In the regulated cannabis industry, you hear the term “seed-to-sale” a lot. From cultivation to technology, marketing to traceability, and beyond, it’s appearing more and more in industry conversations. But what is the seed-to-sale cycle?
Defining Seed-to-Sale
“Seed-to-sale” refers to the entire life and sales cycle of a cannabis plant or product. From seed planting to harvest time, on through production, processing, sales, fulfillment, and stocked shelves and all the way till the final consumer sale.
Likewise, “seed-to-sale software” refers to business management software that allows operators to manage and track products from the beginning of this cycle through its end.
But what does the seed-to-sale cycle actually look like? In this simple infographic, we break it down. Read on for details.
Breaking Down the Seed-to-Sale Cycle
The “Seed-to-Sale Cycle” includes a plant product’s entire life cycle, from the planting of the seed to the final sale. In our industry this typically includes Seed; Grow; Cultivation; Processing; B2B Sales; Fulfillment; Retail Sales; and the final Consumer.
- Seed
Like any plant-based product, the first part of any cannabis product’s life begins with the seed, cutting, or clone. - Grow
The care and management of growing plants through the immature, vegetative, and flowering states. Traceability at this stage allows for full visibility into the growth of every plant, such as watering, grow style, or use of pesticides. - Cultivation
The later steps of cannabis growing, such as harvesting, trimming, drying, and curing plant matter. This stage may also include post-harvest steps like reporting weight or destroying plant waste. - Processing
This part of the cycle includes steps that prepare the plant matter for sale and consumption. This could be extractions, conversions, or packaging. This may also include testing and lab analysis. - B2B Sales
Due to regulatory limitations in most legal markets, only licensed Retailers and Dispensaries can sell directly to consumers. This means cannabis cultivators, processors, and distributors work directly with other licensed businesses, and never consumers.
This makes an active, functioning B2B Marketplace all the more important for individual operators. - Fulfillment
This can include transfers, transportation, deliveries, or storage. Fulfillment workflows often involve tasks like manifest generation, account notes, and “last-mile” deliveries. - Retail
This is when the cannabis product is on the shelf and menu of a legal cannabis retailer, allowing for qualified customers to purchase product for their personal use/consumption. Depending on the states involved, this may be a medical dispensary or recreational retailer. - Consumer
The final step of the cycle is consumers. The end product gets to the consumer for use, with clear visibility along the entire supply chain, allowing for safer, more informed sales and consumption.
Seed-to-Sale Cycle Infographic
What About "Traceability"?
Sometimes, you may hear the term “seed-to-sale” used interchangeably with “traceability” or “track-and-trace.” However, traceability is the continued tracking, and only tracking, of a product through its seed-to-sale cycle.
For example, many state regulatory agencies use third-party seed-to-sale traceability platforms to track their legal cannabis market, such as Metrc.
But these platforms do not offer their users tools to manage or scale their business. Instead, seed-to-sale track-and-trace platforms are built to serve cannabis regulators and state agencies, not the businesses who are required to use them.
In contrast, Cultivera’s seed-to-sale business management software is built specifically to serve licensed cannabis operators. This is why Cultivera’s seamless integrations have so much to offer cannabis operations. Our vertical solutions simplify cannabis compliance by filling in those gaps from seed to sale.
Get This Guide
Could you use an easy-to-download guide to the Seed-to-Sale Cycle (& Traceability) for your team?
Fill out the quick form on the right for instant access to our free Seed-to-Sale & Traceability E-book Guide.
Cultivera's Seed-to-Sale Solutions
The Cultivera Pro “seed-to-shelf” cycle. Grow Module for Cultivation, Harvest, and more, Inventory Module for Inventory and waste management, Sales modules for order input and B2B market sales, Fulfillment Modules for manifests and order fulfillment, and industry-leading Business Intelligence to keep track of it all, while putting your data to work.
Want to know more about how Cultivera’s seed-to-sale software solutions can help your cannabis enterprise?
To see how Cultivera Pro can streamline your operations, check out our website. You can also take a look yourself by booking a short demo to get a live virtual tour.
