Hawaii Company Ready to Grow Marijuana “Within the Next Several Months”

Hawaiian Ethos is one of two licensed companies on Hawaii Island to grow marijuana. The company hopes to have its cultivation site operating this year.

COO of Hawaiian Ethos Zachary Taffany said, “Everyone involved in this project has a personal story of someone who was suffering and who they saw positively impacted by medical cannabis. That influenced their attitude towards the plant as medicine. It connects everyone on the team, with compassion as the driving factor.”

The lease in Lalamilo is indefinite, according to West Hawaii Today. There are 14 investors, mainly based in Waimea, backing Hawaiian Ethos.

Taffany said, “We came to a win-win agreement that’s good for us, the landowner and the community.  When the state announced they were going to accept applications for the license in 2015, Vernon Oi, one of Hawaiian Ola’s lead investors, said, ‘This is a great opportunity. Let’s apply.’ In November, a group of four of us Hawaiian Ola executives started writing it.”

The Hawaiian Ola executives were recruited to Hawaiian Ethos. Chris Whidden oversees the cultivation and general operations. Taffany manages other areas including patients, the dispensary and the retail side of things.

Sixteen employees are working together to get the operation up and running including creating procedures for every aspect of their business. They started building their cultivation center in April.

Taffany said, “We hope to get the building finished, all appropriate authority inspections done and the building approved as compliant and ready for planting within the next several months.

Changes to Hawaii’s rules have taken place since the company was granted its license, so adapting to change takes a little time.

When their dispensary does open, Hawaiian Ethos plans to offer 20 different strains. They also plan to add 15 to 20 more employees to its workforce.

Regarding product quality, Taffany said, “It will be high-quality, state-tested, safety-guaranteed product at a fair market rate.”