Sep 117 min read

Get To Know Your Community: Masonry Melts & Concrete Cultivation

Written By: Dillon Cate

Hello and welcome! Thanks for being here and giving the community the opportunity to

get to know you better. Please introduce yourself.

Hey! Thank you for giving me the opportunity to answer some of the questions you and others may be asking themselves. My name is Andrew, born and raised in Western Massachusetts. A small town on the edge of the city and I have been cultivating cannabis for the better part of 15 years.

Both Concrete Cultivation & Masonry Melts are both very descriptive words that make you think of the city and large well-constructed buildings. What is the story behind the names?

Ah names.. Names and branding haha. To keep a long story short (I just deleted two paragraphs haha) When moving here to Maine I wanted something different than my Traditional Market brand name. We landed back on one of our older names that I never really did much with in the previous years, Concrete Cultivator but swapped out Cultivator for Cultivation.

It’s pretty simple really, it seems that the majority of indoor cannabis was and is done on a concrete surface. Whether it be a basement or a garage to a warehouse.

We say “Concrete is the foundation from which we grow”. And you can decipher that however you’d like. Whether you’re a street kid and that’s what you know or in a literal sense, growing weed right on top of a concrete floor.

Masonry was just play on words that went with the Concrete vibe. Masonry Melts being our rosin brand under the Concrete Umbrella.

How did you first get involved with Cannabis? You seem like the guy that has a good first-time smoking story if so what is it?

I got involved with cannabis just like any other curious 14 year old, except while my peers were focusing on sports and school, I was focused on anything but. Being an outcast, skater in the early 2000s it just made sense to me, like the two just go together, like lamb and tuna fish… haha..

The first time I initially smoked, it was right before a school dance. Those lame middle school dances where everyone nervously waited for a slow song to pop on so they could go dance with chick they liked. Not me… I was so fucking high… that everything was slow motion and sped up at the same time. Movements were slow and speaking was quick.

I showed up with a tie, no shirt.. Like, a tie and full nips out.

Of course I had to change that and somehow managed to get a shirt. Once inside I was actually convinced that the adults around me knew and wanted to keep me from drinking anything cause I thought they could swab my mouth to find out. Turns out the drinks I was trying to buy were free and the “no” I kept getting from people was about the cash I tried to hand them and not the drinks… Fun night!

You are a Veteran of the War on Drugs, which is a great scary name they gave it to make it sound scary when in reality it’s a War over a Plant that has never killed anyone. Yet the war they have declared against has killed an unknown amount of people and affected all of our lives. In your long history with Cannabis full of hardship, it has left you along with so many others lasting mental problems.

You are a very brave and strong person publicly speaking about it, which I commend you for doing. It’s truly essential, and it helps others even if you don’t see it or think so. Do you have anything you would like to talk about or say on this subject?

Yes, one hundred percent!

Cannabis played a huge role on my mental, for good and for bad. The bad being the stress it brings having to hide everything that has to do with it or there were some serious consequences. The good being how it can help us deal with the everyday anxieties of life.

I am definitely one to speak out on mental illness just to simply let others know they are not alone.

Others that may not want to say anything cause it’s a touchy subject and they don’t want anyone thinking less of them. I will be the first to admit, I’m fucked up. You are not alone. You are amazing and we are all here fighting fights that no one sees. I have so much to say on this subject and a very long story of my own, which coincidentally enough, got me to where I am right now, in this very spot, growing cannabis.

Maybe we save this long venture for another time. But please reach out if you’d like. Shoot me a message if you ever need to talk! Anytime.

The War On Drugs Has Left An Unimaginable Amount Of People With Trauma. Just Know You Are Not Alone, Talking About It Doesn't Make You Weak It Only Proves How Strong You Are! Please Know People Care Out There And You Truly Are Not Alone! <3

If you could get a message out there to the fellow Veterans of the War On Drugs what would it be.

It would be, thank you. Without you or people like you, I strongly believe we wouldn’t be anywhere close to where we are right now. We kept it alive, we kept it growing and we never gave up.

What’s the biggest difference in how things operate now vs back in the day?

