Grassroots Marketing

We learn about the World's 1st All Inclusive Seaside Health and Wellness Resort With Onsite Cannabis Cultivation and Consumption, located in Negril, Jamaica. We learn more from Dr. Adam Abodeely Oncologist, Founder of Coral Cove Cannabis Wellness Resort

 Coral Cove Wellness Resort sits on a quarter-mile of Caribbean Sea on the southwestern coast of Jamaica, just 10 miles from the town of Negril and a 90-minute drive from Montego Bay’s Sangster International Airport.

Built on an exclusive cove with a protected area for swimming, snorkeling and kayaking, the resort is an oasis for both guests and wildlife, specifically tropical fish, dolphins, sea turtles and a variety of birds including the swallow tail humming bird which is Jamaica’s national bird.

The resort currently offers a combo of 23 rooms and cottages, but plans are in the works for an additional 20 units all of varying sizes. Other offerings include a newly constructed oceanside pool and bar, a spa, a conference center (accommodating up to 45 people) and a fully-licensed cannabis dispensary.

Grassroots Marketing talks about Whole Plant Utilization with Devin DuBois - one of the Co-Founders of Blue Sky Hemp Ventures.

As one of western Canada’s largest and most innovative hemp processing facilities, Blue Sky Hemp Ventures understands the unique opportunities and challenges facing hemp farmers. With hemp becoming an increasingly profitable crop, it is essential to invest in the right genetics to ensure a successful future. Chief Agronomist Wilson Johnson has been leading the charge at Blue Sky and believes that investing in hemp plant genetics could bring the same success to the crop as canola.

Canada is no stranger to innovation when it comes to agriculture. It was only 30 years ago when canola was a relatively new crop and, since then, breeding technology has skyrocketed its value. It’s now worth an estimated 26.7 billion dollars. It is also one of Canada's most profitable crops.

Nesas Hemp CEO and Founder Inesa Ponomariovaite discusses CBD Safety and Efficacy and Growing Hemp Beyond Organic.

Nesa’s, as a company, is “beyond organic”. The products are certified organic, and the company has the lab tests to prove it. Users of Nesas understand just how much the product helps them. By going significantly beyond the required typical organic certification requirements, customer know they are getting a best-of-breed product that is changing the trajectory of the industry.  

Literally hundreds of studies globally have clearly shown the health benefits of using CBD regularly. This includes improvement in everything from mental health to pain management or sleep to depression and anxiety. In fact, Statistica reports that the number one reason CBD is purchased in the United States is for the treatment of stress and anxiety. And, when you already suffer from anxiety, why take a product that is grown in or contaminated with toxins? Without the credible lab testing – testing that looks at everything including pesticides, metals, microbes, and so much more – CBD products aren’t offering users a real solution. Nesa’s, on the other hand, always puts their customer’s health and their plant’s health first

We hear from one Karli Miller-Hornick, co-founder of Florist Farms on how Florist Farms is Flourishing in Growing New York Cannabis Market.

When co-founder Karli Miller-Hornick first launched the CBD brand Head & Heal, she was overwhelmed with the positive response from customers, at that time mostly farmers-market patrons. With that encouragement, she launched herself into developing one of the most successful CBD brands in the state.

When the legal market came to New York, Karli and co-founder Allan Gandelman seized the opportunity to align their history and experience in growing CBD-rich plants with their love and enthusiasm for cannabis. Supported by experienced growers from California, they prepared their busy organic vegetable farm with hoop houses, plenty of organic soil, and a regenerative agriculture framework. Meanwhile, their lab in Cortland, NY became home to some of the best extraction specialists in the game. But they couldn't stop there: with plants in the ground and a fully outfitted extraction lab, they got to work designing education, clear branding, and a network of other cannabis farmers across the state– after all, a farm is only as successful as its community.

Now, with a lineup of simple, refined, and quality products, Florist Farms is bringing contemporary, accessible, tailor-made cannabis products to the New York State Market.

Shorties Mini Pre-rolled Cannabis Joints Launch in Arizona and we learn more with Greta Brandt, President, The Flower Shop (TFS Brands).

According to BDSA data, pre-rolls represent 11% of Arizona’s robust market sales— totaling $97.87M in cannabis products sold so far in 2022. But for the majority of occasional cannabis users, half-gram or full-gram pre-rolls may be too much to finish in one sitting. And FYI, relighting a used doobie does NOT taste or hit well. Enter Shorties, the Arizona-founded mini pre-roll brand bringing .35 gram pre-rolled joint to the cannabis market— and Grand Canyon State cannabis consumers get the first dibs.

