A ceramic rolling tray is the cannabis accessory that you never knew you needed. Both functional and beautiful, the GCC’s ceramic rolling trays will elevate your rolling game to the next level. Made from naturally sourced eco-friendly materials, both our Maple Tray and Forest Set are so beautiful that you will want to leave them out to admire.
Instead of rolling your flower on any old flat surface where you can potentially loose bits of bud, imagine having a dedicated space, a special tray that reminds you of the good vibes that await when you use it. This is what we were thinking of when we designed the Maple tray and the Forest set.
In our household, walks in nature are a big part of our weekend. Local trails are easy to get to with kids, so we end up spending a lot of time in Toronto’s High Park, a massive wooded park in the middle of the city. It’s filled with trails that wind through prairie grasses and shrubs and as you walk through your attention is drawn to the towering trees casting their leafy shadows. It's the perfect spot to clear your head and reconnect with nature. Just off the beaten path I stumbled upon a piece of bark from a fallen maple tree that I ended up taking home with me.
The natural texture was rough and bumpy and yet when I turned it over it, the interior of the bark was remarkably smooth inside. I set it on our coffee table, where it stayed for a few weeks, it just felt right sitting there. It matched our decor so well. Over time, I started to place small, light items in it. It, unfortunately, began to deteriorate over time with use. So, I went back to High Park and sourced a piece that was even nicer and created a mold of it so that it could last forever. The Maple Tray was born.
Once the piece of maple was cut down to size, a mold was made that replicated the outside of the wood, capturing all that gorgeous texture. Then we used a process in ceramics known as slip casting, using clay that was sourced from quarries in Alberta and Brampton. In slip casting, the clay is mixed with water to liquify it, which is called the slip and then this is poured into the mold. It allows you to replicate the unique shape and texture of those pieces of wood over and over again.
Our Forest Set is a two piece set made from molds of birch and pine trees which were also sourced from High Park. These pieces are slightly thinner than the Maple tray and have a different texture because birch and pine are such different trees from maple. They are made in the same way with the clay sourced locally, the molds designed by us and the slip casting method that is popular in ceramics.
Our forest set also comes with a birch pipe and comes in five vibrant colours, each of these are hand glazed. The colour contrast with the white natural clay exterior is part of what makes this such a striking piece.
Have you ever improvised and rolled your joints on a book, straight on the coffee table, or even used a piece of cardboard? While we admire your resourcefulness, there is something soothing and special about using a dedicated rolling tray.
From a practical perspective, it actually saves you from losing any tiny bits of flower that might escape from the joint as it is rolled.
Using a ceramic rolling tray also elevates your smoking experience. When you bring out the tray it introduces an aspect of style and beauty to your ritual. And then when you see it sitting there on your bookshelf or side table, the ceramic rolling tray will remind you of your last smoke session, infusing an ordinary moment with a little hint of nostalgia.
It also gives you something lovely to use in such a practical way, making your time with your favourite flower even more memorable. Its simple beauty means that it will complement any space that you rest it on.
Because both the Maple tray and the forest set have an organic, handmade aesthetic, they fit into most design schemes. We have friends who don’t even partake who use it as a gorgeous catch all for keys and coins by the front door. It also makes a lovely spot to put rings and jewelry on a bedside table. The colourful glazed interior of the forest set ceramic rolling tray has a way of highlighting whatever you rest inside it, while the Maple tray is so simple that whatever you put on it looks intentional and curated. Both the Forest Set and the maple tray have the look and feel of premium art pieces.
Everyone has that friend who is impossible to buy for. Whether they buy themselves everything they need, or just have eclectic taste, these ceramic rolling trays are the perfect gift for anyone who appreciates one of a kind, beautiful pieces. The forest set is equally perfect for in particular someone starting off on their cannabis journey or an aficionado who has been rolling joints for ages. They are a sustainable, beautiful way to treat yourself or someone you love
Our ceramic rolling trays also have a built in grinder and pouring spout, which means that it’s even easier to roll joints.
The grinder is our own unique design, which came from my own experience being on garlic grinding duty as a child. My family is Italian and making tomato sauce on Sunday mornings was part of our week for as long as I can remember. I was on garlic grinding duty - every Sunday. Grinding that garlic into the little ceramic spikes was a job that I relished, and when it came time for us to design the GCC’s ceramic rolling trays, the simple genius of that garlic grinder on Sunday mornings came to mind.
The whole setup is simple and streamlined. To use the grinder you just rub your flower over the teeth, moving it back and forth until it’s fluffy. The built-in grinder works best on dry herb. Anything that is too moist of sticky may need a bit more elbow grease.
The Forest Set also comes with a matching birch pipe and a built-in resting nook to place your pipe or your joint, if you prefer. The Birch Pipe is our take on a twig from a birch tree, a one hitter, chillum style pipe, it is also made by hand in small batches and is perfect for microdosing.
Both the Maple tray and the Forest Set are made locally in Toronto. The entire process of their creation takes 14 days from start to finish.
At the GCC we know how important sustainability and closed loop supply chains are and we apply that to everything we make. That’s why it was so important to us to source clay from local quarries and to gather the wood ourselves to make sure the texture was true to our local trees.
