Copperstate Farms is one of the largest greenhouse cannabis producers in North America, with over 1.7 million square feet of canopy and 40 acres under glass, bringing big agriculture, consumer packaged goods and pharmaceutical industries together to form a major league player.
The Farm at Snowflake in Arizona was built in 1998 as a hydroponic tomato greenhouse in what is now recognized as an ideal geography and climate for farming cannabis. Copperstate has 50 different cannabis strains currently in production, with 50 in development.
With the current boom in pre-rolls, Copperstate had an enormous challenge: keep up with a high demand.
After getting poor statistics in production, Copperstate purchased two Aura 2000 machines and a grinder.
“We struggled to find the right one because we fold our prerolls and do not twist them,” said Barb Hansen, Pre-Roll, Packaging & Inventory Manager for Copperstate. “I think the quality is as close to looking handmade as we can get.”
The Aura 2000 machines were installed in June 2021.
“We are producing at least 100,000 pre-rolls a week and our highest was 1,400 pre-rolls an hour. We also purchased the grinder and absolutely love the grinder.”
Copperstate had tried two previous grinders “but they were finicky about the moistures.”
Copperstate purchased the PSE 5, which can grind up to 40 pounds of lower an hour.
Copperstate also raved about the service and had an easy time installing the machines, despite the difference in time zones between Arizona and Israel.
“We also had really good service — especially at first,” Hansen said. “We were able to remote right into the machine and help us adjust to be strain specific. The amount of service has been amazing. We have been very happy with that. I would definitely recommend the company. I think they are awesome.”
Most importantly, Copperstate already has recorded an impact on its bottom line.
“We have seen an 8 percent reduction of labor costs,” Hansen said.