This is the first butane hash oil (BHO) extraction facility in Orange County.
SANTA ANA, CALIF. (April 20, 2021) – Slater Builders has completed the design-build and construction on a nearly 10,000-square-foot extraction and distribution facility for Phire Labs, one of California’s premier cannabis extraction brands. The facility includes three offices, a conference room and breakroom, in addition to the dedicated spaces for Phire Labs to create cannabis extractions, concentrates, edibles and topicals.
“Our new facility enables us to service the entire state and toll process for large-scale cultivations with all types of biomass,” said Nelson Chi, founding partner in Phire Labs. “Our buildout will also allow us to scale appropriately with federal deregulation.”
Though the cannabis industry is still highly regulated in California, Slater Builders’ experience on similar projects, working relationships with hazardous facilities experts, and knowledge of restrictions at the local, county and statewide levels kept this project moving forward, even during a pandemic.
The full-service general contracting firm performed tenant improvements to the existing building, which included structural, lighting and mechanical upgrades that supported Phire Labs’ sophisticated butane and ethanol extraction equipment. The butane and ethanol extraction rooms boast state-of-the-art safety and quality control features, such as explosion-proof lighting and outlets, as well as gas detection systems and alarms.
The facility currently contains one BHO extraction machine, however the forward-thinking design provides the vertically integrated cannabis manufacturing company with room to grow. It will eventually hold up to four butane extraction machines. With an average extraction cycle of less than an hour, BHO is the fastest commercial extraction method, offering a complete, non-polar terpene profile that is similar to the cannabis plant’s natural profile.
The pandemic, regulations, and the flammable, explosive natures of butane and ethanol made this a complex project, but not an impossible one, noted Kim Harvey, Slater’s project manager. “The best thing a cannabis operator can do is engage contractors who have experience in that field and have realistic expectations of what it takes to build these sophisticated facilities,” she said. “Diligence and proper planning ahead of time, paired with an experienced design team that knows how to navigate these regulations and work with key agencies, is what will bring your project to fruition.”
Phire Labs’ newest facility will begin producing its high-quality cannabis concentrates to licensed cultivations and cannabis brands on April 20 (4/20). Being the first butane hash oil extraction facility in Orange County, it will set the standard for other industry players going forward.
Slater Builders is a woman-owned, full-service construction firm serving Southern California and beyond. The firm can take any commercial project from idea to completion as it specializes in pre-construction, design-build and construction. A certified design-build contractor, Slater Builders coordinates and manages project architects, subcontractors, engineers and consultants. To learn more about Slater Builders, visit SlaterBuilders.com.
About Phire Labs
Phire Labs is a new extraction and distribution company in the California medical and recreational cannabis industries. Utilizing state-of-the-art equipment and innovative extraction methods, Phire Labs offers its services to licensed cultivations and cannabis brands to produce connoisseur-craft extracts for the burgeoning cannabis industry. Phire Labs holds an active California Department of Health Manufacturing License and a California Bureau of Cannabis Control Distribution License. To learn more about Phire Labs, visit PhireLabs.com.