REDEFINING HEMP & WHY LICENSED PRODUCERS SHOULD CARE.
The “HEMP” classification has started to take on a new meaning in markets around the world. In the US, EU, and Canada — any cannabis that contains very low amounts of THC in its flowers and leaves (less than 0.3%) is now classified as hemp.
(left) used in creating everything from energy bars to shoelaces, but not something that is commonly smoked.
(right) a thick, bushy female indica with massive cola, something commonly found in your sock drawer.
Traditionally, “HEMP” has referred to Cannabis Sativa L, a 2-4 meter strain farmed for its fibers and seeds, and mostly used for industrial applications rather than smoking. Now, however, where any cannabis plants containing more than 0.3% are classed as marijuana, and less than 0.3% are classed as hemp, we can refer to CBD flowers, high-CBD strains, CBD pre-rolls, and of course, smokable hemp pre-rolls. These low-THC strains are no longer categorized as “controlled substances” and become agricultural products.
So why should licensed producers care?
Hemp pre-rolls are becoming a major industry throughout the U.S.A., Europe, and Canada. There’s a large market demand for it. It’s growing so quickly that licensed producers need to (if they haven’t already) sit up and take notice.
Yes, traditional hemp farmers know their crops. They can tear down and process large fields of industrial hemp quickly. However, they have no reason to be gentle as they aren’t concerned about the flower. Large-scale smokable hemp production, however, is a different beast. You just can’t run a combine through a field, and hand trimming is simply not an option at this scale either. It’s not cost effective, and extra hands can inject too many contamination points and variables into a clean, GMP-approved, and food-safe workflow.
Now that hemp has been re-defined, it turns out that — Mobius was built for Hemp Trimming.
So what makes the Mobius ideal for Hemp Trimming?
Let’s start with the numbers.
Wet trimming — you’ll get between 66-120lbs/hr (30-55kg/hr) with one machine
Dry trimming — you’ll get between 22-44lbs/hr (10-20kg/hr) with one machine
And with a tandem (two machines connected) setup — you’ll get between 150-260lbs / hr (70-120kg / hr) wet trimming. Roughly 120% increase in efficiency. We hear from our customers running tandem that they are easily averaging 1,550lbs / day (700kg / day) with a single tandem setup that sells for a fraction of the cost of similar systems. As an example of the potential for scale, some of our larger customers run 6-8 tandem setups in their trim rooms, but of course, at a smaller scale, one works great too.
At Mobius, we like to give you the straight goods. Some companies will give you feed rate numbers that are never seen in practice. When we quote feed rates, they reflect scenarios we have experienced in the real world, and at a pace that results in the best trim job in the industry. In addition, those numbers are with a good trim. Yes you could go much, much faster if you’re just looking to knock off a few fan leaves — but those amounts are with a quality trim that is standard for most LPs today.
The Mobius Tension Tumbler
One of the biggest standouts for the Mobius is our Tension Tumbler. For the most part, there are two styles of machine trimmers — batch and continuous flow through. For larger scale facilities, batch is just not an option.
Traditional continuous flow machines use a stainless steel tumbler — these steel tumblers are heavy, easily damaged/dented, rough on the product, and most importantly, limit the product access to the blades. The Mobius tumbler is built with a single-piece of cable that is not only resilient, but also offers the most access possible to the blades. This enables the best possible trim, with less time spent in the machine.
TriFlex Blade System
On first glance this isn’t as stand-out unique as our tumbler, but don’t be fooled, there’s a lot of tech under the hood. For one — there are three blade cartridges, so the product will contact a blade 3x per rotation, which is more efficient and means that the product requires less time in the machine. The other major standout is the shearing action of the blade system. Rather than just relying on the cutting (or tearing that can happen in other designs), the Mobius blades are under pressure — like shears, the bedknives flex against the helical blades staying in constant contact with each other creating a cleaner, more appealing cut.
Integrated Separation System
The Mobius is one complete unit creating quality trimmed flower, and GMP-acceptable trim flow. There are no separate machines required, no non-GMP acceptable hoses, just one complete unit. This also allows the Mobius to have one of the smallest footprints in the trim room. You can trim hundreds of pounds of flower for your hemp pre-rolls, but also collect all that precious trim for your extracts. A small footprint with a big trim — win, win.
Cleaning & Maintenance
Really, this just comes down to ease of use. Yes, cleaning and adjustments can disrupt a good harvest that seriously cuts into your profits. If your team needs to use multiple tools to dismantle a machine, and spend hours cleaning before they can return to the line — we haven’t done our job. The Mobius is nearly toolless, and designed so all blade systems, tumblers, and trim totes are “hot swappable” so your team can quickly hand those parts to sanitation, then swap in fresh blades and continue the trim. Each of the product-touching parts of the machine are easily accessible and easily cleaned — saving you time and money.
To recap, our governments have defined HEMP as awesome. Everyone here at Mobius has no desire to sound off about harvesting fibers and seeds from traditional hemp — but with this new legal definition of “smokable” hemp, this is something we do know. Trust a Mobius to make your hemp trim room the best hemp trim room around.
