“Rose City Labs was founded in 2012 with the dream of bringing integrity and dependability to the newly budding Oregon cannabis industry. Our founder, Daniel Huson, initially used cannabis to treat his cancer in 2004, he later owned and managed a medical cannabis dispensary. Recognizing a need to ensure patients were receiving the highest level of care, Rose City Labs was born out of that dispensary. We started with pesticide testing and have since grown to include many different types of environmental testing to serve our community. Rose City Laboratories has tested PPE for hospitals and regularly tests water quality for schools and daycare centers, and we serve the construction industry, real estate industry, state and federal entities, and homeowners with our Asbestos surveys, NRSB radon tests, and lead paint testing.
Rose City Laboratories is committed to prioritizing science by transforming innovative research into valuable, reliable, and precise environmental and microbiological tests, accessible to everyone. Our dynamic and talented team utilizes cutting-edge technology and proven scientific methods to provide clients with unique options for obtaining accurate and timely results. In mid-2020, qPCR testing and HPLC equipment were introduced at Rose City Labs, enhancing our microbiology capabilities. This allowed us to process pathogen identification and gender determination in cannabis. Our expanded services now include speciation, potency, and purity testing in psilocybin fungi – fruiting bodies, homogenized and extractions. We are currently the only licensed laboratory to test Psilocybin in Oregon’s legalized program.
In the spirit of transparency, our main office boasts a large window with exposure to the scientists and lab techs at work, in real-time. The team at Rose City Labs strives to carry on our tradition of giving clients fast, accurate, reliable test results at a competitive price.” From their website
During an interview with their owner, Dan Huson, he talked about recognizing the testing needs of the cannabis industry based on his experience owning a medical dispensary. Some of his lessons learned along the way include:
- Some testing facilities farm out some of their more complicated testing requests due to lack of equipment, but this becomes too cost prohibitive and has often resulted in many labs going out of business. Smart labs focus on testing in house, and acquiring the expensive equipment and certifications to meet the needs of their customers in house.
- Based on most of the testing that they do, and they do a lot, the numbers for some THC concentrations on the shelves of dispensaries across Portland is inflated. In his opinion he is seeing a clear and growing need for cannabis companies to show that they have absurdly high THC counts for their products to sell, and these customers are placing a growing pressure on labs to inflate their numbers.
- For their lab, cannabis testing is s huge portion of their business, but they are trying to get into other spaces because of the market instability. Looking into soil and environmental testing has been a very promising diversification for their business. They also run test for other labs as they try to acquire the equipment needed to serve their customers.
- He estimates modern startup costs to be around $1.2 – 1.5 million for a new lab that could meet the needs of the market, which is higher than it was when he started Rose City Labs. This is due to the rising costs for property and buildouts of modern labs.
- The growing requirements for testing by the OLCC are a challenge, with an increased desire to test for microbial and heavy metal content in the samples. This results in needs for additional, very expensive equipment, and turn around times are often rushed or hurried by customers.
- The hemp space can be quite lucrative due to the need to pre harvest testing, and another round after harvest to ensure that THC counts do not exceed the very strict guidelines on this. His expertise indicated that he could be a valuable asset to growers as well.
- Initially, his lab did not face the stigmas associated with the cannabis industry because of how he named his business, including his dispensary.
- When he had a dispensary it was formed under the name: Mt. Hood Wellness – this did not trigger bank refusals, so he was able to make deposits.
- The same is true of Rose City Laboratories – these names helped to keep his business running smoothly.
- His lab is now trying to focus on this new business side, with ecological testing and government contracts. Each of these lines of business is showing growth and stabilizing the high’s and low’s of cannabis demand.
Dan said he is open to any calls or questions if someone is thinking about getting into this space: dan@rosecitylabs.com