Founders’ Letter: New Year, New Plants, and New Partners
Greenhouse has just turned five. (!) As we enter our second half-decade, we first want to thank you for your support. When we launched Greenhouse back in January 2014, our juice’s shelf life was limited. Our company’s shelf life could have been limited, too. That we’re still here today is entirely thanks to your belief in us, and in our vision of making healthy and sustainable the new normal.
It’s thanks to you that, with last year’s launch of Light Filtration and Greenhouse 2.0, we went from selling almost exclusively from our own stores in Toronto to being featured in hundreds of retail partner locations across Ontario and Quebec. And at a time when most prices are going up, ours have gone down. While it’s not quite “mission accomplished,” we’re getting closer.
We also want to share some exciting news with you. Your friendly neighbourhood juice company, age five, is dreaming big.
As a Canadian plant-based wellness company, and given the accidental appropriateness of the name Greenhouse, one question that we have fielded once or twice (a day) since October 17th is, “Are you guys getting into cannabis?” The answer is yes. But before you ask that crucial follow-up — no, officer, Greenhouse products will not be getting anyone high.
Back in 2014, Anthony came to Hana and me (Emma) one day with laughter in his eyes and his hand over his laptop screen.
“You’ll never guess which plant has some of the highest anti-inflammatory potential,” he challenged.
“Cannabis,” he told us, toggling to the article he’d just been reading. “The raw leaves are incredibly nutrient-dense, and without heat they won’t get you high. Can you imagine—?”
We did, for a second, imagine what it would be like to experiment with producing a non-psychoactive cannabis beverage. And then we dismissed it as a terrible idea. In 2014, telling someone that you were interested in juicing cannabis “for the anti-inflammatory properties” would have been like saying you eat Sour Keys for the vitamin C.
Four years later, “CBD gummies” reached No. 3 on Google’s list of most popular search terms, according to Forbes.
With the legalization of cannabis in Canada and an increasing number of countries around the world, the wide-ranging utility of a plant whose health-giving properties have long been overshadowed by its flashier, psychotropic ones is finally being explored.
Cannabidiol (CBD), a non-psychoactive compound found in the cannabis plant, is one of the most exciting areas of study, with research pointing to a host of potential benefits. While we always proceed toward any trend with a healthy dose of skepticism, we believe the wellness potential of CBD and other non-psychoactive compounds from the cannabis plant to be enormous. True to our commitments to innovation and continuous improvement, in anticipation of Canada’s expected legalization of cannabinoid edibles (and drinkables) toward the end of 2019, we will be taking a research-supported approach to developing a line of products that belong to this new era in plant-based wellness.
For some time now, Greenhouse has been looking for the right strategic partner. By “right” we mean a partner who shares our values, and wants to see us grow and improve while staying true to who we are. By “strategic” we mean a partner with whom a mutually beneficial relationship can be formed where the sum will be greater than its parts. We are delighted to announce that after a multi-year search, we have found what we’re looking for. Greenhouse is thrilled to be partnering with Canopy Rivers a tributary of Canopy Growth Corporation, Canada’s (and quite possibly the world’s) most forward-thinking cannabis company.
This partnership will support not only our foray into the health and wellness potential of CBD, but our national expansion plans, and our overall growth as a Canadian beverage company seeking to offer healthier, more sustainable alternatives to the status quo.
Here’s to a healthy, happy 2019!
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