Lana Van Brunt and Hayley Dineen are the duo behind Sackville & Co., a style-focused contemporary cannabis lifestyle brand and design studio behind some of the coolest brands in cannabis (Miss Jones, Select, Quill, etc.) They also have several high profile fashion collaborations set to debut, which will further solidify their design studio as the go-to for brands looking to delve into the cannabis space. Prior to bonding over their shared frustration of not being able to find chic cannabis products to fit their personal styles, Lana & Hayley worked for luxury companies such as Yeezy, Vivienne Westwood and Vice and product development and experiential marketing whizzes. They launched the design studio to help brands break into the space on their own terms, along with a Sackville collection comple
te with oversized gold grinders, key chains, starter kits and more. In late 2019 Sackville & Co was acquired by a public company; after three months the company changed leadership and the new CEO decided to pull out of all previous acquisitions. Hayley & Lana bought Sackville & CO back in 2020 and have been running it independently ever since. Swift is how I would describe the wunderkinds behind Sackville. What they have accomplished even before being acquired is masterful. How they became independent again is a lesson in entrepreneurship. What they are now is self-determined, outside the impenetrable silos that represent the corporate world. They are self-made and on a path to deep achievement, the kind of metaphor that acts towards following one’s dreams and setting goals towards certainty. The last time that I spoke to the gals at Sackville they had just entered the world of someone else’s money. This is an update to what they were then, moving forward into who they are now. I think it’s quite enlightening!
Warren Bobrow=WB: Since last we spoke, what have you been working on?
Lana Van Brunt and Hayley Dineen=LVB & HD: At the end of 2019 we were acquired, then after a change in the CEO at the new parent company and ultimately a change in the direction of our new parent company, we spent the second quarter of 2020 fighting to buy our company back, which we did successfully! We are back to being completely private, a two woman team, and absolutely thriving! Right now, we’re working on a few exciting collabs with brands and artists that we are so honored to be able to work with, so keep an eye out for those drops coming soon!
WB: What are your six and twelve month goals? What about next week?
LVB & HD: We have a revenue target for the remainder of the year so right now we’re focused on continuing to work towards achieving that goal. As for 12 months, we are working on several high profile collaborations, as mentioned above, that we can’t quite yet speak to but are beyond excited about. Next week, well we’re just trying to keep up… and also find a minute or two to soak up the remaining days of summer if we can!
WB: Please tell me about your company? What makes you different?
LVB & HD: Sackville & Co. is built from the ground up by the two of us. It’s not made in a boardroom by a bunch of executives trying to figure out how to tap into the female or design market, it’s from our hearts and every single part of what you see comes from the blood, sweat and tears of both Hayley and I alone. In terms of the branding and products, we are a design-first brand: we are completely reimagining the smoking experience from an industrial design and high-end home goods perspective. We believe that cannabis accessories should be displayed and not hidden away and are determined to continue to progress the de-stigmatization of cannabis for women and in general through this design lens.
WB: What is your favorite food? Wine? Indoor or outdoor cannabis?
Hayley: I love all ice cream in all forms. Milkshake, straight up scoops, just give me the ice cream. Loving Vino Verde the Portuguese green wine! Outdoor always.
Lana: I’m more of a salt/savory gal, so I love things like chips and popcorn for snacky vibes. I think my fave dish is ceviche though, I can always be in the mood for it. I’m really into pat nets right now. Outdoor always.
WB: What is your passion?
LVB & HD: We are incredibly grateful to do what we love and live out our passions for art, design, and creativity through our work. It’s such a trip to be able to do this every day!
Raw Garden represents to me a certain coherence with the plant. The highest possible quality flowers are extracted through technology into each of their brilliant products.
Now, Raw Garden is offering a new education program for budtenders. Each session raises the bar on the sense of superiority and their taste of the place or terroir.
Raw Garden’s portfolio of experiences offers a timely and tangible vision into the healing art of cannabis.
These are some of the best examples of what your money can buy in the art of cannabis concentrates.
Warren Bobrow=WB:
Please tell me about yourself and your passions. What are you working on right now?
Khalid Al-Naser=KAN:
I am currently the Head of Product at Raw Garden but have worn many hats since the company’s inception. Whatever hat I have on, the passion has always been about constant process improvement and delivering the best Cannabis products we can. This is the driving force behind the entire team at Raw Garden.
WB: How are you training budtenders? Do you talk to them about terroir? What about aromatics/terps?
