MustGrow Biologics Corp. (TSX-V:MGRO, OTCQB:MGROF) COO, Colin Bletsky, talked with Proactive about the company's recent expansion into Florida with TerraSante, their innovative bio-fertility product. Following the earlier approval for California, Florida represents another significant market for MustGrow, as it is the second-largest region for fruit and vegetable production in the U.S.
Bletsky highlighted how TerraSante's flexible application can benefit a wide range of crops, from tomatoes to peppers, and emphasized the company’s commitment to working closely with Florida's 47,000 farms.
Proactive: Welcome back inside our Proactive newsroom. Joining me now is Colin Bletsky. He is the Chief Operating Officer for MustGrow Biologics Corp. (TSX-V:MGRO, OTCQB:MGROF) Colin, good to see you again. How are you?
Colin Bletsky: I'm doing well, Steve. How about yourself?
I'm doing well, thanks very much. You and I had a conversation when the company had the approvals for TerraSante, your bio-fertility product, to head into California. Now you're announcing today Florida. So those are two pretty substantial markets, I would think, for what you're trying to do.
Yes, and actually, we are really excited when we got the California registration. California is one of the largest, actually the largest, part of the U.S. when it comes to fruit and vegetable production. Florida is number two. So, if you think of the importance of how we've been impacting California, the work we're doing there, and the excitement we’re generating, I'm really excited to get started in Florida and work with the growers there.
I was really surprised to see over 47,000 farms, 9.7 million acres, and the gamut runs from watermelons to tomatoes to peppers. I mean, it really has a piece of everything.
Yeah, and that's the thing. TerraSante is not specific to a certain crop. We have the ability to go into multiple different crops. There are still some things to learn, like how we might impact citrus or other areas, but it’s about taking what we've learned so far in California, Washington, and Oregon, and moving that into Florida, Arizona, Idaho, and other regions. It's really about working with the growers at the field level, helping them get comfortable with our technology, and showing them the value. So, we're really excited about getting into Florida.
Will you use the success you're having in California as a precursor for how you'll market in Florida?
Definitely. The data and information we're learning in California can be applied in Florida to give the growers there some level of understanding. But it still comes down to this—as a farmer myself, I know you still want to see the product on your own field and really understand how it works firsthand. It's going to be a learning process with each grower, just like it was in California, and like we're doing in Idaho and other areas. It’s about educating the grower and making them comfortable with the technology.
Just a quick question about the technology itself. Obviously, California's sunny weather is different from Florida's in terms of humidity. Does that make a difference in how the product is used?
Essentially, the technology can be used in every type of geography and different regions. It really comes down to soil type, soil structure, and pH. Humidity does have an impact, but it does not affect it in a negative way. We see the technology working across the U.S. and potentially in other parts of the world. We still have to work with the soil in Florida to make sure everything is consistent, but that’s where working closely with growers comes in—understanding their fields and how to apply the product effectively.
Quotes have been lightly edited for style and clarity