Native Care Uses LightLab to Streamline Manufacturing, Optimize Product Allocation, and Ensure Compliant Dosing
The Customer
Company: Native Care
Location: Minnesota
Operation: Indoor cultivation, manufacturing, product development, retail
Technology: LightLab 3 HS Cannabis Analyzer by Orange Photonics
Primary Use Cases: Routing raw materials / product formulation / edibles dosing /pre-compliance testing
Secondary Use Cases: Genetics research and development / phenotype selection
Native Care is a vertically integrated cannabis company that cultivates, manufactures, processes, and retails flower, pre-rolls, solventless hash rosin, edibles, and other cannabis products. The company operates approximately 15,000 square feet of indoor cultivation, producing 300–400 pounds of flower each month, and serves customers through three retail dispensary locations in Minnesota. As a tribally owned nonprofit operating on sovereign land, profits are reinvested directly into the Red Lake Nation community supporting tribal programs and long-term economic development.
The Challenge
Rapid Growth Created a Need for Faster Operational Insights
Native Care opened as a medical cannabis dispensary in February 2021. Because it operates on Red Lake Nation sovereign land, it was uniquely positioned to serve patients before Minnesota’s adult-use cannabis market launched. When recreational cannabis was legalized later that year, Native Care was able to begin serving adult-use customers immediately, driving rapid growth across cultivation, manufacturing, and retail.
As production expanded to meet increasing demand, the team needed analytical data to support real-time decisions. They had questions such as:
- Should this flower be sold as premium flower or processed into solventless rosin?
- Does this cultivar consistently produce elevated THCV?
- Is this edible formulation accurately dosed?
- Will this finished batch pass compliance testing?
Outsourcing cannabinoid testing to a third-party laboratory in Minnesota was neither affordable nor efficient. With only two licensed testing labs in the state, turnaround times stretched to eight weeks or longer, while testing costs (often exceeding $2,000 per test) made routine analytical testing impractical. Native Care needed another solution.
The Solution
Bring Quantitative Cannabinoid Testing In-House
Native Care implemented the LightLab 3 High Sensitivity Cannabis Analyzer to bring cannabinoid testing in-house. By analyzing material throughout cultivation and manufacturing, the team receives quantitative results in minutes instead of waiting weeks for third-party lab testing, enabling faster, more informed production decisions while reducing costly rework and waste.
The Workflow
How Native Care Uses LightLab for Onsite THC Testing and More
At Native Care, multiple employees have been trained to operate LightLab, making cannabinoid testing part of everyday production rather than a specialized laboratory task. According to Shy McDaniel, Director of Production, “it’s pretty quick and easy to train people on LightLab. As long as you can follow the step-by-step instructions, you can run the instrument.”
Product Routing
Native Care routinely analyzes THC, THCV, CBD, and CBN throughout cultivation and manufacturing. Every batch of harvested flower is analyzed before downstream processing decisions are made. Cannabinoid and terpene profiles help determine the highest-value destination for harvested flower.
For example, flower with exceptional terpene content but lower-than-expected THC may be redirected into solventless rosin instead of being packaged as premium flower. Likewise, cultivars that consistently produce elevated THCV can be earmarked for edibles where that cannabinoid profile provides greater value.
Product Development
During formulation, the Native Care team routinely tests small batches before committing ingredients to larger production runs. This allows formulations to be adjusted immediately, reducing material waste while improving consistency from batch to batch.
Edibles Dosing Verification
LightLab plays a critical role in Native Care’s edibles manufacturing process. Before a full batch of gummies is packaged and submitted for state compliance testing, the production team verifies cannabinoid concentrations in-house. If potency falls outside the target range, adjustments can be made immediately.
While new labs are now opening in Minnesota, testing costs are still high and wait times average well over two weeks. For Native Care, in-house testing means avoiding wasting resources on packaging, labor, and a final compliance test (currently approx. $1,500) on a batch that would have ultimately failed.
The Results
Operational Benefits Across Production
Bringing cannabinoid testing in-house has allowed the team at Native Care to:
1. Make Faster, More Informed Operational Decisions
By bringing cannabinoid testing in-house, Native Care has immediate access to quantitative cannabinoid data throughout production. Product routing, formulation development, and edible dosing can all be evaluated while products are still in process, eliminating weeks of waiting for third-party laboratory results.
2. Maximize Margins and Minimize Waste
Analytical data helps maximize the value of every harvest by ensuring each crop is directed to its highest-value end use. In manufacturing, in-house testing minimizes waste by identifying formulation adjustments before full-scale production, saving ingredients, labor, and production time.
3. Ensure Product Consistency, Quality, and Consumer Confidence
Native Care is committed to delivering premium cannabis products backed by exceptional quality standards, transparency, and a safe, consistent customer experience. LightLab helps the production team uphold those commitments by verifying cannabinoid potency throughout cultivation and manufacturing, not just at the end of the process.
By confirming potency before products reach store shelves, Native Care delivers more consistent dosing, supports rigorous internal quality standards, and gives customers greater confidence that every product reflects the quality they expect from the Native Care brand.
4. Avoid Costly Compliance Failures
By verifying cannabinoid concentrations before products are packaged and submitted for state compliance testing, Native Care significantly reduces the risk of costly compliance failures.
By integrating LightLab throughout cultivation, manufacturing, and product development, Native Care has transformed cannabinoid testing from an occasional laboratory requirement into a daily operational tool. The result is a more efficient operation that delivers higher-quality products while supporting Native Care’s commitment to the communities it serves.
The Added Value
LightLab Supports In-House Genetic Testing and Phenotyping
Native Care also uses LightLab to support genetics research and development. Before committing valuable flower room space to a new cultivar, the cultivation team often analyzes potency and cannabinoid profiles during small-scale trials to determine which genetics are worth expanding. The instrument has also helped identify the most promising phenotypes from seed-grown genetics before selecting plants for production. While Native Care now relies primarily on tissue culture clones, this capability continues to support future genetic evaluation and cultivar development.
The Customer Perspective
The Confidence to Make Informed Decisions
For Native Care, the value of LightLab extends well beyond faster testing or reduced laboratory costs. The instrument has become an integral part of the company’s processes, providing the data needed to make informed decisions at every stage of cultivation and manufacturing.
“The biggest value LightLab brings to our operation is confidence. It gives us fast, reliable data that helps us make better production decisions, maintain consistency, and avoid costly surprises during compliance testing.” — Shy McDaniel, Director of Production