KAN: Raw Garden has launched The Raw Garden Social Club which is an interactive trade education program designed to champion budtenders and build community.
We love engaging with budtenders and letting their questions and curiosities guide the conversation. When it comes to training, it usually revolves around aromas and getting the audience in tune with how we do what we do, and what makes Raw Garden different. We want to convey that controlling the process from seed to finished product allows for greater quality control. The result is a more consistent product for the consumer.
The conversations about quality and supply chain usually center around cultivation, our drive to perfect cultivation, and our push to innovate with the ingredients the Cannabis plant provides. This is one place where I often talk about aromatics and terroir. I like to highlight the fact that we depend wholly on the Cannabis plant to provide our product ingredients. For instance, we are one of only a few companies that do not use non-cannabis flavor additives to their vape oil. We depend solely on the natural aromatics that come from the plant we grew.
Aromatics are an important part of what the Cannabis plant produces, and just like other agricultural commodities, the terroir and growing process impact the outcome. With higher value goods, like wine, those outcomes are usually enhanced by the recording of vintage and provenance (or location).
One of our goals is to help guide budtenders and consumers toward entirely Cannabis based products, and away from the mass of non-Cannabis flavored THC products in the market today. We want to elevate the experience through using nothing but the plant’s natural aromatics. These aromatics drive the cannabis connoisseur, and by association, the budtender is expected to be that connoisseur.
WB: What was your inspiration for this path in cannabis training?
KAN: The inspiration comes from my love of craftsmanship, artistry, food, and aromas! You pair that with a hunger to learn about the things I enjoy –like getting high and providing great products to the consumer– and the training just happens naturally and with serious pleasure. The Cannabis plant truly facilitates the joys of learning.
I think there are a lot of similarities between cannabis and wine, and cannabis and food. When you consume something and form a close relationship with it, the “art” of consumption (in part) becomes about the critiquing of that “thing” and the willingness to slow down and assess it, savor it.
I believe this awareness enhances the experience and I want the consumer and the budtenders to have the best experiences possible.
WB: What is your favorite food? Made by whom? What’s your favorite wine?
KAN: Right now, I am really enjoying the food made by Chef Budi at the Gathering Table, which is a great little place at the Ballard Inn in the Santa Ynez Valley. — They make dishes inspired by the Chef’s experiences and likes. He often leans into Asian infusion creating incredible dishes that are unique, fresh takes on traditional dishes. Everything from the Hamachi to the Pan Fried Noodles, the Sliders with Pork Belly and Quail Egg or the Lamb Chops are all winners! Everything on Chef Budi’s menu is great! I usually like to go with a group and order as much of the menu as possible. I always recommend the Chef’s Caramel Budino to anyone looking for a real treat at the end of the meal.
(Wine) I would have to say more broadly, the Pinot Noir from the Sta. Rita Hills AVA in the Santa Ynez Valley (where we farm) has been where I have spent most of my time recently. I have found that I really like the medium bodied pinots with notes of date and caramelly raisin. I also really enjoy the diversity of the grape; it offers lots of different experiences. — I have also been enjoying drinking and learning about Tokaji. It’s a Hungarian dessert wine with a long and storied history that inspires me to want to learn more about its process and history.
WB: What is your favorite, indoor or outdoor grown?
KAN: Outdoor and indoor grown THC is the same molecule. One method may produce slightly more or less of this active ingredient within the same plant. However, the biggest differences in the two methods can be recognized by the richness of the aromatics produced. Anecdotally, most of my favorite aromas have come from the plants we’ve grown outdoors.
The Stone Age Potcast interview with the CEO of Klaus Apothecaire LLC, 6x Author and Master Mixologist Warren Bobrow. We had a great time getting to know Warren and learning about craft cannabis infused mocktails. In fact, you can learn from home by purchasing one of his books off amazon. There are hundreds of recipes he has created that are sure to make to your next party a huge hit. Coming soon to California, Warren created Klaus which is a drink infused with 10mg of live resin. You can expect a unique terpene profile to accompany this craft drink along with a kick of fresh frozen thc extract to put you in that right state of mind. Available soon in Cali. Check out his column in the Cannabis Cactus Magazine online or print, an Arizona based cannabis magazine full of culture, entertaining stories, news, and much more. Make sure you check out their website and follow Warren to learn how to get cross faded the correct way.