So many things have changed. Again, some for good and some for the bad. The biggest difference is being able to speak freely about it to others. Going back to my previous response of not having to hide like we did. That is huge. Going from not even telling your friends that you’re growing pot to advertising the very same thing.

I should probably elaborate quickly on what I mean by bad. The people, the get rich quick people. The ones who look at cannabis and only see dollar signs who otherwise would never have touched the plant if it weren’t for legality. We still have a very strong community especially here in Maine (one of the best) but it’s the “industry” that’s pulling at the foundation brick by brick. We didn’t come this far to because we wanted to get rich.

We came this far because we loved getting high and we liked being different from the rest. Just my opinion and a lot more to say about that but I promised I would keep this short.

Something I don’t think people really think about is the amount of stuff we have gone through and continue to do so because we truly love and are dedicated to Cannabis and that it truly helps us and brings us all together.

After all this you have been through, what is your favorite thing about Cannabis?

My favorite thing about cannabis has to be the diversity. Cannabis is remarkable for its incredible diversity, both in terms of its biological properties and its cultural significance. The plant contains a vast array of cannabinoids, terpenes, and flavonoids, each contributing to different effects, aromas, and flavors. This chemical diversity allows for a wide range of therapeutic applications, from pain relief to anxiety management, as well as recreational use tailored to individual preferences.

Additionally, the plant’s adaptability to various environments has led to a variety of strains, each with unique characteristics. Beyond its biological complexity, cannabis also plays diverse roles in cultures worldwide, from spiritual practices to medicinal traditions, reflecting its deep historical and social significance.

Through all the years all the hardship has clearly only driven you and made you more passionate. The passion and care you have truly translates into your medicine, the way you run your brand and even just the overall branding. You very proudly keep everything in house to ensure the highest quality and care throughout the entire process. What is your favorite part of working with the Cannabis plant?

I do truly just love every part of this. From cultivating to “marketing” so to speak. Designing and art is just so much fun for me, packaging may not matter compared to what’s inside, but it sure as hell is fun to do.

I do what I love to do day in and day out. Helping others, inspiring others, working with others etc. There’s so much that is amazing about working with this plant that I can’t simply chose a favorite.

What are Concrete Cultivation current grow methods?

We specialize in indoor, hydroponic growing. Cleanliness and strict SOPs keep us on the right track to providing good, clean meds.

What strains does Concrete Cultivation have in its current lineup?

Our Current line up has consisted of a few strains like Cherry Pie Runtz, Ending Alaska and an all time favorite, 50one50 which is a cross of Animal Mints x Permanent Marker.

Any new strains patients can look forward to in the future?

We have some new strains coming out this winter that people have yet to see from Concrete such as, Crunch Berries, D. Lish and few others we are super excited about along with actively popping lots of beans along the way. Got to keep that hunt going at all times!

Something we are extremely excited about is the Premiere of your new Rosin brand Masonry Melts which will be making its exclusive official premiere at The Maine Cannabis Fair. What are the washing and pressing methods you use at Masonry Melts?

So, we recently just built out a small cold/wash room. Something we have been wanting to do for a long time now. We may be late to the rosin game but we will certainly not disappoint. The same passion that goes into our cultivation is mirrored over into our hash making.

Keeping it simple with Hand washing small batches to be able to keep up with top quality hash without getting over worked and pushing out inferior product. Quality in quality out. And it will officially be available here at the Maine Cannabis Fair for the first time release. We have been patiently holding out until this moment.

What strains can patients start getting excited about that will be included in the Masonry Melts exclusive official premiering at The Maine Cannabis Fair?

There will very limited amounts of the following strains: Cap Junky, Sundae Reserve, Han

Solo Burger, Cherry Pie Runtz and Zkittlez. With more to come in the near future.

Closing thoughts / Feel free to add anything else

I want to give a huge thank you to Dillon for being one easy going person that truly cares about this community and so much more. This will also be the second furthest I’ve driven since moving. Moving be the first, in 10 years… go easy on me hahaha.

Can’t wait to see y’all there!