National Post

WhyMaryism­uchmoretha­nyour garden-variety cannabis-growing technology

- DENISE DEVEAU

In 2017, Frank Qin was playing around with the notion of designing self-irrigating flowerpots as a birthday gift for a friend. That project literally planted the seeds for a much bigger idea: a designfrie­ndly, automated indoor garden system for growing cannabis in the home.

“With all the articles on legalizati­on of cannabis, I thought maybe this could be the perfect market for the concept,” says Qin, the founder and CEO of Mary Agrotechno­logies Inc. in Toronto.

While there were a handful of other systems on the market, they were very expensive and unappealin­g in design, looking much like old refrigerat­or cabinets from the 1990s.

That was typical of the pre-legalizati­on mentality, Qin says. “The thinking was it doesn’t matter how it looks because you will be hiding it in a closet or garage,” he adds. “In taking a designfrie­ndly approach, we felt we could help remove the stigma around home-growing and encourage people to move the plants out of their basements and incorporat­e them into their daily lives.”

The triangular Mary system stands about 1.3 metres ( just over four feet) tall and is 45 centimetre­s (about 17 inches) wide. Its surface is almost entirely comprised of electrochr­omic glass that can transition from clear to opaque to optimize growing conditions at different times of day. Mary also features multi-directiona­l LED lighting and a wide range of sensors to monitor growing conditions that can be accessed and controlled from a mobile app.

The enclosure also tackles some important challenges that growing cannabis indoors can bring, Qin notes. One is odour. “That can be a big deal, particular­ly with condo boards,” he says, “because the smell can be quite potent during growth.”

If not grown properly, cannabis can also develop spider mites or mould that can damage walls, he adds. “Mould and moisture were among the biggest obstacles for mainstream consumers — so much so that there was a lot of resistance to growing at home from real estate associatio­ns who were concerned about damage to homes.”

The Mary system mitigates those potential issues with an advanced air-filtering system that has a replaceabl­e carbon filter. “The filtration system has been engineered to run more efficientl­y and eliminate those problems,” Qin explains.

The concept has quickly caught on with early investors. When the company launched its initial crowdfundi­ng campaign on Indiegogo in April, it reached its target in 36 hours. That provided the resources needed to start production following a year of design and prototypin­g work. “With every iteration during that time, the design became more solid, and the features and performanc­e got better,” Qin says.

Currently, the company is in the process of fulfilling its first batch of orders for its investor list, and Qin expects the units to roll out by December of this year. Mary has also been building a waiting list of potential purchasers who will be eligible for units in early 2019, at a special price of US$499.

“Once we finalize tooling in China and know the shipping timelines — which we expect to happen in October — we can start taking new orders,” Qin says.

The company has its production strategy well in hand, as Qin has establishe­d solid relationsh­ips with advanced manufactur­ing partners in China. “Other companies have struggled to deliver really good commercial enclosures in a timely way,” he says. “In fact, some are taking up to two years. We have deals with manufactur­ing operations to get our product to market faster, at about one-half the cost to the consumer.”

Mary is currently focusing on the Canadian market, looking eventually to establish sub-assembly operations here, says David Byer, marketing director.

“The first round will be wholly assembled in China, but we could ship units for assembly here to cut down any lag time,” Byer says. “We want as much Canadian involvemen­t in production as we can because we believe in tending our own garden, so to speak. When the time comes to expand outside of Canada, we will be heavily concentrat­ing on cannabis-legal states such as California.”

Next year, Mary might gain considerab­le traction as it ramps up manufactur­ing and continues to improve on the current model in terms of software, before considerin­g additional models for the product line. It will also be time to pursue its second round of financing.

“We have to know that it is perfect before we start our next funding round,” Byer says. “We first want to make sure that our initial batch is delivered on time and that the quality is top-notch. The key will be proving to investors what we have accomplish­ed with our design and manufactur­ing in the flesh.”

 ?? SUPPLIED ?? Mary Agrotechno­logies’ automated indoor growing system need not be hidden away.
SUPPLIED Mary Agrotechno­logies’ automated indoor growing system need not be hidden away.

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