I was recently over in Germany (back in 2019) for the Berlin Bar Convent and while I was there, I led a panel on combining cannabis and intoxicating beverages. Afterwards I spent some time wandering around the city parks. I had many opportunities to purchase some European hashish, but I didn’t do it this time and it’s too bad because European hashish is completely different than most of the stuff that is called hashish in the United States. The last time I smoked some Middle Eastern hash, I was in Paris, and it was about twenty years ago. The little “Temple Ball” felt to my hands like warm oil and the fragrant cannabis flowers were softly pressed (all by hand) until they combined to make a paste, which was then further rolled into a tiny ball which got me really, really high. Like a wet wool blanket on a hot summer’s day. All enveloping.
The source of this hand-made hashish was impeccable, And this sample was not purchased in a park but came to me through some really tuned-in locals who knew the European hashish trade well and only smoked the very best.
It’s funny to me as a world traveler, just how relevant hashish is outside the USA, not just for recreational purposes, but for deeply sociological ones too. Most of it is smoked in cigarettes with really stinky, (to me) Turkish-style tobacco, a practice that I cannot enjoy because of my historic bias against tobacco. Thus, I’ve missed out on some incredible Middle Eastern hashish varieties for this reason. Tobacco just gives me a massive headache, especially with the addition of hashish.
The traditional hashish in Europe is completely different from the “Ice-Water method” of powdered hash found here in the USA. The powdered stuff is hash in name only. It doesn’t represent hash to me at all. I hardly ever see real hash in the United States. The experience is completely different, like the concept of terroir in fine wine. The taste of the place. It happens by osmosis.
Frenchy, I cannot wait to share a smoke with you, mon amie.
Editor’s note: Frenchy left this earth on Sunday.
The same intellectual agility holds true for makers of gourmet hashish. But without further ado, may I please introduce, Frenchy Cannoli, Gourmet Hashish Master.
Warren Bobrow=WB: Please tell me about yourself. What is it that makes you the most renowned at your craft? Why Hashish?
Frenchy Cannoli=FC: Once upon a long time ago, I was a child dreaming of adventures, travels, and discovery, the child, grew to be a rebellious teenager holding on to his childhood dreams of adventures. Traveling the Silk Road, sailing the Red Sea, or sharing the life of tribes in the Sahara and the rain forest was more appealing than the 9-to-5 life my family and society wanted for me. My first experience with Hashish at 17 was a revelatory experience of pure and extreme wellness, joy, and pleasure. But, because Hashish was perceived by society as a dangerous drug, seeking a state of well being made me a reject, a danger to society, only the misfits of the world smoked Hashish in the early 70s and lengthy prison sentences were the deterrent of the time. The pressure of society on a rebellious teenager dreaming of adventures was bad enough, the pressure on a hashish smoker was unreal and unhealthy, and as soon as I became an adult, on my 18 birthday, I left France to travel the world, never looking back.
I’ll answer the third part of your question before getting back to my craft. Hashish is not only a part of the culture of producing countries, but it was also part of most western cultures since the 18th century. We simply don’t smoke the flower as you do in the U.S. The rest of the world focuses its cannabis consumption on the resin, so Hashish it is.
What is it that makes me the most renowned at my craft?
My love, passion, dedication, and attitude coupled with my scientific approach to traditional hashish methodology and my association of cannabis and Hashish with wine and wine-making, is what makes me stand out in the western world. The quality of the resin I work with is what makes me stand out in producing countries.
WB: How did you learn your craft? Is it something that is passed down from generations, like a great pastrami recipe? Do you have a mentor?
FC: I spend many years in the Hashish producing regions of the world. But I never had a mentor per se or look for one for that matter. The goal wasn’t learning at that time. I was young and clueless. Acquiring the finest quality Hashish available in the region was the goal. The quality I was seeking was never for sale. The highest grade of Hashish was kept for the family whose members have been smoking for generations. I spent months working alongside local Hashishins. And, while I wasn’t consciously learning the craft, I was nonetheless absorbing their knowledge and passion for it. The art of collecting trichome heads from live cannabis plants on one’s hands called making Charas in Northern India, or from dried and cured plants using a sieving methodology which is making Hashish, are very ancient practices that have been passed down over countless generations in producing countries. Traditional Hashishin knowledge is not based on science but on learned experience and cognizance spanning possibly the whole evolution of humanity.
