Behind The Grow w/ Eric Coulombe

In this episode of Behind the Grow, Eric sits down with Alexandre Gauthier, VP of R&D at Origin Nature, for an honest, deeply technical, and refreshingly open conversation about commercial cultivation, leadership, and what actually makes a grow operation successful.Alex shares the real story behind his early growing days, how hands-on experience shaped his approach, and why transparency and team culture matter more than any so-...

Industry pioneer Jair Velleman joins Behind the Grow for a raw and insightful conversation about ambition, burnout, reinvention, and the evolution of professional grow lighting.Jair opens up about:• His early hustle importing equipment • Building Mammoth Tents and Gavita from the ground up • Selling his company for life-changing money — and the depression that followed • Rediscovering purpose through Dutch Lighting Innovations • ...

In Episode 7 of Behind the Grow, Eric sits down with cultivation expert Shane Hutto for a deep dive into the science behind modern growing. From managing 160,000 sq. ft. of canopy at Cresco Labs to consulting across the country and now working with Profile Products, Shane brings decades of hands-on experience to this conversation.We cover:• The truth about “over-watering” and why it’s really an oxygen issue • How rockwool, coco, an...

Eric sits down with Tate Dooley (Key to Life; Backyard Farming Supply) for a deep-dive on clean inputs, synganic (synthetic + organic) strategies, IPM that actually works, and how to turn a suburban yard into a high-yield, automated food system. We cover the origin of Key to Life from compost tea brewers to today’s powdered nutrient line, why sulfur supercharges terpene expression, and the “one–two punch” of Silver Bullet + Enzyme ...

Episode 5 dives into organic growing that actually scales. Eric Coulombe sits down with John Ramsey of BioBizz to unpack how to build living, microbe-rich media; dial organic liquids for soil and coco; and keep consistency without chasing numbers. They cover real-world feeding schedules, pH strategy for organics, when (and when not) to measure EC, and simple tweaks that boost vigor, aroma, and resilience—minus the salt-heavy baggag...

From shop floors to global stages, Hydrofarm’s Paul Gonzalez (21+ years in the game) joins Eric to unpack what actually moves growers forward. They compare Spannabis vs. Mary Jane Berlin, why Germany’s living-soil crowd is surging, and how genetics booths supercharge real buyer conversations. Paul breaks down Gaia Green (EcoCert dry amendments: All Purpose 4-4-4, Power Bloom, worm castings) and Grotek’s evolution (bio + mineral ble...

No pumps, no timers, no electricity, just a gravity-fed system that keeps plants consistently fed while you’re away. In this Behind the Grow episode, AutoPot USA’s Manny Pelaez joins Eric Coulombe to break down how a tiny team scaled in a down market, why passive “constant feed” works, and the simple feeding/substrate tweaks that prevent overfeeding and stabilize reservoirs.

What you’ll learn:

• How AquaValve delivers a steady water ...

In Episode 2 of Behind the Grow, I sit down with Justin Cooper, co-founder of Green Planet Nutrients and creator of Growing Exposed. We’ve been running in the same circles for over 20 years, and this convo covers everything from legacy market days to helping veterans find purpose through flower.We talk about: • How Justin helped launch Green Planet Nutrients • The origin story behind Growing Exposed and why it still matters • Fundi...

In the very first episode of Behind the Grow, I sit down with my longtime friend and cannabis industry OG, Jason Stanley. We go way back—same school bus, same football team, and decades in the trenches of the grow industry together.Jason shares how he got started selling hydro gear in the late ’90s, why a bank manager had to write him an apology letter, and how the industry transformed post-legalization. From hash days to big busin...