From its inception, Sweet Dirt has focused on growing sustainably.
The following is an excerpt from the MJ Brand Insights' article, Sweet Dirt’s husband and wife duo raise the bar for sustainable cannabis:
Hughes Pope wasn’t satisfied with the marijuana he could buy in Maine, so he set out to grow his own organic plants in living soil.
Pope figured that if people appreciate organic produce found at farmers markets, they’d also like organically grown cannabis, so he and his wife, Kristin, started Sweet Dirt in 2015 with the goal of satisfying that demand.
Before starting Sweet Dirt, Hughes Pope worked in cannabis and other areas of horticulture ranging from hydrangeas to blueberries. Kristin Pope was an herbalist, doula and yoga instructor.
Pope started collecting genetics and experimenting with different combinations in the cultivation process.
“I got into this because I wanted to have something that was hard to get,” Hughes Pope said. “It’s always been difficult to find really kind herb, really nice weed. I always had to pay a lot of money for it, and I just got tired of not being able to find what I wanted.”
“The majority of what’s on the market is old with a new name,” Pope said. “I find that to be really confusing. What I’ve done through the years is gotten to know a lot of the breeders who are preserving the genetics and revamping them…We’re giving people more cannabis for their money because of the way we’re cultivating these plants.”
To achieve certification, growers must meet strict requirements proving the purity of ingredients and ensuring no synthetic pesticides, irradiation or other unnatural forms of pest control, sterilization, or preservation are used.