I have never looked for any type of mentor in my life. I have always been too rebellious and independent for such dedication. However, I have had many teachers. I have been mentored by every family that ever shared their life and fields and harvests with me. Now, I hope today to close the circle and go back to share the knowledge I have gained since.
WB: What is your most memorable experience in the cannabis craft? Indoor or outdoor grown? Regions that are good for hash production? Countries?
FC: I don’t have to think long about that one. Collecting live resin from wild cannabis plants on my bare hands in remote valleys at the feet of the Himalayas has been by far the most engaging and extraordinary experience of my life. I did not have much contact with the live plants before I went to India. I always worked with bundles of dried and cured plants. The plant matter was of little importance, it was all about the resin. The tropical climate at the feet of the Himalayas makes drying cannabis plants to gather the resin an impossible task without electricity and modern technology like dehumidifiers, so the local practice is to collect resin on the palm of one’s hands. This is certainly the most ancient methodology devised by humanity to collect cannabis resin, the only tool necessary is your bare hands. It was truly a revelation to collect resin directly from living plants that first season in the Parvati valley. It was a full sensory epiphany that lasted weeks, and when it was time to get back to civilization, I knew that in the future that there was nothing that was going to keep me away from these valleys come September to late November and the first snows.
As a child, living a survivalist type of adventures in the wild was one of my dreams, so living in these remotes valleys was very enticing. Living in a cave or makeshift shelter at 8,000 feet for months at a time, days away from civilization is not the type of vacation most people would enjoy, but I thrived. I was not only living my childhood dream; I was also living a Hashishins dream. Collecting live resin is quite simple, remove the fan leaves from the plant. Caress the flowers gently between your hands. Clean your hands by brushing off any leaf matter that has stuck to them after rubbing each flower and start again. A layer of resin will build up on the palms of your hand, little-by-little with each plant worked. The first hand of Charas will be shiny and transparent. Slowly the color will darken as the layer thickens with each successive flower worked. To remove the resin from your hands, press and turn your thumb on the most resinous part of your other hand. Snap the resin off and repeat the process until your hand is clean, and your thumb holds all the resin mass. Change sides and repeat the process with the thumb on your other hand. It is a straightforward technique perfectly adapted to the region and the climatic conditions.
The technical part of collecting live resin is easy enough to share, the experience, on the other hand, is impossible to convey with mere words, but I’ll try. Imagine a small, remote valley, lushly green with a river coursing through the middle streaming from a chain of mountains topped with eternal snow. Imagine fields of semi-wild cannabis plants sporting every imaginable shade of color and fruit flavor with each plant expressing its own unique aroma. Imagine the feeling of collecting delicately, layer-after-layer of resin on your hands, going from flower-to-flower in the full heat of the tropics. Imagine a constant overload of terpenes so intense it feels like your whole body is absorbing the aromatic essence of the valley. The intensity and magic of the experience brought me back season-after-season, a place in my nomadic life where I could feel grounded. I truly belonged to those valleys.
With all the respect I have for growers in general, indoor plants are, in my eyes, a domesticated evolution of the wild landraces of the producing regions of the world at best. Like a dog is to a wolf, and in the worst-case scenario, an indoor plant is much like a caged animal.
WB: What are the differences in Hash? Are there gourmet varieties? Who makes them?
FC: The differences in Hashish are as diverse as the difference in the cultivars available today, and the growing regions of the past and present. When I was young, we had a limited choice of flavors. Our options were confined to the producing countries of the world – Morocco, Lebanon, Turkey/Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Indian/Nepal. The cannabis plants in each of these countries had a very distinct terpene profile, specific and unique to each region. The diversity of cultivars and terpene profiles of today’s market has changed my world in a rewarding way. Every cultivar I work with transports me into a new reality. It is very much like traveling to a new producing country. Making Hashish from each of these new cultivars is a dreamlike adventure in foreignness and the most exciting and satisfactory experience I could have wished for my senior years.
A Hashishin is like a winemaker, a cheese-maker, or a three-star Michelin Chef. Our craft is to present an expression of the quality of the agricultural product we work with that is defined by the land, the climate, the genetics, and the farmer that grew the product.
*Terroir*
WB: What is your passion?
FC: My passion is living a life that brings me joy and pleasure. Traveling was everything for 20 years. Then it was and still is fatherhood. However, I have carried the stigma as a Hashish smoker all my life. And, as much as it was part of the thrill of living outside the boundaries of society during my nomadic life it became a scary and dangerous pleasure when I became a father and I had to hide this aspect of my life from everyone but my wife and my dealer for fear of losing my family.
