October, or Croptober as many call it these days, will always mean Harvest for us cannabis farmers, but these days it also means the Hall of Flowers gathering in Santa Rosa. It was perfect autumn weather this year as about 4,000 people attended the annual 2-day event held at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds. Three large exhibition halls were dedicated to booth spaces and another solely to the Core Conversation panels, which continued throughout both days. The spacious open lawn area in the heart of it all was where everyone congregated on large orange pillows to smoke and hang out with canna-friends, new and old.
The first day, reserved exclusively for licensed retail buyers and people in the biz, was dedicated to B2B deals. It was busy all day at the many booths representing growers, ancillary businesses, dispensaries, and distributors. Passionate businesses eagerly pitched their products and ideas to interested buyers. At a time when many companies were on the edge of collapse, this was a big boost, and the feeling of hope was palpable.
Many people commented on how the booths were not as large and flashy as in years past, probably a sign of less excessive spending in these tougher times. It’s not easy for a small farmer to cover the costs of a booth, and so several paired up to pay for spaces. Also, with all the consolidations happening in the industry, several booths represented their array of acquisitions, as did Distribution companies. The prevalent sentiment was that if you were there, it meant that you were still surviving, and so bravo! While the corporate vibe is definitely infiltrating our OG world of cannabis, a feeling of community camaraderie was still prevalent, as evidenced by all the hugging going on.
For a lucky few, The Hall of Flowers did generously offer Equity Grants to six companies that proved their dedication and innovation. One of these, Queen Mary, had a lovely booth staffed by the Founder and CEO, Tiana Woodruff. This bright woman from Southern California has developed a Daily Health Regimen that she claims can “help people get off script meds and be healthy and euphoric at the same time.” It involves a morning tincture that replaces coffee “without the jitters and crash,” a mid-day edible gummy for energy and focus, and another “moonstruck” gummy for a good night’s sleep. Tiana is proud to be all self-funded and says she wears many hats to keep it going. “I need to be a scientist, a lawyer, do all the marketing and sales and more,” she explained. Such is the nature of this emerging biz, and she has mastered it.
Another booth that attracted a lot of attention featured a chance to don Virtual Reality glasses and “visit” two craft farms in The Emerald Triangle: MoonMade Farms and Lost Paradise Organics. Suddenly Santa Rosa faded away as the viewer was virtually transported inside the cannabis gardens surrounded by towering plants in full flower. And to top it off, a jar of fresh bud was passed under their nose for the full effect! Colleen King of Listo, who is the inspiration for using Virtual Reality for cannabis farm tours, says she “knows the power of taking someone to a farm and how that experience can change their whole relationship to cannabis.” It is brilliant new concepts such as these that make the Hall of Flowers such an inspiring event.
As attendees wandered between buildings, some unusual activities were to be found. The outside AVD Lounge was not only a great place to get high on comfy couches but some amazing entertainment was provided by Cirque du Gold Drop – an activation presented by Gold Drop and produced & curated by the Hashinista herself, Elise McRoberts. These amazing performances by three professional performers – stilt walker Krysta Cook, belly dancer Luna Moon and former Cirque du Soliel aerialist Viva La Glam – were absolutely dreamlike after doing a big dab. Bold, gold, and glittery costumes adorned the renowned local artists whose divine feminine artistry was a fitting tribute to our ganja goddess, cannabis. “It was the perfect dream gig for me,” said Elise. “I appreciate Gold Drop for providing a memorable experience for the guests and for giving me the opportunity to work on something new and exciting, to make cannabiz fun again!”
The intellectual balance was to be found at the Core Conversations, informaltive panels that went on both days and featured an impressive array of speakers discussing timely and important subjects. Topics ranged from Equity and Technological Innovations to Financing and Consolidation. One subject that spoke to my heart, as a Sungrown farmer, was how to create outdoor demand from a shopper’s perspective. The featured panelists were Michael Katz, Executive Director of the Mendocino Cannabis Alliance, and Tim Blake, Founder and Producer of The Emerald Cup. “It’s all about education, both of the budtenders and the customers, and meticulous care of the plants from farm to consumer,” explained Katz. Tim Blake stressed the importance of D2C events. “The DCC needs to allow many small farmers’ markets and competitions all across the state, or they’ll kill us,” he stressed, adding, “This year, more than ever, we need the communities to come together, which is what we’ll be doing at the Emerald Cup Harvest Ball in December, right here at the fairgrounds.”
One way the Hall of Flowers kindly helped the struggling small farmers was by providing access to affordable booth space via their expanded Equity Grant Program. This allowed space for five farms from Mendocino County and three farms from Humboldt County to join together in one large booth area and interact with retailers from all over California. “It’s been a steady flow of visitors who seem to love the ethos and stories of our farmers. We’re so grateful for this opportunity,” said Michael Katz. Chris Anderson, Founder and CEO of Redwood Distribution which represented the Humboldt farmers explained that “by having so many corporatized brands around us, the legacy stands out. We may not have fancy booths, but we have lots of awards,” as he pointed to the shelf of trophies behind him.
The second day of the Hall of Flowers was open to the general public, who paid a hefty entrance fee of $690 per person. While this seems steep, in return, they could gather many coupons from their favorite brands and cash them in at the Nug Dispensary on-site. For only $3 per coupon, they received 1/8ths of flowers, bags of edibles, vapes, and more – many people leaving with large bags stuffed with goodies that would have cost up to 20 times the $3 at a regular dispensary. Credit goes to Nug for having a very organized system with 15 cashiers moving the line steadily through so no one had to wait long for their purchases.
And while the Hall of Flowers crew had no clue this would happen, at about 3:00 on the 2nd day, the ubiquitous DJ music suddenly stopped. Over the PA system, the announcement was made that President Joe Biden had just signed a release for 6,500 cannabis convictions and would begin discussions about changing the scheduled status of cannabis on a federal level. Wow! That was just the antidote we all needed for these struggling times, a sign of hope. It is through these gatherings of our community that we are all stronger together going forward. At last, there may be light at the end of the tunnel.
Follow Nikki online: www.swamiselect.com
