Xabis Live Q&A Recap

xabis, inc.

We sat down with Garret Nicodemus, the Chief of Operations for Xabis, Inc. on Instagram live. In our interview, we talked about how cannabis is evolving and how Xabis is showing up for those changes. We recently did a feature on Xabis highlighting their business and the processes they have in place to help new cannabis businesses thrive.

Xabis, Inc. is a really cool company that offers really great services and top-notch quality. For those of our audience who are not familiar; Can you give us a rundown of how Xabis came to be and the service(s) your team provides?

Xabis, Inc. story:

Early in the industry, in the Colorado market, there was a knowledge gap as to how to best design a process within an operation that focused on consistency and quality. We tried to mimic at least early on the standards that would be expected in other industries.

When Colorado legalized, Garret came together with a group of engineers to explore how to make the most out of this opportunity. Our first project was to develop a water-based cannabinoid project in dry form. We focused on green ingredients, CO2 and ethanol. As part of this operation, people came forward with this opportunity, both local and outsource. Liked the product, data-driven decision making, protocols and consistency. We helped that company get licensing for that product. This turned Xabis into a partnership for large Cannabis companies

Xabis, Inc. Services: 

Application support for licenses, to full facility design, equipment selection, implementation of these operations, full documentation and ongoing operational support, and in some cases management. 

We’ve offered operational modeling, pro formas as well as operational analysis, for current or prospective clients. We’ve additionally developed a Library Information Management System (LIMS), specialized for the Cannabis industry, called CIMS.

We conduct R&D and product development, focusing on IP development in partnership with our clients.

Lately, we’ve been focusing on expanding our services to include auditing and preparation for the oncoming FDA incorporation.

Extraction is a giant part of the cannabis industry and is continuing to grow at a rapid pace. How has your company experienced this trend firsthand?  

Two big market drivers: scale and solvent used. 

Scale: Over last couple of years, scale of operations has dramatically changed, both in the cannabis and hemp space. I believe it’s been difficult for companies to find the sweet spot and not overcapitalizing on it too early on. From an extraction perspective, you start finding parts of inefficiencies. 

Solvent: The second factor is the type of extraction and the type of product that you’re trying to get out. People in the industry argue that Ethanol is the most efficient. Other kinds of extraction are CO2 and hydrocarbon, which have different advantages. Now, you’ll see people trying to stay ahead of the technology. It will change within the next three years. For us and for a company, it’s critical to use technologies that are proven and stay on top of new technologies that are available. Until it is proven and data has been completed, you are taking a risk in this. Additionally, just because the extraction technique works well, that does not mean that the manufacturer has designed the process well. 

Use extraction technology that best fits the client’s purpose/desire and what they want to produce. We have experience with solventless, CO2, ethanol and hydrocarbon.

We have designed several facilities of varying scales with differing solvents used. We typically design large scale facilities so that as they grow and expand, the infrastructure is designed in the facility so that as the client continues to grow, they can add to their capacities.

How has the pandemic impacted your company?

Like everyone, we have been impacted. It’s impacting company plans and future forecasting that we had in motion. Clients put their plans on hold and not being able to travel has put some restrictions in regards to what we can accomplish. In order to combat it, we’ve expanded our service offerings into ones that do not require as much travel. We’re trying to take advantage of the success we’ve had so far in the remote team building.

Your company uses our product; The EVault, which is similar to our flagship product; The CVault, but designed with extract in mind, to ensure the safety of some of your extracted product. How has it fit in to your process?

Stackability is better. Easy to store, fit on each other well. Don’t run the risk of spilling or knocking other containers over. Capacity is larger than other containers used previously. We don’t run into locked lids with these, unlike other applications where the threads will seize. They’re better than glass so that you do not run the risk of breaking

We additionally like the product because it’s non-transparent, airtight, non-leaching material. All of this is important to keep the quality of the material. 

You mention Quality often. What does Quality mean to you and why is it important?

Quality is important because we are producing a consumer good that people are ingesting. We must monitor ingredients, personnel practices and hygiene, materials and more to ensure that the integrity of the product is never compromised, which would lead to illness for the consumer and liability for the company.

The Cannabis industry is still a very young industry with people learning as they go. What are some of the biggest errors that you’ve seen people make within the industry and how do you best prepare your client to curtail these mistakes?

People are thinking about the present and not long term into the future. A lot of people are not following safety standards from OSHA or Fire perspective. For example, many people are not aware that OSHA prohibits people pouring above one gallon, but we still see people doing this. Additionally, we do not see many people tracking or logging what they do within a process.

Safety is often missed in facility design and overall operations. As we get into these low Cryo temperatures, fluid expands as it warms. Take a container down to -40, and then when we bring this up to room temperature, it raises to room temperature, this will expand

We put an emphasis on safety, quality and reproducibility

What other issues or problems do you see people having on a fairly consistent basis within our industry? (Question for Ryan)

We have seen a lot of terrifying pictures from Lab managers of an accidentally smashed jar full of hard work, and it’s really heartbreaking. 

Have you guys ever had any accidents prior to implementing the EVault? 

No. Never ?

What do you imagine the future of cannabis extract looking like? New and exciting products on the horizon?

Technology for extraction for both physical and chemical is changing. A lot more focus on the minors and isoforms that are coming about. In the next two years we are going to see a lot more talk on formulations on minor cannabinoids. What we are used to in terms of distillate and isolate are produced at bulk suppliers and then we’re going to see smaller companies look at what can do with these minor cannabinoids.  We’re also seeing new products that have a lot of pharma influence on them. 

What does 2021 have in store for Xabis, Inc.? 

Focusing on applying knowledge base and experience. We’re looking to adapt to where the market will be going, which we believe is a highly regulated state. We are focusing on a fully compliant, FDA ready facility. 

We are focusing on trend analysis, scalable best practices and GMP compliance as a forward focus for the company. More analytics so that we can capture more data to further improve on our Quality Assurance as well as overall process improvement.

Can you tell people how they can find your products or inquire about your services?

QMS, analytical testing

A lot of products available are what we have already developed with others. Visit our website and fill out the info form. They can reach out to us at LinkedIn. You can also reach out to Arin (Arin@xabisinc.com), Garret (garret.nicodemus@xabisinc.com) or Cassandra (cassandra@xabisinc.com)

If you could blaze up with any 3 people. Alive, Dead or fictional, who would they be and why?

    1. Gandolf the White
    2. Robbin Williams
    3. Spider-Man

Xabis, Inc. provides premium extraction services and is a cannabis processor that you can rely on. We’re excited about the way they’re changing the industry and how they’re using FreshStor products to do that. Want to catch the interview? Head over to our Insta to watch a recap of the live Q&A!