Hashish was the balm that healed my childhood scars. It has been the key to a feeling of belonging, of pure positive energy, of immense joy and purpose, and I would not relinquish it even if it were still considered evil in the eyes of society. So be it. I was seen as a pariah in society during my teenage years in Europe for smoking hashish. When I started to travel in producing countries where Hashish was part of the culture, and I was accepted. Then in India, it became spiritual, smoking cannabis resin is an act of devotion to the God Shiva. And, finally, I came to California and discovered that cannabis was actually a medicine. After all these years, Hashish has become much more than a grounding and benevolent force in my life, it has become my life.
Warren Bobrow=WB: One of the gifts that I’ve received while working in the cannabis industry is the ability to taste cannabis as if it was wine. Wine reviewing was where I started in the “tasting” business. The flavors and aromatics that are present in terroir-driven wine translate easily to cannabis and it has unlocked my brain in ways previously unknown to me.
Out in California, cannabis is grown in soil that may have held grapes. It’s uncanny to drink wines from places like Mendocino, then smoke cannabis from these micro-climates. They taste nearly the same. It’s the soil at work. Enter the indoor growing scene with hydroponics and LED lighting entering the fray. Geneticists in cannabis in conjunction to soil scientists use specific techniques to emulate the power of the sun and the richness of the soil without using any soil at all. Places like Colorado with limited outdoor growing are leading the way towards making indoor grown cannabis every bit as pertinent as their outdoor grown brethren.
Enter to the cannabis cultivar scene Danny Murr-Sloat, Founder of AlpinStash. Digging a bit deeper here with some germane questions pertaining to cannabis propagation and his craft.
WB: What are the earliest cannabis names, who was responsible for naming them, and why were they given such names?
Danny Murr-Sloat=DMS: Some of the earliest names include cultivars familiar to those alive in the ‘60s and ‘70s: Panama Red, Acapulco Gold, Thai Stick…just to name a few. These were all heirloom/land-bound cultivars with names reflecting the geographic area they were originally from and physical descriptions of the flower itself. As these heirloom cultivars began to be hybridized, the resulting progeny had names such as Skunk, Big Bud, Blueberry and Haze. These cultivars, as well as cultivars today, are originally named by the breeders who created the cultivar. These names, again, often reflect physical traits of said cultivar. Big Bud, for example, grows big buds and Blueberry smells and tastes like blueberries.
WB: What makes a name most successful, and are there limits to a name?
DMS:This is a good question and there is an art to naming a cultivar, for sure. A successful name needs to be memorable and roll off the tongue. Names that are clunky and hard to remember often fall by the wayside. If a name can implant a pleasant or funky image in one’s mind, all the better. Many of the dessert-themed cultivars, such as Girl Scout Cookies, Wedding Cake and Lemon Biscotti, do just this. If you get a cultivar called Lemon Biscotti, you already have a preconceived and pleasant notion of how it will taste and smell. Just like the old school cultivar names I mentioned above, many of these also have roots in the physical description of the cultivar, usually taste and/or smell.
DMS: Most breeders try to include some homage to a parent cultivar in the new name. Our cultivar Grape Grimoire, for example, is a cross of Grape Ape and Moxie Dog. It was important for us to include “grape” in the name not only as a smell/taste descriptor, but as a nod to the Grape Ape mom. Another example would be our cultivar Emperor’s Breath, a cross of our AlpinStash Original Lemmiwinks and a cultivar called Pug’s Breath by Thug Pug. When we were naming this cross, we wanted to include “breath” in there, an obvious inclusion once we realized that she smells like an emperor’s breath after a feast. We settled on “emperor” because Lemmiwinks is the Gerbil King, and “emperor” is a synonym for “king.” There really is no limit to a cultivar name and picking out a good name is one of my favorite parts of the breeding process. Sometimes this style of naming doesn’t work, and we just go with what inspires us and what seems to fit, like we did with Lemmiwinks.
WB: What’s the future of cannabis names, given now that cross-pollination is rampant?
DMS: We will see a lot more copyrighting of cultivar names, and there will be lots of drama in the industry as this begins. Issues are already popping up when two different breeders name a cultivar the same name.
WB: What inspires your breeding program at AlpinStash?
