From Robotics to Cannabis Science
Originally from Hubbard, Ohio, Allison has always been passionate about problem-solving and innovation. Before joining the cannabis industry, she worked in manufacturing and robotics—helping build autonomous welding systems and mastering CNC machining.
When Pennsylvania’s medical program launched in 2019, Allison was excited to bring her technical background to a new field with enormous potential.
Why Extraction?
For Allison, cannabis extraction blends science and artistry.
“The process of turning raw plant material into high-quality, consistent products fascinated me. It’s about using technical skills to create something that truly helps improve people’s lives.”
She started in the packaging department, but her curiosity led her into extraction, where hands-on learning fueled her growth into a leading role at FRX.
What Craft Extraction Means
To Allison, craft extraction is about care, precision, and respect for the plant.
“It’s that mix of science and artistry—making sure every product is consistent, effective, and true to the plant.”
At FRX, all concentrates are handcrafted by the lab team, who monitor every step of the process like chefs in a kitchen, ensuring each batch receives the attention it deserves.
Inside the Lab: How FRX Makes Concentrates
FRX specializes in hydrocarbon and ethanol extraction. Hydrocarbon methods allow for flavorful, crystalline products like Live Resin Sugars, Beach Sand, Diamonds, and Sauce, which are later crafted into True Live Resin and Live Resin Distillate cartridges. Ethanol extraction is used for RSO and distillates, capturing a full spectrum of cannabinoids and terpenes.
Terpenes play a huge role, influencing not just the flavor and effect, but also how concentrates form crystals during nucleation. As Allison explains, “Quality in equals quality out.”
Patient Favorites & Allison’s Pick
Patients often want to know: how strong is it, how does it taste, and how consistent is it? FRX products are designed with those questions in mind, ensuring both potency and safety.
Allison’s personal favorite to make? Budder.
“There’s just something about whipping the product and watching it transform right in front of your eyes that never gets old.”
Behind the Scenes
A day in the FRX lab involves everything from prepping flower-filled micron socks for extraction, to carefully managing temperature, darkness, and timing during nucleation—the natural separation process that produces clean THCA crystals and terpene-rich extracts.
Patients might be surprised to learn how much science, patience, and even artistry goes into crafting products like beach sand concentrates.
Looking Ahead
Allison and the FRX team are exploring new technologies, like nano-emulsification, and developing innovative patient products such as troches currently in R&D.
Her message to patients is simple:
“We care. Everything we make gets real attention from us in the lab, and we keep it true to the plant. At the end of the day, we make products we’d want to use ourselves.”
Want to learn more from Allison and our lab team? Read the full interview below!
About You & Your Philosophy
What inspired you to focus on cannabis extraction and product development?
I was drawn to cannabis extraction and product development because it combines science, innovation, and creativity. The process of turning raw plant material into high-quality, consistent products fascinated me, and I was excited by the opportunity to contribute to an emerging industry where I could apply technical skills while helping create products that genuinely improve people’s lives.
How did you get started in lab work, and what led you to FRX?
I started out in the packaging department, but I was curious about extraction, so I made a point to learn from the previous director. By jumping in and getting hands-on, I quickly picked up skills in cannabis extraction and product development which helped me to make high-quality, innovative products.
What does “craft extraction” or “organic science” mean to you personally?
To me, ‘craft extraction’ and ‘organic science’ are all about taking a careful, hands-on approach. It’s respecting the plant and really understanding its chemistry while using techniques that preserve its quality. For me, it’s that mix of science and artistry—making sure every product is consistent, effective, and true to the plant.
Extraction & Processes
Can you explain the different extraction methods FRX uses (e.g., solventless, hydrocarbon, CO₂) and why?
Right now, we use hydrocarbon and ethanol extraction. For our dabbable products, we use hydrocarbon solvents like butane and propane to pull cannabinoids and terpenes from fresh frozen or cured flower. This method is great for nucleation, which allows us to make Sugars, Beach Sands, Diamonds, and HTC/Sauce. From there, we process those concentrates into our True Live Resin cartridges and Live Resin Distillate cartridges. Ethanol extraction, on the other hand, is used specifically for RSO and distillate production. It efficiently pulls all cannabinoids, terpenes, and other beneficial plant compounds, giving us a full-spectrum product.
What makes FRX’s approach to extraction unique in Pennsylvania?
“What makes FRX’s approach to extraction unique in Pennsylvania is that our concentrates are truly hand-crafted. All of our products are literally made by hand and closely monitored by our extraction techs. It’s a lot like cooking—every batch gets careful attention and a lot of love to make sure the final product comes out flavorful, consistent, and high quality.
How do you ensure purity, consistency, and safety in every batch?
We make sure every batch is pure, consistent, and safe by carefully monitoring the entire process. Our extraction techs oversee everything—from choosing the highest-quality flower to crafting the final product—while following strict safety protocols to protect both the product and the people making it. Each batch is made by hand with attention to detail and care, so patients can feel confident that what they’re getting is safe, reliable, and made with quality in mind.
What role do terpenes play in the extraction and final product?
Terpenes play a huge role in both extraction and the final product. The terpene content in the flower can greatly affect the nucleation process—basically how the concentrate ‘crashes’ and crystallizes. Flowers with a high terpene profile are what allow us to create crystalline products like sugar, beach sand, and diamonds. Simply put, you need quality going in to get quality coming out, so starting with terpene-rich flower is key to making the best concentrates.
