Ceres Collaborative will become one of the first retailers in the state that is authorized to sell recreational cannabis in Burlington, VT from their flagship location on College Street. As of September 19, 2022, Ceres Collaborative has been approved by both the State and the City of Burlington to begin to sell adult-use cannabis. Ceres was the first entity to receive both the state and local city permit.
There was a lot of preparation and planning to get to this point, and Rimol was happy to be a part of this success. We met with Jason Mielcarek to get his feedback on the project. Jason is the head cultivator for Ceres Collaborative1. Jason manages their large indoor growing facility as well as the two new 30’ x 96’ Nor’easter greenhouses.
Ceres originally reached out to Rimol Greenhouse in early 2022 as they were planning to enter the adult-use recreational cannabis market. Ceres entertained purchasing a few different greenhouses, however they ultimately settled on the Nor’easter greenhouse after meeting with their civil engineer.
The Nor’easter was selected for several reasons: due to the site topography, construction timeframe, and ability to meet International Building Code loads. The two Nor’easters at Ceres Collaborative are on 2’ spacing, which is unique for a greenhouse in the Northeast (typical spacing is 4’). With bows at 2’ spacing and with additional diagonal bracing, these two structures meet the snow load requirements.
When asked why CERES Med chose Rimol Greenhouse Systems over other greenhouse manufacturers, Jason said “We were not impressed with national greenhouse companies understanding and solutions for managing the harsh weather conditions of the Northeast”. In addition, Ceres knew that these greenhouses were going to be inspected and would require Stamped Engineered Plans to be fully permitted through the State of Vermont. He also stated that having a local sales representative with access to greenhouse installers made the decision a “no-brainer.” “Mike (Bisogno) was instrumental in helping us with the installation” added Jason.
Jason also explains that the greenhouses were a cost affordable way to double their existing cultivation space, so that they were ready to capitalize on the opportunities that the legal, recreational cannabis market would provide. In addition to being cost effective, the greenhouse helps the plants develop a terpene profile that is only possible via natural sunlight. It has been speculated that the Vermont consumers prefer cannabis with a well-rounded flavor profile. The two Nor’easter greenhouses are set up with heat, light, ventilation, and CO2 generation so that Ceres can cultivate cannabis in Vermont year-round.