Field Day, and their parent brand Plaid Jacket, are one of the most impressively detail oriented and high-tech cannabis grows on the i502 market that you’ve probably never heard of. We first encountered the Field Day sales team at a vendor meetup, where we were shown impressive weed that not only looked and smelled good, but smoked extremely well (you will seriously have to try their MAC.) Needless to say, we were impressed by what we saw from these dark-horse producers - impressed enough to ask for a tour of their grow. Now that we’ve been to their facilities and met with the Field Day team, I can say that they easily have one of the most sophisticated operations we’ve ever seen, and we’re beyond ecstatic to bring Field Day on as a new vendor at The Reef Capitol Hill.
We were given our tour by one of the owners, Matt, and his operations manager, Lena. Their passion and pride for what they were accomplishing was tangible, and throughout the tour, it became evident why. An impressive amount of planning and forethought went into the design of the facility and all of the systems that were running inside. The longer the tour went on, the less it felt like we were in a small start-up grow, and the more it felt like we were in a laboratory.
A Data Driven Approach to Growing Cannabis
Matt gave credit for much of the company’s success in preparing to go to market to 1. their ability to operate independently without the influence of external investors, and 2. their facility operator, who was formerly an electrical/industrial engineer and is a huge cannabis enthusiast. The clear next-level know-how of their engineer was on-display as we walked the long halls of the facility, where external electrical lines ran across the walls and ceilings for easy access to adjustments, relocation, or repair. We also were shown a hefty water cooling system that allots 150+ tons of chilled water everyday for distribution through the various gardens (while also being used as a green method of humidity control.) But before the water gets to any of the grow rooms it runs through an automated mixer that injects the exact right amount of nutrients into each of the outgoing water lines.
All of these high-tech tools are further supported by a sensor system that provides live visual analytics of not only the typical readouts you’d expect like water PPM/PH, light levels, humidity, etc. - but also soil and root structure analysis. These analysis reports are buttressed by machine learning and broken down periodically by their data analyst and head grower to establish ways to improve the growing process for even more optimal harvests. This methodical and data-driven approach to growing and decision making that Field Day takes is going to be what sets them apart from their competition as they begin to make their name more widely known in the Washington cannabis industry.
Company Culture Matters
The only thing that is possibly more impressive than Field Day’s growing practices is their approach to fostering a happy and healthy company culture. In that respect, they seem to have adopted the Silicon Valley start-up approach. The lounge opens up into the trimming room, with no walls between, allowing for full transparency between the owners and every employee, including the trimmers. Every staff member receives competitive pay, full health benefits, and a healthy work environment. All of the trimmers got to do their jobs from the comfort of high end gaming chairs, and there were not one, but TWO standing arcade machines, as well as a lounge with a VERY comfortable couch. But more so than all the tangible evidence of positive company culture, it became very clear from the people we talked to that everyone truly enjoys working there. Field Day actually believes in investing in their staff, which as a socially-conscious cannabis consumer in 2021, really makes me want to spend my money with them.
If you live in Seattle, you’ve probably never heard of them - Field Day isn’t in many stores, and none in the immediate Seattle area. But that won’t be true for long! The Reef Capitol Hill is going to be the first dispensary in Seattle to get our hands on this fantastic brand. We have a shipment coming in later this week, so keep your eyes peeled for what might end up becoming the next big top shelf staple brand in Washington.
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