Last summer, Hollywood actor-turned-cannabis farmer Jim Belushi hand-harvested Cassopolis’ Highway Horticulture to be the exclusive Michigan cultivator for his Belushi’s Farm-branded line of products.
On Wednesday, April 19, Highway Horticulture and its retail operation Sunset Coast Provisions will be featured on Belushi’s Discovery Network TV show Growing Belushi, which follows Belushi, his family and their team at Belushi’s Farm as they make their mark in the cannabis industry.
Highway Horticulture Lead Cultivator Nick Luhowy said Growing Belushi filmed segments at their grow facility and Sunset Coast in Cassopolis, as well as at Green Stem Provisioning and last summer’s Blues Brothers concert in Niles.
“What they’ll show about our facility is the actual cultivation, the actual plants, staff – in two days of filming they asked questions on every methodology that we use to put quality first,” Luhowy said. “That’s Jim’s thing, it’s got to be high quality … we get along brilliantly in that respect. From what we’ve seen, the episode will focus mainly on the dispensaries, his new interest in Michigan and us cultivating for him.”
Luhowy – who previously was nationwide lead cultivator for the Chicago-based, publicly-traded Green Thumb Industries and founded of Phenotype Farmers in Seattle – said his commitment to producing the best product at Highway Horticulture aligns perfectly with Belushi’s mission of creating a gateway to healing through cannabis medicine.
The Belushi’s Farm product line is created under Highway Horticulture’s InnerState Craft Cannabis, which Luhowy said has Michigan’s largest selection of cannabis strains and strives to grow the highest-quality product possible.
“Of course, everyone likes to say that,” said Luhowy, on growing high quality cannabis. “We take a great deal of pride in it by making sure we have more diversity, because consumers don’t buy the same thing as often as people like to think. … To give people that opportunity to find new stuff that appeals to them that we’ve spent six months vetting. It’s not a very lucrative process on our end, but it separates us dramatically.”
While Luhowy is flattered to have his operation featured on a national scale, he said he is more grateful that someone like Belushi, who has great influence and reach, cherry-picked Highway Horticulture to be a partner.
“I’m humbled that Jim is not just trying to expand for profit,” Luhowy said. “He actually wants to have people know that they can go to his brand because it’s cultivated perfectly, and it represents diverse genetics. He loves consumer feedback because he wants to tailor his offerings to the people of Michigan. You just never see that. Most companies grow for profit, or just high potency or something very monotone. He is a different breed – he’s got more of a grower’s heart to him than any celebrity I know. …
“That’s incredibly humbling to see someone at that celebrity level so focused on quality. I mean, that’s the best compliment I can give the guy is he cares more about the people and the plant than any of these other celebrities I’ve met.”
The Growing Belushi episode airs at 9 p.m. Wednesday, April 19 on Discovery Plus.
To listen to the full interview with Luhowy, see the podcast player below.
By Ryan Yuenger
Ryany@wsjm.com
