A NEW AGE OF LEGAL CANNABIS
Growers, retailers discuss legal marijuana at Kerhonkson forum
New York cannabis growers and retailers convened on Saturday at New York Small Farma’s Supply Chain Forum, discussing branding and marketing in a new age of legal cannabis in New York state.
The forum, held at Rustic Ridge View Farm, allowed retailers and distributors of the plant to connect with local growers with presentations by those prominent in the industry. A “flower-grading workshop” was also held for attendees, teaching retailers how to distinguish top-shelf products.
Growers and retailers who attended the event were optimistic about the state of legal cannabis in New York.
“I feel like we’re getting there,” said Vinny Marine, Cultivation Manager at Canna Cure Farms in Glens Falls. “There’s a lot of bodegas and some illicit shops, but they’re starting to crack down on that.”
Marine believes that those who grew the plant before it became legal statewide deserve a place in the market as it is today. “I think there’s a place for legacy growers,” he said. “Without the legacy growers, there would not have been a legal market to begin with.”
In a contemporary, legal market, branding and marketing have become increasingly important in the cannabis industry. Chris Becker, founder of Denver-based brand The Honeybee Collective, spoke to attendees about marketing the plant in New York State.
“Brands really need to stand out and have an authentic, meaningful message,” Becker said. According to Becker, brands in the cannabis industry don’t have the same level of brand loyalty that, for example, food and beverage or tobacco companies have with consumers.
Becker thinks that the federal illegality of cannabis is what
hinders the development of brand identity. “Nobody is making and selling anything that’s novel in weed,” he said. “Even if you do, it’ll be novel for a little while, but because it’s federally illegal you can’t get a patent, so somebody else, if the product is popular, is going to come along and make it.”
According to Becker, cannabis brands have to be more creative in their marketing because of this. “You’ve got to add value in a more meaningful way and have something that resonates with your consumer,” he said.
Despite issues with branding faced by cannabis companies, growers at the forum were able to connect with current or aspiring retailers, pushing for further development of the industry in the state.
Katie Reiter is one of those growers. A native of Duanesburg, Reiter attended the forum on behalf of Flowerhouse, a 40acre farm on the Wallkill River in Walden.
“We are grown in New York, for New Yorkers,” Reiter said. According to Reiter, Flowerhouse is one of the most successful farms in the state, producing some of the top-selling cannabis strains statewide.
“We just really focus on what New Yorkers want,” Reiter said. “That is a high-quality, potent, sativa-leaning flower.”
Reiter is pleased with the current state of legal cannabis in New York. “New York has done a great job of accelerating the marketplace to catch us up with other regulated states,” she said. “It took a long time for adult use to come to New York, but when we got our regulations, they allowed us to do things that made sense, that in other markets were not permissible until two, four, six years.”
According to Reiter, New York’s unique regulations tailored for the market have benefited the industry rather than basing regulations off of those in Colorado like other regulated states. “While it took a while to actually get retail stores open, our regulatory framework is so much further ahead of other markets,” she said.
Reiter, like many other growers, remains optimistic about the growth of the legal cannabis market in New York State. “While there have been issues and hiccups, we’ve had the right intentions,” Reiter said. “We’ve been going on the right path, and when we finally get to the end of it, we’re going to be in a much better place than any other market in this country.”