Prioritizing Sustainability in Cannabis Growth
BY TUCKER HARRIS
In late October, Lone Peak Cannabis Co. Owner Charlie Gaillard walks through rows of healthy cannabis plants at Collective Elevation’s grow facility outside of Bozeman. He stops to gaze at the forming flower buds inside the large, sun-filled greenhouse.
Adam Arnold, co-owner of Collective Elevation, leads the way, explaining the process of overseeing their state-of-the-art facility and living soil growing processes over the roar of fans and the buzz of LED light fixtures, all hard at work perfectly maintaining the temperature, humidity and sunlight needed for his flowers to grow.
Collective Elevation is Montana’s largest living soil cannabis grow facility and uses top-tier technology alongside classic and natural growing methods. LPC, Big Sky’s local cannabis provider, partners with brands like Collective Elective because they believe in their mission, strategy and methods.
“The effects of cannabis grown in a sustainable, organic way is two-fold: better for the environment and better for the consumer, period,” Gaillard says. “That’s our goal: supply the consumer with the best products available and the rest will take care of itself.”
LPC got its start back in 2010 as a medicinal cannabis company.
“I really looked at it as an adventure of coming to Montana, in addition to an exciting new venture of doing something I really love to do, which is grow marijuana,” he says. “It was an opportunity I could not pass up.”
Starting as a medical-only company is what prompted LPC to get into living soil and try to grow the plant in an all-natural environment. For Gaillard, sustainable growing practices are key.
Using living soil and sunlight means developing a com- plete bio-integration. Collective Elevation cultivates massive colonies of microbes, worms and beneficial insects along with cover crops like native clover, marigolds, onions and other herbs.
“The alternative, these bottle nutes that people use, it produces a fine product, but it’s not as good as plants grown in living soil,” he says. “The best medicine comes from the plant producing its compounds through a natural selective method.”
Almost 14 years later, LPC, under the leadership of Gaillard, has expanded from the small ski town of Big Sky to three additional locations in Bozeman, Ennis and West Yellowstone.
Now, LPC’s goal is to establish itself as a top cannabis company in the industry by carrying vendors whose products focus on organic and sustainable growing practices. Gaillard wants his consumers to have the absolute best selection of products all in one place, he says.
“We’re still going to produce our brand of marijuana, but we’re very much interested in carrying folks like Collective Elevation.” Gaillard says. “We’re constantly searching the marketplace to find companies that are focused on living soil and focused on growing the best plant you can find.”
Today LPC has strong relation- ships with the top growers and sup- pliers of edibles in the state, carrying vendor products from: MT Kush, Collective Elevation, Sacred Sun, In the Trees, Silverleaf, Triggers Relief, Cold Smoke Organics, Groove Solventless, High Road Edibles, WANA, The Clear, Sinful Beverages, Huckleberry Farms and Dancing Goat Gardens.
Gaillard looks to continue to develop relationships with these vendors as well as personally seek out additional partners who are focused on the environment and producing the best possible product. He believes this selective partnership choice is one of the main factors that sets LPC apart from competition.
“It’s our commitment to provide the consumer with a truly all-natural, organic product, from the flower grown in living soil to the edibles made with a full-spectrum oil,” he says. “In my opinion, the effect the consumer gets is superior, more complex and an overall better feeling than any other products on the market.”
Gaillard’s adventure to Montana back in 2010 has enabled him to continue cultivating his passion in the cannabis industry. He respects the work others in the industry are doing to create top-of-the line products that he can share with his customers.
“LPC is now a company that has established itself as one of the go-to companies in the cannabis industry,” he says. “We supply the best products from the top producers of organic products in the state.”
Browse and order online LPC’s selection of organic, sustainable and top-of-the line products at lonepeakcannabiscompany.com.
Tucker Harris is the marketing and events coordinator at Outlaw Partners and assistant editor for Mountain Outlaw magazine.