Concentrates & Cartridges
What types of concentrates does FRX produce, and how do they differ?
At FRX, we create a variety of concentrates that bring out the full flavor and potential of the flower. Our crystalline products—like Live Resin Sugar, Beach Sand, Diamonds, and Sauce—are made from fresh frozen flower to preserve terpenes and let natural crystals form. We also make whipped concentrates, like Live Waxes, Crumbles, and Budders, which are smooth and fluffy. Many of these can also be made with cured flower for a slightly different experience. For convenience, our Live Resin Cartridges are made by decarboxylating sugar and re-introducing HTC/Sauce, while our Live Resin Distillate Cartridges are made by blending HTC directly into distillate. This gives patients a high-quality, flavorful, and potent product in an easy-to-use format.
What are some of the challenges in producing cartridges and maintaining quality?
Making Live Resin Cartridges takes a lot of care. The sugar has to be fully decarbed and converted to THC, or it could start forming crystals inside the cartridge. The HTC/Sauce also must be free of leftover THCA, which we make sure of by letting it fully crystallize and removing any extra THCA. Once both components are ready, we combine them to create a cartridge that’s both flavorful and stable. This careful process is what makes sure every cartridge is high-quality and consistent for patients.
Do you have a personal favorite product type to make, and why?
I definitely do—budder is my favorite to make. There’s just something about whipping the product and watching it transform right in front of your eyes that never gets old. It’s a hands-on process, and seeing the texture and consistency change every time is still amazing to me.
How do you decide which strains or cultivars to turn into concentrates?
Choosing which strains to turn into concentrates involves a lot of trial and error. Some strains naturally produce a waxy texture, while others will form solid pucks of THCA. Each strain has its own tendencies, and our job is to guide it in the right direction, but ultimately the flower decides what it wants to become. It’s a combination of understanding the plant and letting it show us its potential.
Patient Impact
How does the extraction process affect the flavor, effects, and experience for patients?
The extraction process has a big impact on the flavor, effects, and overall experience for patients. There are a few key factors we focus on:
High-quality flower: We start with the best flower possible because quality in equals quality out.
Temperature control: Keeping our system below freezing helps prevent the solvent from pulling unwanted components like fats, lipids, and chlorophyll, which can affect taste and smoothness.
Speed: Extracting at the right speed helps preserve the natural terpenes, limits unwanted compounds, and maximizes cannabinoid potency.
By carefully controlling these factors, we make sure patients get a flavorful, full-spectrum concentrate that provides a consistent and high-quality experience.
What do patients most often want to know about concentrates and cartridges?
Patients usually want to know a few things about concentrates and cartridges—how they’ll taste, how strong they are, and how consistent each batch is. They also care about safety and quality, and often ask how different types, like waxes, budders, or Live Resin cartridges, can affect their experience. At the end of the day, patients just want to feel confident that what they’re using is safe, effective, and made with care.
What feedback from patients has shaped how you and the lab team approach your work?
Patient feedback really shapes how we do things in the lab. We pay attention to what they say about flavor, strength, and consistency, and it helps us tweak our process. If someone wants smoother cartridges, stronger effects, or a certain texture in a concentrate, we take it to heart. Hearing directly from patients makes sure we’re creating products that they love and can rely on.
Behind the Scenes
What does a typical day look like for you and your lab team?
A typical day in our lab starts with preparing flower for hydrocarbon extraction. We fill micron ‘socks’ with flower, which makes it easier to switch out for the next run and also acts as a filter to keep kief from mixing with the extracted oil. Once enough socks are ready, we extract them one by one. Each run is collected in a jar and placed in a dark oven, where it will naturally nucleate over the course of a week. For products extracted with ethanol, the process is a bit different. The oil must be cleaned through a step called Winterization, which removes fats and lipids, afterwards it’s placed in the oven to decarb. Once that’s finished, the oil is ready to be processed into distillate, which we use for Live Resin Distillate Cartridges, Burst Cartridges, and Tinctures. Every step is carefully monitored to make sure our products are safe, consistent, and high quality.
What’s one thing patients might be surprised to learn about how concentrates are made?
One thing that might surprise patients is just how much science and artistry goes into something called nucleation. It’s the process that allows concentrates to separate into their purest forms—crystalline THCA and terpene-rich HTC. The magic happens through three key factors: supersaturation, carefully controlled temperatures, and complete darkness. When everything lines up just right, you get a beautiful, natural separation that makes it possible to pour off clean HTC in one go—often leading to stunning products like beach sand. It’s equal parts chemistry and craftsmanship, and the results are as fascinating as they are flavorful.
Looking Ahead
What innovations or techniques in extraction are you most excited about?
Nano emulsification is pretty cool.
Are there any new product types or formulations patients can look forward to?
Troches! We are currently in the process of R&Ding some recipes we think would work with the current market.
What would you like patients to know about FRX’s mission and values from a lab perspective?
Honestly, we just want people to know we care. Everything we make gets real attention from us in the lab, and we’re always trying to keep it true to the plant. At the end of the day, we make stuff we’d actually want to use ourselves.
Final Question
If patients could ask you one question directly, what do you think they’d most want to know about concentrates or cartridges?
Our Live Distillate Cartridges are made by blending distillate with Live Resin high terpene extract (HTC), while our Live Resin Cartridges come from decarbed sugar or beach sand mixed back with their matching HTC. We like to keep our product names as clear as possible so patients know exactly what they’re getting—and we offer both options so everyone can find what works best for them.
