes about two years." BC Northern Lights hydroponic marijuana equipment pays for itself in just a few months. "But the value of the crop is much higher," he said. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard R Smith Jr.