Choose wisely, grasshopper | Highest times

The best inventions and innovations often arise out of necessity – and that is exactly what spurred the creation and development of the Grasshopper. Grasshopper co-founders Luke Daly and Jesse Bloomfield shared why they needed to develop the tool they needed – because it didn’t yet exist.

The Grasshopper is an all-in-one tool that sets a higher standard for the bulk packaging process and is designed for maximum efficiency. The Grasshopper saves time and protects the quality and integrity of the product – i.e. cannabis – during the critical phase of bulk packaging, preventing spills and reducing labor costs. This allows you to perfect the process and give your product a stronger finish – a benefit in any growing, processing and / or staging facility, small or large.

The Grasshopper comes from humble beginnings and took a few years to develop. Working in the cannabis industry is a constant learning process with unique challenges due to the patchwork of state laws. Much of the weight rests on the shoulders of processors, cultivators and pharmacy staff.

“[It] was an issue that many in the industry didn’t even know they had – the weighing, management, and packaging process, ”said Daly. “With over a decade of growing experience, it was considered a constant that each grower had their own makeshift methods of weighing, managing, and packaging the end product. [They often are also] Balancing mixing bowls, Tupperware, buckets and everything else on an undersized scale, finding ways to see how the digital reading on the scale is covered by those bowls and buckets, then awkwardly filling bags and often spilling product on the floor . ”

As you can imagine, the cannabis industry workers are great engineers when it comes to almost any type of artisan problem that occurs during production, but they needed a more permanent solution, especially when dealing in bulk flowers.

Courtesy of Grasshopper

So the two started developing their own device. First, Daly, Bloomfield, and their team constructed a stationary funnel out of wood, screws, piping, and tape. It was heavy, large, unwieldy, and had sharp edges. “It wasn’t pretty, but it made all the difference in the world when it came to putting products in the bag,” said Daly.

“It saved us a tremendous amount of time and prevented the product from spilling on the floor. For a long time we viewed our makeshift funnel as just another random tool to make our job easier, and we hadn’t imagined it would be made. “

Embrace the saying, “Work Smarter, Not Harder”. This leads to the other adage that you need the right tool to do the right job. Wrapping products with the wrong tools can cost a business a fortune, especially when it comes to large quantities.

But the hopper generated a strong response from the people who saw it in action, and Daly eventually came to realize that this is something any grower can benefit from. He decided to seek out a product development team to refine the design and work towards a product that his team could manufacture and make available to help everyone.

“We spent the first few months expanding this idea and how it could potentially be turned into a line of products,” shared the co-founders. “We broke down the process and looked at everything we could develop to make life easier. We looked at different types of buckets, scales, scale stands, shovels, bags, etc., anything and everything. After thinking about it for a while, a new thought occurred to me. How could we combine these different ideas into one unique product instead of creating a separate product line? “

This led to four major adjustments: make the bucket big enough to comfortably hold a pound of the finished product – since most growers have their own custom bags for shipping the products to pharmacies and processors in pound increments; Design a clip-on hopper lid that fits almost any type of packaging; Make the hopper lid foldable to use as a scale stand to support the bucket and easy to see the indicator; And finally, keep it lightweight, portable, easy to keep clean, comfortable, and fun.

“At this point, we started the product development process from scratch to refine this new concept,” said the duo. “We spent a lot of time looking at every detail: how the lid is attached, how the bucket rests on the funnel, dimensions / angles, handles, thumb caps, colors, logos, etc. After a few 3D printed prototypes and working through all of them of the details, the Grasshopper was ready to go into production. “

Courtesy of Grasshopper

The name seems self-explanatory. A funnel is a pyramidal or cone-shaped container that is used in industrial processes. Pour in the flower material and voilà – we present you the Grasshopper.

The Grasshopper is designed to be versatile so that the user can figure out how best to incorporate the product into their operation. The greatest inherent benefits are time savings, avoidance of spills, and reduced labor costs. In particular, the following three types of workers can benefit from it:

Cultivator – Weigh and package the product faster and without spilling. This enables them to provide standard operating procedures to the employees and / or packaging managers tasked with packaging the final product for distribution.

Processors – Weigh and manage flowers and biomass. It is useful for filling 6 “and 8” extraction columns.

Pharmacies – When cutting large quantities of flowers into smaller packaged quantities, it is helpful to transfer bulk material from the sack into the Grasshopper in order to work from it. Easily keep track of the weight and pour the rest of the product back into the bag when you’re done.

Small farmers – Weigh, manage and determine where a drying process is or determine how high the yield is. The Grasshopper comes in handy for loads of cannabis.

The Grasshopper is compatible with Bags, extraction columns and scales. These include vacuum seal (11 “and 15”), Ziploc (1 gallon and up), and turkey pouches, to name a few. It is also compatible with 6 “and 8” extraction columns. Use it with most scales as well, as long as they can handle the weight of the Grasshopper (approximately 800 grams).

The Grasshopper is made of food-safe high density polyethylene (HDPE) from the FDA. Its ergonomic thumb cap offers comfort with a textured surface for a reliable grip.

“When we first launched the Grasshopper, our vision was to help others in the industry by offering a simple solution to standardize the bulk packaging process – a durable product in an ever-evolving industry that took a simple chore out of a once cumbersome one , time-consuming task makes consuming and chaotic. “

Daly is based in Michigan and has over 10 years experience working with cannabis. Growing started as a hobby and quickly turned into a passion. “Constantly making quality products presents many unique challenges, and I have mastered many of them firsthand to gain comfort and expand to larger gardens while maintaining the same high quality standards,” said Daly. “I love helping others who share the same passion for growth as I do. I’ve helped design and set up a number of indoor gardens, installing equipment, drip systems, nutrient regimens, pest and mold repellants, etc. I am grateful for the years of working with such a beautiful plant and look forward to continuing learning, networking and growing with the industry as it evolves in the years to come. “

Before Daly entered the cannabis industry, he optimized workflows in a large factory environment. He later started his first cultivation business and produced modest yields as a carer.

Bloomfield is a Michigan native with roughly five years of experience working with cannabis as a caregiver. “I helped many successful growers before starting my own,” said Bloomfield. “It is rewarding to be able to provide patients with the high quality medical cannabis they need.” Bloomfield’s versatile, practical background prepared him to provide cultivators with the tools they need.

Before starting his own business, Bloomfield held various roles and helped develop several successful businesses. He helps both new and seasoned companies spot opportunities that would otherwise go unnoticed.

The two hope to change the world of growing, processing and selling with the increased efficiency in production processes that the Grasshopper enables. Find the Grasshopper online on the company’s website or call your local hydroponics shop to see if they stock the Grasshopper. Help get the word out by telling others how to streamline the processing and packaging process of bulk flower material.

The company plans to introduce a full line of products. Until then, the Grasshopper is a great gift idea.

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