DMS: First and foremost, we breed for ourselves. We want to create cultivars that excite us and then share them with the market. While traits like bud/growth structure, cannabinoid profile, and coloration play a role in what we select to cross, terpene and flavonoid profile are the most important traits we seek. When it comes to selecting something, I want to smoke, I always follow my nose. After all, if it smells and tastes like crap, it doesn’t matter how sticky or pretty the flower is, I wouldn’t personally ingest it again.
WB: How do you choose what becomes an AlpinStash Original?
DMS: This is an easy question to answer: the cultivar/phenotype has to tick every one of our boxes: smell, flavor, coloration, bud structure, and quality of the high. We’re not looking for A cultivars, we’re only interested in growing A+ plants.
WB: Which ones are your favorites and why?
DMS: I love all of the AlpinStash Originals we grow for different reasons! We rotate some cultivars and always grow others, though. The ones we always flower are Lemmiwinks, Sparrow King, Emperor’s Breath, Cookie Confundo, Orange Creamsicle, and Tegridy Cookies — these cultivars are our most popular and are always requested by our customers.
WB: Any tips for breeders just getting started in their journey?
DMS: If you start with parents, you like and show the growth traits you’re personally interested in, you will have a higher chance of being successful. Just go with what moves and inspires you and ignore the buzz behind many of today’s “hype strains,” unless you absolutely love said cultivar because of its physical characteristics!
Danny Murr-Sloat, Founder of AlpinStash
Danny Murr-Sloat inspires many as the famed owner of AlpinStash who credits consuming and growing cannabis with losing 70 pounds, transitioning off over 19 prescriptions including opiates for an array of medical issues, and eventually becoming one of the most revered micro-cultivation brands in Colorado. He’s also a prolific breeder. Since 2014, he’s steadily built the AlpinStash brand through his meticulously bred in-house cultivars, several of which are cult favorites among Colorado connoisseurs. Murr-Sloat’s Lemmiwinks, Sparrow King, Falkor, Grape Grimoire, and Platinum Tiger Cookies cultivars are flying off the shelves, which is especially notable in a state where the retail system pays little homage to growers, if at all. Danny’s secret is keeping operations small-scale, paying attention to the finest details, and adding his personal touch to everything AlpinStash grows. To learn more about the Alpinstash breeding program and Danny’s exclusive in-house cultivars, please visit: https://alpinstash.com
I was recently out in California and although my time there was very short, I did have a moment to visit Med Men.
Visiting the Left Coast is always a thrill for me, since I was in my mid-teens when I stayed with my then-cool uncle at his home on the beach near Venice. I’m lucky to say that cannabis was woven into my deeply intricate past. But back to the dispensary visit on the thirty hours or fewer journey to the Los Angeles region. Thank you to those who took such good care of me during my sojourn, Justin and Rick especially made the two days very pleasant to say the very least. The underlying reason? I had a nice fresh pack of Space Coyote joints in my pocket. Because I have always been interested in their product, I finally had a chance (at MedMen) to purchase a package, and then smoke one and then another.
As your intrepid cannabis aficionado, please allow me a moment to give you my insight into Space Coyote. Because they are infused with 10% hash, they take a bit getting used to from a flavor standard. The mix is quite remarkable. 90% Strawnana Flower and 10% Ice Cream Cake Hash. One might think that this blend sounds sweet and candy-like, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. Each carefully assembled mini-joint is a joy to the palate and to the mind. The box reads, Get Glazed. That is very true. Because the mini-joint has some really righteous hash in it, you will get quite glazed. It’s really unavoidable. But that’s the rub. It took me only a tiny bit to really sense the effect, primarily because I hardly smoke hash anymore. Smoke a tiny bit of a Space Coyote joint, see how you feel and then smoke some more if you need to. Now, perhaps I can entice you with something that I can do well… Crafting some tasting notes for the mini pre-rolls named: Space Coyote.
The tin reads 2.5 grams. It’s handsome in overall design and quite slender in size, making the unobtrusive joint container the perfect foil against sometimes prying eyes. Sliding open the tin, one discovers an inner sleeve and inside that there are several pre-rolled mini joints. It’s a clever way to package something like a mini pre-roll that can dry out quickly. The tiny resealable (by folding down) inner bag is most helpful to keep your pre-rolls fresh.
Of course, you could smoke them with your friends eliminating any interruptions or distractions from the task at hand. And that is enjoying your Space Coyote mini-pre-rolled joints with others.
