Out-fitting a massive facility
Adjusting from HPS to LEDs
Dialing in HVAC with higher humidity levelsPassion is the common denominator among all the greatest competitors, and Insa is no different. “We pride ourselves in quality, and that’s a big piece of every decision we make. We don’t cut any corners along the way” says Peter Gallagher, CEO and founder. That commitment is evident everywhere you look as you walk through their Easthampton facility. Director of Cultivation Frank Golfieri and his all-star team members describe themselves as “obsessive” in their pursuit to produce high-quality craft cannabis at the highest levels. The team prides itself on work ethic and attention to detail at every step from strain selection and breeding to harvesting and packaging.
There is no off-season when growing indoors with LEDs. Insa revamped a four-story, 100,000-square-foot mill building into a state-of-the-art growing facility in the heart of Easthampton. With room to scale, there are currently 20 grow rooms with Fluence SPYDR and VYPR LEDs, accounting for 40,000 square feet of grow space. Just like in sports, Insa’s team works tirelessly behind closed doors – putting in long hours to perfect their craft when no one is watching. Each year, they launch 50-70 new strains based on market demand, quality, potency, terpene levels, and other key stats. Then, they take the ten or so best winners (“the first team”) and crossbreed them for the next year’s winning cultures.
SPYDR and VYPR
LEDs have revolutionized agriculture in the same way that the 3-point shot changed basketball. However, understanding the value of fundamental change does not always alleviate the uncertainty and discomfort of making the necessary change a reality. Frank Golfieri was uncertain how quickly he could adjust to growing under LEDs. He had been told switching from HPS to LEDs would decrease his overall yield. Indeed, retrofitting can be a difficult decision when operating a massive organization in a highly competitive league. But the entire Insa team managed to adjust in just one cycle. To Frank’s surprise, they yielded more quality buds per room under LEDs than they did settling for mere jump shots. In fact, the all-pro team is only getting better and more productive each season. Recently, they hauled in 120 grams per square foot of high potency, premium flower.
Like true pros, Frank and his team excel at the little things. They focus on details such as expressive terpenes, light spectra and intensity at the proper stages, adjusting HVAC to account for higher yields and more humidity from photosynthetic production, plus many other fine-tunings and techniques. But the passion at Insa goes far beyond plants. They understand that customers are the heart and soul of the cannabis industry. The Insa team is dedicated to understanding and innovating exactly what the crowd desires, which is why their brand has become a fan-favorite not only throughout Massachusetts but other states along the eastern coast.
With 60,000 square feet of room to scale and grow, Insa is positioned to continue to be a dominant player in the market. The facility employs skillful and knowledgeable experts, cutting-edge technology, and advanced data to perform at its best, but the key to their success is their undying hunger and unwillingness to settle for anything less than greatness. The ancient Greeks called glory “the imperishable flame.” It is, therefore, appropriate that Insa is placed next to another Hall of Fame in Massachusetts.
