Hawthorne Gardening Company (HGC) is shifting its distribution model in Canada to serve its customers better and maximize operational efficiencies, according to Jennifer Pistillo, Hawthorne Canada sales director. The company is stepping away from its regional distribution model and is consolidating its distribution partners to work with two industry leaders who have developed strong relationships with retail and commercial growers. “We remain fully committed to the industry and the continued development of Hawthorne’s signature brands (Gavita, General Hydroponics, Botanicare, etc.),” Pistillo wrote in an email to Cannabis Business Times.

"This reorganization allows Hawthorne to adapt to the new market dynamics, align with strong distribution partners, and prepare for what it sees as the future Canadian market structure," Pistillo said.

Pistillo also noted that the company will continue to serve hydroponic retailers and commercial growers within the Canadian market, but in a different way:

HGC will now serve hydroponic retailers through its two new distributor partners: Quality Wholesale and HydroTek Hydroponics.These distributors are committed to quality service and share HGC’s customer-oriented approach. They will also serve as an extension to the company's sales team.Several HGC customers already work with these distributors, "which will streamline their ordering and fulfillment processes," Pistillo wrote.The company also anticipates this switch will help provide quality, uninterrupted service to its retailers and increase stock availability. Retailers will still be able to purchase HGC products and those they distribute.

The company is also finding ways to improve and use its resources to meet growers' needs, according to Pistillo. HGC is dedicating its sales team to focus on growers, "where custom sales and design is needed most," she noted. In addition, the design team "specializes in helping Canadian producers, especially those early in the design phase resulting in savings, increased yields, [and] energy efficiency."

"This reorganization enables Hawthorne to focus on developing, marketing, and supporting their leading signature Hawthorne brands, which spread across lighting, nutrients, growing environment, growing media, hardware, and more, and to continue providing the industry's best technical services support to growers,” Pistillo explained.

In addition to these changes, she noted, HGC is also "ramping up programs which enable proof of concept trials, custom design, and consultations with our team of technical sales agronomists and engineers across all categories."

HGC also aided in building Kelowna Research Station in British Columbia, an R&D facility dedicated to researching cannabis cultivation; the company now solely owns and operates it, "having bought the facility from Flowr and secured licenses to operate it directly without Flowr's involvement," Pistillo said.

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