At the first cannabis conference Agrify Chief Executive Officer Raymond Chang attended, he was enamored with the innovative technology solutions the community had created. However, he noticed a common challenge arising from the sea of highly specialized, siloed extraction equipment manufacturers: Businesses struggled to achieve the control, consistency, and seamless integration needed to produce meritorious products at scale. Chang recognized the opportunity presented by the piecemeal nature of cannabis technology and felt inspired to pursue a more comprehensive solution for the industry.
“We need to take a more holistic approach to cultivation and extraction, and that’s why Agrify offers total turnkey solutions for both,” he said. “I think everybody in cannabis deserves a chance to thrive, so we create solutions for businesses of varying scales and specialties.”
Mike Maibach, founder of Lab Society, explained the significance of the extraction companies’ unification. “We aren’t selling a piece of equipment. We are selling a complete solution, including the business intelligence and the software tools to help our customers become successful and stay successful,” he said. “When you look at the way Agrify operates and who is driving the work, it’s the same people who built the brands everyone loves. We are working together to improve on technology and accomplish things we could never do independently.”
Agrify’s structure allows clients to draw on diverse expertise in an inventive, unique space. Whether customers need a compact solventless solution, a large hydrocarbon solution, or an industrial-scale lab setup for multiple extraction methods, Agrify can help create a tailored facility to suit existing and future needs. The company’s growing product portfolio includes commercial-grade closed-loop systems for butane and propane, solutions for short-path and thin-film distillation, rosin-press technology for solventless extraction, professional-grade decarboxylation equipment, chillers, vacuum ovens, and much more. Agrify offers agnostic solutions in a life cycle partnership to serve customers with the equipment and technology to boost operational efficiency.
Agrify’s Total Turn-Key (TTK) extraction solutions exemplify the company’s holistic technology philosophy. Designed to accelerate the planning-to-production process, TTK solutions can help clients reduce the investment of time, capital, and infrastructure traditionally required to build manufacturing capacity. The company assists its TTK customers with lab design, permitting, buildout, and financing. A team of experts works closely with each customer to scale their commercial operation and provide the best extraction systems for the customer’s needs. Because Agrify is committed to an inclusive industry, it also offers intentionally designed TTK options for social-equity businesses. By establishing and maintaining a deep relationship with customers, Agrify helps them create immediate and long-term benefits.
In order to improve the customer experience on a continuing basis, Agrify designates a solutions architecture team for each extraction lab design. The teams are composed of experts across different processes who work collaboratively to build projects without processing inefficiencies, ensure customers receive cost-effective solutions, and plan for adaptability. Team members constantly communicate with TTK customers during the build-out process. “We want to offer ongoing support to clients if they want to have it, and those types of offerings are what really set us apart in the industry,” said Maibach. “The infrastructure to do service is extensive, so we are committed to the customer relationship.”
With a vision to transform cannabis through innovation, Agrify is motivated by the boundless opportunity within the industry. In April 2022, the company entered its first multimillion-dollar international customer agreement with BioCann Pharma in Portugal. Chang said the relationship is only a small step in what he feels certain will become a thriving worldwide marketplace. “We have unlocked such a small portion of the power stored in this incredible plant,” he said. “The vast potential for cannabis is tremendous, and that is what excites me most.”
Commercial extraction technology has existed for decades, but large-scale cannabis extraction is a relatively new endeavor. Agrify’s divisions have pushed the technology’s limits, adapting to evolving knowledge and prioritizing holistic integration at every step.
