An abandoned Pepsi factory is being turned into a massive marijuana grow скачать в хорошем качестве

An abandoned Pepsi factory is being turned into a massive marijuana grow

Upon completion in 2019, the Pepsi factory-turned-farm could produce up to 70,000 pounds of marijuana a year.A former Pepsi factory that sat vacant for a decade is being reincarnated as an indoor marijuana grow -- one of the largest in the pot-friendly state of Colorado.Doyen Elements, a holding company that leases real estate properties out to legal cannabis companies, bought an old bottling plant in Pueblo County. Upon completion in 2019, the facility could produce up to 70,000 pounds of marijuana flower a year.According to a recent report in Forbes, the company is one of a growing number of real estate investment firms that are making money in legal weed without actually touching the plant.Click ahead for a sneak peak at the massive grow-op coming to Colorado in 2018. For many years, the 104,000-square-foot plant at 1900 South Freeway was used for bottling Pepsi products. But the soda company — like the steel industry — left Pueblo County.Pueblo, once an economic center of the state's plains, has struggled to recover from the steel-market crash of 1982. A subsidiary of Doyen Elements acquired the property in 2015. It plans to double the production space and create one of the most sophisticated growing operations in Colorado. Upon completion in 2019, the facility could produce between 60,000 and 70,000 pounds of flower (the fluffy, green smokable stuff) a year. Those quantities could generate around $20 million in annual sales of marijuana to pot shops, at a price of $300 per pound.Source:Forbes The conveyor belts and bottling equipment are long gone. But Geoff Thompson, CEO of Doyen Elements, said the company will take advantage of some equipment left on site.Pepsi used an air filtration system that sucked carbon dioxide out of the air. Doyen will lease the facility to one or more licensed cannabis growers and provide the tenants with support services, including research and development and consulting.Thompson, a serial entrepreneur who has worked in real estate and financial services, said Doyen Elements will assist in all operations -- without ever touching the plant.Over the last year, the company has acquired 16 small businesses across real estate, logistics, consulting, financial services, R&D; and green technologies, to help marijuana growers who lease.Marijuana has full legal status in Colorado, but it remains a controlled substance on the federal level. Doyen Elements wants to capitalize on the fast-growing market without dealing directly with the Schedule I drug. By 2021, Doyen Elements hopes to operate more than 1 million square feet of production space. Once the Pepsi factory-turned-farm is up and running, it will create an estimated 160 jobs.New opportunities in legal weed are welcomed in job-starved Pueblo County.The economic recovery is ongoing. But county officials say the industry generates almost $4 million in annual tax revenue, which funds 4H and Future Farmers of America efforts, medical marijuana research at Colorado State University Pueblo, and a first-of-its-kind scholarship program that will send graduating high school seniors to local universities this fall. Before breaking ground on the facility, Doyen Elements sent representatives door-to-door to gather support from the community — a requirement of the land entitlement process.Thompson said the project received signatures of approval from 100% of doors knocked on. "They asked when they're going to have jobs there," Thompson said.