Palate:
Sizzling hot Brioche toast spun into a brown butter nose. Bursts of caramel corn and Black Dirt Island loam. The first pull is slightly sweet, but this moves quickly into more sophisticated notes of bitter chocolate and lemon marmalade. The hash element is graciously tucked into the setting with creamy notes of steaming hot corn pudding, napped with citrus oil. The entire package is woven into the never-ending finish.
Nose:
I swear the smoke smells like a walk in a pine forest surrounded by woodland creatures who are curious as to what exactly I am doing there. Coming into view under foot (running at high speed away from above said woodland creatures who now have me on their impromptu lunch menu…) and then dispersing in thin air is a mist of the most impossibly sticky sap raining down upon your entire periphery. The Space Coyote aromatics would smell like you think the air would taste. And if you had parked your car under one of these ancient trees oozing liquified sap and your windshield is now plastered in this thick overlay, you’d know what I am alluding to.
For some reason you feel compelled to lick this sticky pine froth that was coating most of your car. With each tiny lick of this sticky sap you’d know what a pull of Space Coyote represents to my taste buds. Oh, the magic this cannabis procures from me! It really works into my psyche. Space Coyote represents deeply the dreamlike effect of this tiny joint. Just enough to come back for more. I’ll revisit Space Coyote when I’m back out west again. Fun stuff.
The Experience:
Space Coyote is an inexpensive plane ticket to a place not yet discovered. I am charmed by the billows of thick, aromatic smoke and the deeper meaning encapsulated in the hash element. It is as if I am experiencing the art of getting stoned or glazed as the Space Coyote marketing reads in a new and unexpected way. I do recommend a couple things. Always when smoking hash, or any adjunct, less is more. You don’t have to be a hero and smoke the entire mini pre-pre-roll. I know it is small but let me tell you that you don’t need much for a deeply mystical experience. Should you live in California, you can get some and experience the fun of Space Coyote.
About Space Coyote:
Space Coyote is a cannabis company in a groove all their own. As California’s premiere infused joint maker, each Space Coyote combines high potency herb and delicious, out of this world extracts. Crafted for stoners by stoners, Space Coyote celebrates art, equality, and the psychedelic side of cannabis. Collaborations with cultivators, extract brands, and artists are at the core of Space Coyote’s mission. Each joint perfectly pairs full-bud flower with phenomenal concentrates like diamonds, live resin, and hash made by the top extract brands in California. Space Coyote is committed to the betterment of the planet and has an environmental focus on everything they do.
About Scott & Libby, Co-founders of Space Coyote:
Scott Sundvor and Libby Cooper are co-founders of Space Coyote. The idea for Space Coyote was conceptualized on one galactic night in Joshua Tree with a meteor shower overhead. They sought to merge together two previously segregated cannabis market segments — flower and extracts. Before Space Coyote, there was very little overlap between pre-roll consumers and concentrate consumers, and after years of rolling their own home-version of a Space Coyote, they wanted to bring them to market. Space Coyote combines high quality flower and well known, branded extracts into one delicious joint. This provides co-marketing opportunities to established extract brands, while in the process supporting small family farms growing the highest quality and most potent bud. Scott & Libby have developed a unique way of running Space Coyote where they alternate being the CEO and President, annually, as a statement of their equality. Scott was CEO at launch and 2019, Libby was CEO for 2020, and now Scott is CEO, again. Their roles within the company do not change with the title change, as they have very complimentary skills which do not cross over. It’s the perfect yin yang, one could say.
I’m quite a fan of the brand Lady Jays. My path to this brand came by osmosis and travel.
I was searching for mini pre-rolls while on a cannabis mixology trip to Portland, Oregon and our paths crossed. Not physically unfortunately (for me, not the Ladies of Paradise!), but through my enjoyment of their marvelous cannabis flowers woven into their admirable smokes named: Lady Jays.
Traditionally, I’m not a big fan of the variety of cannabis which is known as hemp. Nor hemp pre-rolls. They are in fact cannabis as I appreciate it, but with extremely low THC. The CBD and CBG components offers all the fine medical effects that we appreciate in medical cannabis, but without the pleasant body buzz. For myself, I’m looking for something a little different. But for those who want to experience Lady Jays without running into unnecessary attention from the “man” may I recommend their legal hemp line. Their hemp derived prerolls are quite lovely indeed. I know you’ll love them!
Warren Bobrow=WB: Please tell me about yourselves? What are you doing in the pro-women cannabis world? What about in the future?
