THE EXPERT GROWER

As vice-president of cultivation and greenhouse operations at Pure Sunfarms, Canada’s top brand in the recreational cannabis market, Rob Baldwin oversees operations at the company’s 1.65-millionsquare-foot greenhouse space in Delta, B.C. Within the rich agricultural centre of the Fraser Valley, Baldwin guides the Pure Sunfarms’ team in greenhouse care and cannabis cultivation practices with an uncompromising approach to quality.

“My favourite part of my job is that it allows me to share my passion for growing and love of plants by mentoring and guiding a new generation of greenhouse growers in the nascent and ever-changing Canadian cannabis industry — something I thought I could only dream of doing,” he says.

Baldwin, who graduated with a diploma in greenhouse management from KPU in 2000, has more than two decades of experience in the greenhouse industry. His introduction to growing came when he started picking crops and plucking weeds, which eventually led to farming tomatoes. For over a decade, he was the grower and facility manager of Village Farms, in the same greenhouse space where Pure Sunfarms now operates.

Baldwin has extensive knowledge of the land and growing conditions of the Fraser Valley and combines the science of greenhouse growing with his understanding of natural environments. When cannabis was legalized in Canada in 2018, turning his passion and expertise for growing towards becoming one of the leading producers was a natural progression.

Baldwin oversaw and managed the entire greenhouse conversion from tomatoes to cannabis. Under his leadership, Pure Sunfarms’ greenhouse was transformed into a custom-designed site for growing cannabis, utilizing state-of-the art technology. Baldwin began mentoring a new generation of greenhouse growers with pioneering agriculture techniques that blend the best of legacy B.C. cannabis methods with practices from the company’s long farming history. Since helping launch Pure Sunfarms in 2019, Baldwin and his team continue to showcase world-class growing capabilities to deliver high-quality, consistent cannabis to the Canadian market.

With deep farming roots in the area, Baldwin says he is most passionate about growing sustainably. At Pure Sunfarms, he has helped implement sustainable practices such as collecting rainwater to water the plants and using blackout curtains from dawn to dusk to prevent light pollution and protect local ecosystems.

“As someone who has been growing in the Fraser Valley for over two decades, I recognize the importance of sustaining a healthy ecosystem – without that we wouldn’t be able to produce cannabis or any other crop at the scale we do,” he says. “I care about the environment and the generations to come after us, so this is definitely a focus area for me.”

A recognized leader in the industry, Baldwin is an active advocate and member of the Cannabis Cultivators of B.C., a non-profit industry association dedicated to advocating for the growth of a responsible cannabis industry and advancing a favourable social, economic and business environment for cannabis cultivation in B.C.

Baldwin credits his education at KPU with providing the foundation for connecting his passion for growing with his career.

“I recommend the greenhouse management and pest management programs to anyone who wants to apply their learnings to their career,” he says. “My time at KPU gave me the confidence to have thought-provoking conversations with grow experts and colleagues, while also providing me with practical skills to run trials and experiments that helped me become a better grower and truly understand the plant.”

He also acknowledges his diverse team at Pure Sunfarms for their contributions to the success of the company.

“The knowledge you need to be a grower is only one part of the equation, but the people who work with the plants daily are the ones who ultimately impact the success of your crop,” he says. “Guiding my team of growers is important, but the work that goes on day-to-day by the teams in the nursery and flower rooms is what makes the difference.”

All this hard work has paid off for Baldwin and his team. Pure Sunfarms’ Pink Kush is Ontario’s all-time top-selling strain. Pure Sunfarms’ Jet Fuel Gelato is gaining momentum as the fastest growing strain in Ontario, the number one dried flower SKU in July, and the number two selling strain in the industry overall.

For Baldwin, turning his love of plants into one of the leading cannabis brands has been a dream come true. 