You may be familiar with the name, but Kaprikorn’s new flower facility is set to impress even the most seasoned growers and weed aficionados. Even if you weren’t already aware of their trustworthy clone facility, their award-winning flower is quickly making waves across the state.
Tucked away in southwest Eugene, everything in their facility (roughly the size of an entire city block) has been planned with the utmost intention and attention to detail. It’s evident upon entry that this team has dedicated the necessary time, patience and immense experience to create one of the most methodic grows we’ve ever seen. Owner Kahlil Niemeyer gave us a tour of the entire facility – from the dehumidified attic space down to the unused storage areas – offering consumers a glimpse of what they can anticipate in the months and years to come.
The crew at Kaprikorn originally built a name for themselves in 2017 selling high quality, dependable clones – primarily sourced directly from breeders and cultivated themselves – to recreational Cannabis farmers throughout Oregon. The crew has seen hundreds of grows, clocked tens of thousands of hours, and had their hands on hundreds of thousands of plants during their many years in the Oregon Cannabis space. Using their immense knowledge and vast experience, it was finally time to show the other farms the true potential their clones and flower could offer. Working with other grows is how Kahlil met Johnny, the head grower, and after watching him turn a grow around in just three weeks, he knew he had to have his expertise in their garden. From Colorado to Oregon, Johnny’s 25-plus years of Cannabis cultivation experience was the obvious match for this new venture.
They acquired the keys to the new indoor facility in March 2021 and immediately began building their new teams and collective dreams. Together, they finally got the first flower room operational in April 2022, harvested that July, and became fully staffed just months later.
The main facility is split between two floors: The first floor consists of two flower rooms, two drying rooms and multiple office spaces, while upstairs the post-production team cares for each plant with dedication and intention – using first-rate equipment to process the flower or to prep for extraction. “Everything our flower touches should be food-grade quality,” says Kahlil, and rightfully so. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is a prodigious part of their regimen. They’re so serious about it that we had to stand in a cleaning chamber before we could enter the hallway to the flower rooms.
As we walked through the site, we could feel the general air of comfort that complements the meticulous attention to detail. In the open, windowed trim room the crew remained professionally focused on the project at hand. But a small joke from someone quickly filled the room with giggles and a sense of commonplace camaraderie. Johnny and fellow grower Travis were constantly smiling and laughing as they showed us the most mature of the four flowering rooms, and it was immediately obvious to see the special relationship they maintain with the plants. They listen to each individual one, taking the time to dial in the little details at this beautiful home to 40 strains (currently) in the flowering stage.
Each 2,000-square-foot flower room has five rolling benches with two strains per bench – totaling 10 strains per room. They use seven-gallon tall pots, four-wide in each row, and fill them with Organic Matters soil. Since every cultivar uptakes nutrients and water differently, they mix their own organic amendments to optimize the growth of each cultivar. Upstairs, each room is climate-controlled to perfectly cure and store the flower, with each batch and cultivar organized with diligence and care. You won’t find anything older than what they would personally smoke themselves.
It’s easy to see why Kaprikorn won the Oregon Grower’s Cup within the first few months of becoming operational. Their combined knowledge, decades of experience, clean plant sourcing and natural ability to speak with the plants means they’re bound to win more awards in the future. They even pay full benefits to their employees – including dental, vision and out-of-pocket costs like copays. Take note, Oregonians, this farm is coming to the market hot and ready to challenge the long-reigning top shelf contenders.
