MCR Labs Is More Than a 'Dark Box'

02/05/21 • 49 min

This week, MCR Labs President Michael Kahn and Director of Business Development Jonathan Wani discuss how they protect cannabis consumers and help manufacturers improve — and protect — their businesses.

The company started in 2013 when Kahn left his role as a chemist in the pharmaceutical industry to create a public health-centered lab that provides accurate cannabis data.

Kahn wanted MCR to be more than a traditional lab, which often operate like a “dark box'' where samples come in and data goes out. For Kahn, it's not simply a transactional relationship with clients; they often help manufacturers contextualize data to gain a better understanding of what is happening in the facility.

As the industry continues to evolve and mature, the company's mission of public health has not wavered: create an environment in which fewer contaminants are found in cannabis products.

In samples, MCR finds everything from microbiological contaminants — bacteria and mold — to heavy metals and pesticides, as well as residual solvents and concentrates. What's encouraging, however, is that more products are passing through the lab, which saw a more consistent pass rate over the last three to four years.

MCR Labs is based in Framingham, Massachusetts, but recently opened its first lab outside of its home state. In January, the company began accepting and testing cannabis product samples for Pennsylvania-based medical marijuana licensees at its Allentown facility.

MCR was the first independent cannabis testing lab certified in Massachusetts, and the company says data accuracy and integrity will remain a top priority as it expands into additional markets.

The company started in 2013 when Kahn left his role as a chemist in the pharmaceutical industry to create a public health-centered lab that provides accurate cannabis data.

As the industry continues to evolve and mature, the company's mission of public health has not wavered: create an environment in which fewer contaminants are found in cannabis products.

MCR was the first independent cannabis testing lab certified in Massachusetts, and the company says data accuracy and integrity will remain a top priority as it expands into additional markets.

Previous Episode

Ozone Creates 'Lightning in a Box' to Sanitize Cannabis Facilities

This week, Sannel Patel, the senior vice president of engineering at Ozone Solutions, discusses how his company designs and manufactures custom products that use "lightning in a box" to sanitize cannabis operations.

The company started in odor remediation, primarily targeting hog farms — which have a pretty notorious scent. The company has since gone on to create more than 400 ozone generators, monitors and injection systems that eradicate viruses and bacteria while providing odor control, air treatment, surface and piping sanitation, and water purification.

Although the technology is popular overseas, primarily in Europe and Asia, it unfamiliar in the U.S.

In the cannabis industry, companies use ozone solutions to purify reused water and sanitize the water supply, which prevents bacteria or viruses from reaching the plant. It's the equivalent of feeding the plants high-quality bottled water, and the plants grow faster.

Cannabis businesses are also using ozonated gas treatments for odor remediation in grow rooms. It not only treats the smell, but it prevents any molds, viruses or bacteria from growing in the rooms.

Some companies also use ozonated chambers to treat buds, which leads to a better quality, cleaner and more pure product.

Ozone Solutions manufactures the systems on location, and each one is "tuned" to suit the operation.

Next Episode

Oil Application Products Set to Skyrocket

Hosted by David Mantey.
This week, Mike McDonald, president of Ammonite, discusses his fascinating path to the cannabis industry following careers in cycling and outdoor adventuring, as well as stint in Taiwan, where he moved after college just to learn Mandarin.

Ammonite was spun out of Jetty Extracts, one of the largest concentrates and vapes companies in California. Jetty’s product development department had created a new device they called the “Dablicator,” an oil application product designed to replace syringes and other messier, unreliable alternatives on the market.

While it was conceived as an in-house product offering, Jetty received interest from Surterra Wellness. The large multi-state operator (MSO) wanted to white label the Dablicator, and the initial order called for more units than Jetty have ever sold. As a result, McDonald established Ammonite to focus on Jetty’s hardware and intellectual property inside the cannabis and CBD markets.

The Dablicator was initially invented for a specific cancer patient who was unable to smoke or consume edibles for treatment. While its roots are in the medical side, it is an emerging category in the adult-use/recreational space. McDonald says that the oil application category is still developing, and its trajectory could lead to disruption similar to the emergence of vapes in the industry.

Instead of simply white labeling the Dablicator, Ammonite offers a turnkey program that provides filling, packaging, manufacturing, assembly and marketing advice as well. The hardware is manufactured at the company's factory in China, and the packaging is made of recycled materials by All Packaging in Colorado.

The devices can be filled through various methods: manually with a syringe, semi-automatically with a device such as Fisnar's dispensing equipment, or with automatic cartridge fillers, like those manufactured by Thompson Duke Industrial and ATG.

Basically, if you have the equipment to fill a vape cartridge, you can fill a Dablicator, which is enticing to clients who don’t want to invest in new capital equipment to manufacture a new premium product. Typically, the products are filled with cannabis concentrate (RSO) and broad-spectrum CBD.

While interest in new markets is difficult because operators usually have trouble keeping any products on the shelves, companies in mature markets are looking for innovation and new products as a differentiator.

The company started in August 2020 and has already partnered with established brands, including 710 Labs, Neptune Wellness and Ancient Roots.

Right now, McDonald only wants to deal with established brands. The partners don’t have to be big, but he wants to deal with good people with a good reputation who are focused on scaling up the business. He’s not afraid to turn down business.

The company is about six months old now and McDonald is predicting hockey stick growth. He also believes that federal legalization is possible within the next eight years, and remains hopeful that other measures, including the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act are passed in the very near future.