Cocktail Whisperer
I had the opportunity to smoke a small sample of Cut & Dry cannabis recently and wanted dig deeper into the brand. What follows is an interview with Seti, which is his real name, like Madonna or Sting also go by one name. I get it Seti, I’m the one who is honored to know someone with just one name, it’s really cool.
Warren Bobrow=WB: Please tell me about yourself. What was your path to our plant?
Jay Evans=JE: My fascination with cannabis really took off around the time it became legal for medical use in Canada in 2001. I saw how resource-intensive the production of medical cannabis was – the harvest and production of cannabis took tens of people, if not more. The result was a lot of strain on the supply chain and, ultimately, meant that the people that needed it most were having systemic issues accessing good quality, reliable cannabis.
WB: Please tell me about yourself?
Scott Goldie=SG:
SG: I’ve spent most of my 30-year professional life in real estate – in finance, consulting, entitlement, development, environmental remediation and homebuilding. In the past five years, we started looking at opportunities to acquire operating companies that had valuable real estate assets. The first major investment was the Napa Valley Wine Train, where in addition to running a great and profitable excursion train, we acquired 17 parcels of land not required to run the railroad. We have sold some and will develop apartments, hotels, workforce housing and commercial on the others. It is a long-term hold.
Tina Gordon is the founder and owner of Moon Made Farms, a small Emerald Triangle cannabis farm in Southern Humboldt County. With a background as a rock drummer, producer, event promoter, and documentary filmmaker, Tina moved to Humboldt in 2007 when, through a serendipitous twist, a special stretch of land belonging to her female drummer mentor became her home. Tina set about developing the 40 acres that would become Moon Made Farms — a farm, collective, and center of agricultural innovation. Today, Tina thrives as an active cannabis farmer and advocate, serving on the boards of the International Cannabis Farmers Association and Sun + Earth Certified and providing flower to the prestigious Northern California cannabis distributor Flow Kana.
Mixologists have entered a new era behind the bar. Guests are gravitating towards more interesting ingredients, the more bizarre, the better. One unlikely element popping up on bar menus is Cannabidiol oil, more commonly known as CBD. Bartenders across the country are breaking the stigma surrounding sativa and incorporating it into their cocktails, one bud at a time. It’s not just a vodka tonic. It’s an experience. Cannabis culture may have had a bad rep in the past, but it doesn’t always mean trippy prints and Bob Marley T-shirts. Sometimes it means classy cocktails, carefully infused and delicately garnished.
It’s been said that if you don’t know about good cannabis cocktails, than you probably don’t know about Warren Bobrow. And Bobrow knows his bud. Afterall, he’s been smoking since he was 13 years old. So it made perfect sense for him to throw away his 20-year career as a banker and transition into a cannabis cocktail whisperer.
In 2016, Bobrow published his book, Cannabis Cocktails, Mocktails & Tonics: The Art of Spirited Drinks and Buzz-Worthy Libations. Little did he know he was ahead of the game. Just one year later, beverage heavyweight, Constellation Brands, announced plans to take a $191 million stake in the Canadian medical marijuana company Canopy Growth. It’s this kind of forward thinking that has gotten Bobrow far in his industry.
Warren Bobrow=WB: Where are you from? Why cannabis? Did you go to business school? Who is your mentor?
Danny Davis= DD: I was born in Pomona, CA in 1976, the perfect time to appreciate the musical movement of nearby cities representing the origins of rap and hip-hop in the 80’s as I was coming of age. My childhood was focused on 3 things: wearing the newest Air Jordans, playing basketball and hiding my NWA cassette from my parents (I never realized at the time how much of my early life was influenced by “cannabis culture”). Marijuana was so taboo in my household that I remember my mom continually telling me if she ever caught me smoking it she’d take me to jail herself.
Warren Bobrow=WB: Please tell me about yourself? What do you do?
Fabiola Jimenez=FJ: Interestingly, I came from a very different, agricultural background than where I am today as a lawyer in the cannabis industry. I was raised in Eastern Washington in a small rural community in the Yakima Valley with parents that labored in the fields. At various times during my childhood, I even worked in those fields, so I understand a lot about farming and agriculture. That’s what gives me an authentic, deeper appreciation of hemp and marijuana as crops. Pair that with the fastest growing industry in the world, and I’ve found the perfect place to exhibit my passion for business with my expertise in cannabis law.
Marta Spegman-Lopez Venture co-founded Abacus Verte, Inc. in January 2018, and serves as the Company’s CEO and Chair of the Board of Directors.
Warren Bobrow=WB: Why cannabis? What serves as your inspiration for your brand?
George Ragan: As a passionate consumer of this product, I am extremely interested in its production. I started writing music the same way. I would listen to it constantly and I began to wonder how to make music of my own. It was the same with cannabis.
