Flow Kana purchasing Hopland property housing Solar Living Institute and Emerald Pharms

MENDOCINO CO,, 4/17/19 — Cannabis distributor Flow Kana will be purchasing the Hopland property containing the Solar Living Institute(or EcoTerra), retail store Real Goods, and dispensary Emerald Pharms, a move first announced by Solar Living Institute founder John Schaeffer in an organizational newsletter on Tuesday. Schaeffer said that the cannabis distributor will bring expanded and revitalized services to the 41 year old solar energy organization. Flow Kana founder Michael Steinmetz said the company will primarily be operating as a landlord, with plans to help the tenants “grow and expand,” and that Shaeffer will stay on in an advisory role to assist with the transition at the site.

The non-profit Solar Living Institute, and the associated Real Goods business, are known for their storied 41 year long history in the solar industry, and Schaeffer is famous for having sold the “first PV [photovoltaic] module in the world” in 1978. In the announcement, Schaeffer explained that the solar organization had been “looking for a like-minded entity” for several years to “pass the baton.” For his part, Steinmetz said the two organizations’ “visions and missions are so aligned,” and noted his excitement about supporting the intersection of the regenerative agriculture, regenerative cannabis, and renewable energy industries, adding that “Mendocino has been a pioneer in these movements for a very long time.” The property currently houses the Solar Living Institute, the Real Goods retail store, and cannabis dispensary Emerald Pharms, all of which will be tenants, and also serves a demonstration center for sustainable building, renewable energy, and as an event rental. Flow Kana raised an additional $125 million in a new funding round in early 2019, but the price of the Hopland acquisition has not been made public.