Harlee Case: I’m a tornado of rainbow colors, alien theories, and weed. My “title” is Creative Director for Ladies of Paradise and Lady Jays. I’m in charge of all of our creative clients and original concepts for design and forward-facing marketing. We are only a few women, so in all reality we all have our hands in each other’s business. We have had a difficult time with splitting things up into roles as we all really enjoy working together on mostly everything.
Jade Daniels: I’m a connector. I love meeting new people and introducing friends who I know will vibe. I’m a doer, I can’t sit still. I always have to be on the go or planning my next move. I’m the CEO and founder of Ladies of Paradise and Lady Jays, and a visionary for creativity in cannabis.
WB: Please tell me what you’re working on right now?
Harlee: Ladies or Paradise is a creative agency that specializes in marketing to the wild feminine type. Lady Jays is our first in-house product, which is a 10 pack of half gram pre-rolls. We started with THC products in Oregon and now have CBD/CBG products that are available nationwide.
Jade: I work mostly with Lady Jays production, wholesale and expansion. I have done everything from assembling our boxes to shrink wrapping them, shipping them, establishing relationships with partners and meeting new people to work with.
WB: What makes you, YOU? How do you set yourself apart from your peers?
Harlee: I think our style in general really sets everything we do apart. We like to be loud and push the boundaries of design and style.
Jade: We have a very feminine and loud aesthetic and love to be a positive voice in the community. We bring people together and make everyone feel included. We embrace authenticity and encourage people to be happy being themselves.
Photo credit: Harlee Case
WB: What’s your favorite thing about your accomplishments in the cannabis space?
Harlee: I feel so blessed to be in a work environment that is supportive. We play by our own rules, so there isn’t anything that I’ve wanted to do that I haven’t been able to. If we can dream it, we can do it. I truly love the communities we’ve both created and been a part of — From parties, to photoshoots, to Zoom calls, the energy is incredible. I’m so grateful.
Jade: I love working in the cannabis industry and being a part of something new and exciting. The downside — we have to operate in gray areas because it’s not federally legal, and deal with constant regulation changes, guidelines and restrictions.
WB: Did either of you go to business school? How did you learn the necessary skills to run a successful business?
Harlee: I learn best from jumping in headfirst. I didn’t go to college, so it’s all really been trial and error.
Jade: I went to business school at the University of Houston, and I took a course one semester that really inspired me to start my own business. There’s so much more once it happens, though, that you learn hands-on.
WB: What’s contributed to your success? Where did your inspiration come from?
Harlee: Dreaming big, and always taking forward action towards those dreams.
Jade: Rolling with the punches and pivoting our business model constantly…Never taking “no” as an answer and constantly evolving.
WB: Could you have ever imagined working in the cannabis industry?
Harlee: I grew up in a very popular cultivation zone far before legalization, so it wasn’t that far off of an idea but still I didn’t necessarily think it would be so…Never in the way it has all transpired, at least.
Jade: Not at all. I went to high school and college in Houston, and never thought this was a possibility.
WB: Were your family and friends supportive of your venture?
Harlee: Yes, very supportive. My father wasn’t super excited at first, but he’s always supportive of my life choices even when he doesn’t agree with them.
Jade: My dad is a veteran and knows first-hand the medical benefits of cannabis for PTSD, so that was a really good way for me to validate my involvement in the cannabis industry. My mom was a hippie growing up and smoked weed in the ‘70s, so she’s down with the movement but wasn’t super stoked that this was my career path. I think she just wanted me to be a pro soccer player (and was the most emboldened with me when I was scoring goals).
WB: What has your personal experience with cannabis been?
Harlee & Jade: We love cannabis, always have and always will.
Thank you, Cheers! WB
Jade Daniels, CEO of Ladies of Paradise & Lady Jays
Harlee Case, COO of Ladies of Paradise & Lady Jays
Ladies of Paradise is a women-positive creative agency based in Portland, Oregon, where women are appreciated, celebrated and supported. Currently, LoP offers cannabis event planning services, graphic design, packaging, creative content development, educational meetups, and product lines ranging from clothing to CBD products, as well as the new LoP cannabis and hemp CBD & CBG pre-rolls, Lady Jays. LoP works to uplift, unite, and educate individuals in an effort to normalize cannabis by means of fashion, community and culture. Through their themed cannabis events and community of women of all shapes, sizes, and colors, LoP aims to elevate the aesthetic and remove the stigma from cannabis and the people who make up this community.
