Hawthorne Gardening Company
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] 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's 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]
References
- 1 2 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
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ 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
- ↑ Laura Northrup (September 22, 2016), "The Company Behind Miracle-Gro Wants To Help You Grow (Legal) Hydroponic Weed", Consumerist (blog), Consumer Reports
- 1 2 Dan Alexander (July 6, 2016), "Cannabis Capitalist: Scotts Miracle-Gro CEO Bets Big On Pot Growers", Forbes
Further reading
- Jeff Tyler (September 20, 2016), "As the marijuana business grows, is there room for the little guy?", Marketplace, American Public Media/University of Southern California