Smaller even than most “dogwalker” joints (usually sized at .5g), Shorties’ petite format encourages solo adventures or smoking seshes with friends without swapping germs in a post-pandemic world. These fun-sized fatties come in tins of 10 miniature joints with a rotating lineup of 45 exceptional strains. In addition, Shorties is ready to meet Arizona’s demand for strain-specific mini pre-roll joints with the Juana Roll, which produces up to 4,000 perfectly rolled and filled joints an hour.

Grassroots Marketing discusses Cannabis Quality and Production Standards with Sean Samuel, VP of Sales and Marketing at C15 Solutions.

C15 Solutions, a tech vendor to the global cannabis industry, implements various product enhancements to its electronic Quality Management System (eQMS). C15 grew to become an industry leader by finding a market niche that was not being served well by existing players. With legalization creating one of the fastest-growing industries of our time, the emerging market has seen institutional voids. 

Designed to foster this growing market, an eQMS enables cannabis companies to focus on their core activities and objectives while offering an automated means to record and manage all business-critical information. C15 ensures both emerging and established companies are in a better position to ensure compliance, quality, and data integrity.

C15 Solutions serves 60% of the top 10 cannabis companies, like Curaleaf, and acts as an internal partner to its customers through a team of dedicated Subject Matter Experts that have a strategic focus on reducing the cost of quality. 

Grassroots Marketing speaks with Michael Dalle Molle, Partner and Chief Operating Officer of Mariposa Technology  

Mariposa Technology has developed for hemp and marijuana farmers a digital farming tool that leverages a powerful database and proprietary software that allows them to test their crops at any stage of the growing season, without having to cut any samples. This revolutionary protocol for rapid, in-field testing of live hemp plants, called PAMAP (Predictive Analytical Modeling Application for Plants), brings farmers the power of self-testing with a handheld device at a fraction of the cost or time of traditional lab testing, with accurate and immediate results. 

Mariposa partnered with researchers at Texas A&M University, who found they can use a technique called Raman spectroscopy (RS) to determine the difference between hemp and marijuana in a non-invasive, non-destructive way. This proprietary database, used in conjunction with RS, allows farmers to test crop THC levels and plant gender without disturbing the plant. Current testing methods require farmers to cut a sample of their crop and ship it into a lab, costing time and money. The PAMAP method simply requires the grower to point the device at their crops. 

How Native Roots is Colorado’s Largest Independent Vertically Integrated Cannabis Brand as we hear from Beth Kotarba, COO of Native Roots Cannabis Co.

Kotarba draws from more than 25 years of experience in corporate leadership–including financial services, manufacturing, retail, telecommunications, aerospace and non-profit–to develop innovative operational processes and controls, and performance measurement and reporting procedures to ensure financial strength and operational efficiency for the vertically integrated company.

Grassroots Marketing welcomes PANGEA Global Technologies CEO Bryan Fried who has researched integrating light and technology to build sustainable grow facilities for both weed and watermelons.  

Pangea Global Technologies (PGT), the company bridging the gap between cannabis and agriculture growth success thanks to the company’s revolutionary Pangea software—an open architecture and wireless horticulture lighting platform that collects all sorts of plant growth data, including temperature, humidity, soil content, and more, and can automate reactive actions, like watering, turning lights off or creating alerts. 

We discuss how indoor farming could play a critical role in helping to meet the world's growing demand for food, especially given the challenges of shrinking farmable acres, which sets investors up for a lot of growth as companies expand their farming operations.  

Grassroots Marketing deep dives into the state of the cannabis insurance market with Tony McIntosh, President of Aura Risk about the launch of Aura’s Indisure Cannabis Program

Demand for cannabis is increasing dramatically. Thirty-eight states and the District of Columbia (D.C.) have legalized some form of medical marijuana. Recreational marijuana is legal in 19 states and D.C. The division between state and federal status makes it difficult for businesses to receive inclusive, affordable coverage and often leaves policyholders with restrictive plans.

Cannabis-related businesses (CRBs) face many risks and obstacles. CRBs share the same general liability and other risks agricultural and manufacturing businesses face. This includes workplace accidents, damage to property and crop failure. CRBs are especially prone to fires from both wild and internal sources. Some of the biggest risks involve theft, general liability and product liability. Companies functioning within state legality face severe banking restrictions due to federal regulations. It is estimated that approximately 70% of CRBs operate solely as a cash-only business and have no formal relationship with a bank. As a result, CRBs may be forced to handle large sums of cash, subjecting them to a higher risk of theft and increased liability.