Hawthorne Gardening Company

Hawthorne Gardening Company
Company typeSubsidiary of The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company
IndustryCannabis industry
Founded2014; 11 years ago (2014)
ProductsHydroponic products
BrandsGavita
General Hydroponics
Sun System
Websitehawthorne-gardening.com

Hawthorne Gardening Company, formed in October 2014,[1] is The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company's subsidiary for cannabis growers and one of the first major investments by a major United States corporation in the cannabis industry.[2]

Background

Hawthorne Gardening was created "to meet the demands of hydroponic growers (a.k.a. cannabis growers) ... [it] markets itself [to them] using language that's in line with the free-spirited, artisanal cannabis farmer."[3] The business made its first cannabis-related investment in April 2015, when it bought General Hydroponics, a 35-year old liquid nutrient maker, called by High Times "the standard for hydroponic growers".[1] After the 2015 purchase, a Hawthorne executive told the press, "the lion's share of General Hydroponics business in North America is cannabis growers".[4] Scotts' CEO decided to spin off a cannabis business after a 2013 visit to a garden store in Yakima, Washington with a large section of hydroponic equipment.[5] According to Forbes, Scotts had invested more than $250 million in the subsidiary by mid 2016.[5] In March 2018, the Hawthorne Gardening Company and The Flowr Corporation (a Canadian Licensed Producer of medical cannabis) announced an R&D partnership, building North America's first dedicated facility for cannabis research and development.[6]

References

  1. ^ a b Tom Knox (Apr 3, 2015), "Scotts Miracle-Gro jumps into the marijuana market with deal for hydroponics company", Columbus Business First, American City Business Journals
  2. ^ Alicia Wallace (May 2, 2017), "Scotts Miracle-Gro homing in on 'big vision' for hydroponics as state-legal cannabis grows", The Cannabist, The Marysville, Ohio-based Scotts has emerged as one of the biggest players in traditional business to publicly establish a foothold in the ancillary wings of the cannabis industry.
  3. ^ Audrey Livingston (October 5, 2016), "Is the Hawthorne Gardening Company a Wolf in Sheep's Clothing for the Cannabis Industry? – The Scotts Miracle-Gro family is taking everything and leaving nothing behind.", Merry Jane
  4. ^ Laura Northrup (September 22, 2016), "The Company Behind Miracle-Gro Wants To Help You Grow (Legal) Hydroponic Weed", Consumerist (blog), Consumer Reports
  5. ^ a b Dan Alexander (July 6, 2016), "Cannabis Capitalist: Scotts Miracle-Gro CEO Bets Big On Pot Growers", Forbes
  6. ^ Greenhouse Canada (March 27, 2018), "First North American facility for cannabis R&D", Greenhouse Canada

Further reading