Marijuana Business Magazine - Issue 09, Oct 2017

operating procedures for every step of the process, beginning with how the buds are cut and ending with how they’re stored. “We’re very particular about the process so the terpenes and tri- chomes aren’t damaged,” Abel added. He conducts a review after the trial period and then, when appropriate, gives raises after each review period. “With trimmers, it’s about if they’re really, really productive, making sure you give them the right raises and the right feedback,” Abel said. It’s also important that trimmers feel they’re as much of a part of the team as everyone else. “That kind of stuff is as important as pay,” he added. At L’Eagle, trimmers play an important role in quality control, Spindler said. Trimmers can inform the grower if the flower meets the company’s standards, for example. “So we train them to look for cer- tain things as far as if the product is coming out well and to give feedback on the harvest,” he added. Once trimmers are hired, L’Eagle pays them by the hour, not the pound, as some in the industry prefer. “We don’t want them to feel stressed out to have to do so much that day,” Spindler said. “The trimmers love performance, don’t get me wrong, but I personally feel the quality of the trim suffers when speed is the only thing that matters.” Spindler will watch new hires to see if the trimmers respond to the train- ing they’ve received and make sure they aren’t destroying the product. “Here we’re more worried about quality than speed,” he said. Over time, the trim managers will watch new hires’ productivity and compare it with that of more sea- soned trimmers. “See if they can get up to speed,” Spindler said. “If they can’t, we’ll get rid of them.” AltMed’s Prisoc asks her trimmers to complete hands-on training. An experienced employee stands or sits with the new hire and observes throughout the first week. The new trimmer is given pointers on basic techniques as well as more refined instructions on how to trim a specific strain. “I try really hard to make sure that if anybody’s struggling with a certain strain that I take extra time to show them different techniques,” Prisoc said. She’s found it takes about two weeks for a trimmer to become profi- cient at trimming a certain strain. AltMed also pays trimmers by the hour, not by the pound. One reason behind that is a trimmer might get pulled away for another task while they’re on the clock. “If this trimmer’s getting paid by the pound and he gets pulled away to help someone out now, he’s los- ing that incentive for the whole day,” she said. ◆ Freshly trimmed Pineapple Express is ready to cure at Greatland Ganja. Photo courtesy of Chevelle Abel Greatland Ganga co-owners, and brothers, Arthur Abel, left, and Leif Abel trim part of their 2016 outdoor crop. Photo courtesy of Chevelle Abel 102 • Marijuana Business Magazine • October 2017