▸ WHOLESALE INTEL

Cannabis cultivation nutrient pricing — competitive landscape

Compiled 2026-05-23
95 SKUs · 6 tiers · cited sources
Our Premium vs
Raw Crab Meal
12×
DTE 40lb $0.86/lb → our pallet $24.50/lb
Our Premium vs
Raw Kelp Meal
4×
DTE 50lb $3.63/lb → our pallet $15/lb
Our Premium vs
Neptune's 55gal Fish
4.4×
$9.47/gal → our liquid pallet $42/gal
Synthetic Delta
Per 5k sqft Cycle
~$10k
Going organic vs Jack's/Megacrop

▸ WHERE WE LAND

▸
Above all heritage organic ag (DTE, Espoma, Neptune's, Peaceful Valley) by 2–12× on $/lb / $/gal
▸
Above the cannabis-organic premium tier (Roots, Nectar for the Gods, Vermicrop) by ~2×
▸
Below cannabis-premium microbial tier (Mammoth P, SLF-100, Photosynthesis Plus) by 1.5–16×
▸
5–15× more expensive per gallon-of-feed than synthetics — defendable only by leading with $/lb-of-flower (~$2 premium on $700–1200/lb wholesale)

⚠ WHITE-LABEL DISCLOSURE — INTERNAL CONTEXT

corrected 2026-05-23 PM · 3 white-label sources, not 1

6 of 8 SKUs are private-labeled from three different manufacturers. Mapping per Drive labels + Alex confirmation. Identification risk applies to all three — all are named on the label per fertilizer regs.

our SKUmanufacturersource productmfg locationconfirmed?
Veg PowderSGSMetaGrow MFOOD (0.5-0-3 + 4% Ca, fish/Ca lignosulfonate/seaweed)Clarksburg, CA✓ label
Bloom PowderSGSMetaGrow BLOOM (0.5-0.7-3 + 4.5% Ca + 30 minerals)Clarksburg, CA✓ label
King KrustaceanSGSMetaGrow CFOOD (corrected from BloomESSENTIALS)Clarksburg, CA✓ alex
Microbes (liquid)SGSMetaGrow ST · earthworm compost tea · OMRI/CDFA/CCOFClarksburg, CA✓ label
Sea FoodPacific GroSeaPhos · liquid fish hydrolysate · Creative Ag Products IncRaymond, WA✓ alex + 2020 lab report
Vitamin SeaAmbrosia TechSea-Crop® · 3% Mg + 89 sea minerals, NaCl 95% reducedRaymond, WA✓ alex + sea-crop.com
Kelp It Real— OWN FORMULATION —soluble kelp extract—not white-labeled
Incredible Bulk— OWN FORMULATION —0.1-10-25 high-PK bloom booster—not white-labeled
⚠ IDENTIFICATION RISK ×3
"Guaranteed by SGS / Pacific Gro / Ambrosia Technology" on labels per fert regs. Procurement teams ID source in seconds. Sea-Crop publicly sold 2.5gal $63.50 at 7springsfarm.com (was $90 SRP).
⚠ THREE PRICING DEPENDENCIES
SGS, Pacific Gro, and Ambrosia could all raise prices independently. Need MFN + pricing-stability clauses with each. Pacific Gro + Ambrosia are both Raymond WA — may be related operations.
⚠ HIGH-MARGIN SKUS ARE THE OWN-FORMULA ONES
Per 2022 COGS spreadsheet: Incredible Bulk + Kelp It Real (the two non-white-labeled SKUs) have the BEST wholesale margins (65-78% and 58-68%). White-labeled SKUs run 9-69%.
Defense playbook: lean into the manufacturer stories (SGS = NOP, 70+ crops, 12yr · Sea-Crop = Zeigler family 20+yr · Pacific Gro = WA fish) · bundle pricing across SKUs · invest differentiation in Kelp It Real + Incredible Bulk (own-formula, defensible) · get third-party PCR for "20,000 species" claim · negotiate MFN + supply agreements with all three white-label sources

✓ REAL WHOLESALE MARGINS — from 2022 COGS spreadsheet

source: Drive · Product Catalog Main.xlsx

Per-SKU wholesale margins per actual COGS data (raw material + packaging + label + labor). 2022 data — verify against current SGS/Pacific Gro/Ambrosia quotes if cost structure changed. Sorted best → worst margin.

