In this interview, David Sandelman shares how Cannatrol’s Vaportrol® technology is setting new standards for cannabis drying and curing.
David Sandelman is a serial inventor, problem solver, entrepreneur, and the creator of Cannatrol Systems for cannabis postharvest processing. A veteran of new product development in the HVAC industry, he leads the production and engineering initiatives at Cannatrol’s parent company, VT Dry & Cure Technologies.
David holds 19 patents—including two relating to the drying, curing, and storage of cannabis—and among his early inventions is the two-wire digital clock thermostat that helped consumers address the energy crisis of the late 1970s. A firm believer that every problem has a solution, David has decades of experience building and designing industrial controls and worked on new cooling technologies at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Electric Power Research Institute. He is also accomplished in production design, wireless and cellular communication, and electrical engineering.
In this interview, we have the pleasure of speaking with David Sandelman, the COO, CTO, and Co-Founder of Cannatrol, a trailblazer in cannabis post-harvest processing. With a robust background in HVAC product development and a portfolio of 19 patents, David has seamlessly transitioned his expertise to revolutionize the cannabis industry.
Cannatrol’s patented Vaportrol® technology, inspired by curing methods from the meat and cheese industry, offers groundbreaking solutions for drying, curing, and storing cannabis. Read on below as David shares insights into his innovative approach, the challenges faced in the industry, and the future of Cannatrol’s expansion and technological advancements.
Ganjly: Can you explain the core principles behind Cannatrol’s patented Vaportrol® technology and how it differs from traditional post-harvest cannabis processing methods?
David Sandelman: We create the perfect conditions for drying, curing, and storage—with no handling required. In traditional systems, the flower is placed in a room that constantly removes moisture, then the product has to be moved to a secondary space, so as not to overdry it. It’s an inefficient practice that also damages delicate trichomes and degrades product quality.
When you place your freshly harvested flower in a Cannatrol room, the flower is ready to consume in less than 10 days. There’s no need to move the flower throughout the process. It can even be left for an extended period of time, if desired, and it will continue to cure.
Ganjly: What inspired the adaptation of curing technologies from the meat and cheese industry to cannabis?
David Sandelman: The same quality-control concepts apply to cannabis that apply to meat and cheese—it’s all about the science of drying, curing and getting a product to optimal shelf stability. The objective is to remove the free available water that mold and other microbes feed on and leave only the bound water that is inaccessible to them—effectively preventing their growth.
Bound water provides weight to the product without affecting shelf stability. Since cannabis, like cheese and meat, is sold by weight, every extra molecule of bound water removed from the product is lost revenue.
Ganjly: How does Cannatrol’s technology ensure environmental equilibrium across different seasons, climates, and geographic locations?
David Sandelman: We operate in a vapor-tight room, no different than a sealed cooler. This allows Cannatrol’s Vaportrol® Technology to establish and maintain the perfect conditions in the space, regardless of what is happening outside the room, be it winter or summer, humid or arid.
Ganjly: What are the main challenges you faced when integrating Vaportrol® technology into the cannabis industry, and how did you overcome them?
David Sandelman: Our biggest hurdle is educating people who have used legacy methods for years. When cannabis was an underground industry, people were reluctant to come out of the shadows and ask for help from other established industries that had long dealt with issues of drying and curing—industries that have researched and understood that science for decades.
Our job is to educate those in the postharvest sector that have relied on products designed for human comfort, like dehumidifiers and air conditioners, without really knowing what is happening within the flower. Our science-backed technology was created specifically for all cannabis drying, curing, and storage needs.
Ganjly: Can you discuss the impact of your technology on terpene retention and overall product quality compared to traditional drying and curing methods?
David Sandelman: Trichomes contain all the terpenes and cannabinoids—“the good stuff”—and when they’re damaged and ruptured in postharvest handling, that affects overall product quality. Several independent studies conducted in partnership with the Cannabis Research Coalition have illustrated that Vaportrol® Technology delivers 16% higher terpene retention, on average, than traditional dry, cure and storage methods. Flower processed with our technology has less than 2% trichome damage, compared to 25%-35% damage when utilizing conventional dry then cure with dehumidifiers and air conditioners.
Ganjly: How does Cannatrol’s technology contribute to increased yields and reduced curing times for cannabis growers?
David Sandelman: Because Vaportrol® Technology doesn’t overdry flower, there is more salable weight, directly affecting the bottom line. Due to fears of mold and microbes, or just poor control of the postharvest process, many producers overdry their flower, adversely impacting weight and product quality.
Additionally, because our technology doesn’t arrest the drying process by moving the flower room to room, labor costs are reduced and there’s a consistent eight- to 10-day postharvest timeline no matter the region or climate. Cultivators also have the ability to extend cure times to enhance the quality of cultivars, similar to barrel-aging wines and bourbons.
Ganjly: Can you elaborate on the benefits of Cannatrol’s technology in terms of Good Manufacturing Processes (GMP) compliance?
David Sandelman: GMP is like a more-encompassing SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) but goes beyond the basic production steps and looks at critical points in the process where problems can occur, and addresses what could be process risks.
Ganjly: What does being listed on the Forbes 42.0 List mean for Cannatrol, and how has this recognition impacted your business?
David Sandelman: It is humbling to have Cannatrol included with some of the top companies in the industry by Forbes! As a young company with a truly disruptive technology, this sort of recognition helps us get the word out to cultivators who are looking to up their game in what has become a really competitive environment.
Ganjly: How has your recent expansion to Europe via a partnership with Paralab Green been received, and what are your future plans for international growth?
David Sandelman: The cultivators we have met in Europe are very interested in our technology and are really embracing the science. Working with the Paralab Green team, we will bring our technology beyond Europe, into the UK, North Africa, Latin America and Israel.
Ganjly: Looking ahead, what innovations or improvements can we expect from Cannatrol soon?
David Sandelman: We are constantly working on new ways to apply our technology to give growers (both home grow and commercial cultivation) more control over their environment and improve the quality of their finished product.
David’s experience as a construction and industrial consultant includes oversight of all mechanical, electrical and plumbing design for a 20-story luxury highrise condominium project, and design services for food processing plants’ heating and cooling systems used for production equipment. As VP and CTO at Notifact Corporation, he conceptualized a low-cost wireless monitoring system—spun off from his time as VP of New Business Development at Heat-Timer Corporation—that created a new service category in the $80 billion HVAC industry.
In addition to his mechanical engineering career, as a side project David and his wife renovated and ran an inn and restaurant that won awards from Saveur and Food & Wine magazines and was named one of the “Top 10 Culinary Inns in America” by Fodors. David lives in Vermont and is schooled in whitewater guiding and rescue, as well as rock climbing instruction. When time permits, he also enjoys mountain biking, hiking, and skiing.
Thank you, David, for taking the time to do the interview. To know more about David and Cannatrol, head on over to Cannatrols.com.
