In 2010, Ray Kallman stumbled upon a leather-bound notebook that contained one of the most successful and well-kept secrets to growing marijuana.
At the time, Kallman was the site manager of Grab N’ Grow, which was the first soil yard in Sonoma County, California.
It turned out the notebook had belonged to Julious Gonsior, a man with a knack for creating soil recipes to grow just about every plant worth growing. Gonsior started Grab N’ Grow in 1960, and he kept all the local grower and nursery recipes in a leather notebook stored in the bottom drawer of his desk.
“I came across a tattered card with the title ‘All Season Mix’ on the top,” recounts Kallman, who asked the yard foreman about the blend.
“I’ll never forget the smile on his face as he shared how Grab N’ Grow was known locally for producing this fertile mix in the springtime for large-scale growers.”
Realizing they needed to market this recipe for more growers to enjoy, they decided to bring the mix out under a new brand called North County Bounty (www.northcountybounty.com).
One of North County Bounty’s first tasks was updating “All Season Mix” into the new and improved “420 Blend,” which could be produced in larger volumes. To help make this happen, Pat Schiel joined the team as senior mixologist with more than 17 years of experience weighing, blending and assuring mix quality. Schiel’s skill for mixing quality soil manifested in the 420 Blend, making it a fully fertilized soilless medium that only requires water to provide all nutrients marijuana plants need for at least 40 days of growth.
Today, North County Bounty self-distributes to all of California and Washington. It has quickly gained a reputation for being honest, being real, and being available, especially on social media channels.
“Last year we started seriously thinking about where our customers are active online, what social channels they use, and how we could connect with them on an honest, personal level,” marketing and sales coordinator Shelby Harris said. “We started referring to our customers as the ProGrower Nation because they are professional, high-quality growers and we believe that should be respected.
“We also started a very grower-focused blog last year that discusses everything from grow rooms to nutrient deficiencies,” Harris said of the blog on the North County Bounty website.
With two high-quality blends and a seed starter in market and a veganic blend in the final stages of testing, North County Bounty approaches marketing their products with the same passion and dedication it always has. Kallman, now director of marketing and sales, is aware of the challenges facing the soil industry with the growing trend of marijuana legalization.
In terms of soil in the marketplace he said, “When you think about it, soil is the first ingredient you need to start a garden. This means that if you’re a retailer, soil starts the conversation and the long-term relationship that leads to more sales. Therefore soil needs to be at the forefront of the conversation, not an afterthought.”
How do they plan on changing the focus of the growing conversation? North County Bounty believes that product knowledge is becoming more important with the proliferation of more soil brands.
“Growers need a quality soil product for the specific needs of their crop and not simply what is most commercially popular. This builds trust not only in the product, but also in the relationship between the grower and the company they buy from,” Kallman said.
To help introduce their high-quality products to both customers and retailers alike, North County Bounty recently started a free sample program. And it’s working.
“We are here to help people grow better and our first step toward accomplishing that is to allow customers to try our products first. The sample program is the reason why we have retailers in Washington now,” Harris said. She said a grower appreciated the product so much that he convinced his favorite hydroponics store to carry North County Bounty.
“This story has been repeated over and over again in both California and Washington, just by inviting growers to join the North County Bounty family with a free bag of high-quality soil,” Harris said.