SKUwhite-label?raw mat. costwholesale GM (smallest)wholesale GM (largest)verdict
Incredible Bulkown-formula$3.00/lb74.48%78.33% / 65.56%★ BEST margin SKU
Sea FoodPacific Gro$9.00/gal61.80%69.62%healthy
Kelp It Realown-formula$5.56/lb67.71%58.41%healthy (NOT constrained!)
MicrobesSGS$6.00/gal61.66%59.54%healthy
Vitamin SeaAmbrosia$14.00/gal61.11%52.95%moderate
Veg PowderSGS$10.00/lb47.52%42.79%moderate
King KrustaceanSGS (CFOOD)$14.00/lb38.34%25.27%⚠ NOT 90% as previously claimed
Bloom PowderSGS$17.00/lb25.57%9.27%⚠ TIGHTEST margin — never cut price
✓ CORRECTED PRICING-FLEX RANK ORDER
Most → least price-flex: Incredible Bulk > Sea Food/Microbes/Kelp It Real > Vitamin Sea > Veg > King K > Bloom (constrained). Bloom 40lb wholesale margin = 9.27% — pricing this lower kills the SKU.
✓ THE OWN-FORMULA SKUS ARE THE GROWTH LEVER
Incredible Bulk + Kelp It Real have the best margins AND aren't dependent on a third-party manufacturer. These are where pricing power, R&D, and marketing investment compound best.

▸ DRY POWDER $/lb (largest publicly priced size)

Lower bar = cheaper. Green = us. Cyan = heritage organic. Pink = cannabis-organic. Gray = synthetic.

▸ LIQUID $/gal (largest publicly priced size)

Mammoth P excluded ($687/gal — would break the scale; see table).

▸ $/GALLON OF FINISHED FEED — the real apples-to-apples

Normalizes for dose rate. This is the number a commercial cultivator budgets against.

× ESTIMATED GROSS MARGIN — pallet pricing

REMOVED 2026-05-23 PM. The raw-amendment cost-floor estimates that lived here were materially wrong. See the REAL WHOLESALE MARGINS section above (sourced from 2022 internal COGS spreadsheet).

▸ FULL DATASET — sortable, filterable

-- rows shown
tier brand product form pack price $/unit $/gal-feed OMRI source

▸ STRATEGIC POSTURE

HOLD THE LINE
  • Veg / Bloom / Krustacean / all liquids at pallet pricing
  • 80%+ GM headroom; premium positioning defensible by brand + microbial story
  • Not the SKUs to discount on commercial conversations
WATCH & DIFFERENTIATE
  • Kelp It Real: only 70–77% GM, input-cost exposed
  • Spec kelp species; bundle with Microbes; audit Acadian-direct landed cost
SELL THE SYNTHETIC GAP
  • Lead with $/lb-of-flower (~$2 premium) not $/lb-of-product (5–15× premium)
  • Frame on 0.3% of wholesale revenue, not absolute cost
  • Buyer = brand-conscious premium cultivator, not commodity grow
GROWTH LEVER
  • Private-label 50lb bulk amendments (crab, kelp, worm castings)
  • 2–2.5× landed cost → $50–80 retail/bag
  • Undercut DTE/Gaia by 10–20% with our brand
  • Captures DIY-prosumer wing → upsell ladder to blended powders

▸ RISKS TO WATCH

VermaPlex at $13.48/gal vs our Microbes at $42/gal pallet. Only direct cannabis-organic peer publicly priced below us — 3× our pallet. If a buyer benchmarks here, we need a sharper microbial spec sheet (CFU count, strain panel, shelf stability).
Kelp meal procurement substitution. Acadian/Thorvin direct at $2.30/lb in 50lb sacks. Any commercial buyer with a procurement function can DIY substitute Kelp It Real.
Cannabis-organic 55gal pricing transparency. Most peers gate this — but Bay Hydro publishes Nectar for the Gods 55gal. We're transparent too. Watch for cannabis-organic brands closing this gap.