Like all GCC accessories, the Maple tray and the Forest Set are shipped with plastic free packaging, so you can feel good about the journey that your ceramic rolling tray makes to you.
Our ceramic rolling trays are a simple, beautiful way to savour your ritual and bring some of what you love from the outdoors, in.
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Palo santo is having quite a moment. With all the collective stress of being a human right now it makes sense that this ancient healing incense is gaining in popularity. You may have smelled that smoky, earthy aroma before and wondered why it was both indescribable and familiar. The first time I smelled it in a tiny vintage shop in Parkdale, Toronto, my body almost had a visceral reaction, and I immediately asked the shop owner about it.
When I saw that it came from these small wooden sticks, I was even more intrigued. Palo santo has been used by mystics and indigenous people for centuries for its unique ability to purify energies and enhance spiritual practices. Let’s explore what makes the GCC’s palo santo so special.
Palo Santo comes from the wood of the Bursera graveolens tree which only grows in the dry tropical forests of Peru and Ecuador. In order for the wood to be harvested sustainably and for the resulting incense sticks to acquire their mystical healing properties, the tree must have died of natural causes and laid on the forest floor partially decomposing for five to seven years. This is when the tree is said to acquire its heartwood, a distillation of the essential oils of the tree that make it so powerful.
Ancient monks and shamanic healers believed that the wood became imbued with the spirit of the tree, and it was the spirit itself that gave the palo santo the powers to shift and clear energy, facilitate healing and spiritual clarity.
This respect for the natural life cycle of the tree is part of what makes the palo santo experience so special.
The connection to the lifespan of the tree is embedded in the smoke that you are inhaling, allowing you to feel connected to the natural world in a visceral and grounding way.
Palo Santo is translated literally as Holy wood. This makes sense given the way the indigenous tribes of South America used it for smudging ceremonies.
Smudging is an ancient practice that uses smoke and the purifying properties of fire to shift and release negative energies. These practices go back hundreds of years and it’s important to recognize and acknowledge those origins when you use the palo santo in this way.
Even taking a moment to imagine and acknowledge the roots of these ancient ceremonial practices can help you feel a sense of deeper gratitude and connection and avoid the trap of cultural appropriation.
Cultural appropriation occurs when we take on a part of a culture’s practice without acknowledging or honouring the people and culture that we are borrowing from. The simplest way to avoid participating in cultural appropriation is to become conscious by educating yourself about the origin of the ceremony, tradition or practice in which you are engaging.
In the case of palo santo, this means understanding that this incense has been used by shamans and holy seekers from a variety of tribes in Peru and Ecuador for healing, connecting to the divine and meditating. We honor them when we use it for our own purposes.
Unlike sage or other herbs used for smudging, palo santo offers both the cleansing benefit of removing negative energies while also imbuing the object or person being cleansed with positive traits, also known as good vibes!
Most smudging herbs are primarily used to purify the negativity, so it is quite rare that palo santo can also bring positive traits as well. This is why it has been used by shamans to aid in healing of a variety of illnesses.
Palo santo can also be helpful for reducing pain and inflammation in the body. There are a few different reasons that palo santo could do this, one of which is the general calming and anxiety reducing effects of the compounds in the wood. Palo santo essential oil contains limonene, a chemical that scientists are still learning about. Initial research has shown that it has many positive effects on the body. These include reducing free radicals and increasing antioxidants in the body as well anti-inflammatory properties.
Some studies have shown that limonene may have the ability to promote healing along the neural pathways of the brain.
In the case of palo santo, when it has been used for centuries by shamans and healers of different modalities, there is also a deep sense of mystery as to how exactly the healing properties work their magic on our stressed minds and tired bodies.
It’s also important to respect this mystery. We don’t need to understand exactly how palo santo works from a scientific perspective in order to appreciate its many benefits for healing, both physically and psychologically.
The important thing is to try it for yourself and note the effects on your body and your mind after using it. In order to do this you might just take a moment to check in with yourself, notice how your mind and body are feeling before you use the palo santo, and then make sure to do it again after, tuning in to subtle differences in your physical state.
From an emotional or psychological perspective, palo santo has been used throughout history to aid in concentration and to deepen meditation.
Accessing deeper states of connection with ourselves and others can relieve feelings of stress and anxiety. This could be part of the magic of palo santo, this holy wood, that when it is burned has the ability to connect you deeper to the moment.
Our sense of smell is one of the most emotionally linked senses in the body. Certain smells have the ability to transmit us back in time to very specific memories or mindsets. This is why using palo santo regularly for meditation or aura cleansing can be so effective.
As you start to use this ancient sacred wood in your daily life, the scent can become a trigger for your whole system to relax. This is a form of mindfulness, being able to use all the senses of the body to become more aware and in tune with the moment. In this age of near constant distraction coming from the omnipresent devices in our pockets, grounding yourself in the moment by engaging fully in the rich scent of palo santo burning can be a very powerful grounding practice.
Another benefit of burning palo santo sticks is that it serves as a natural insecticide. Using it will ensure that you can be outside enjoying your favourite flower in the warm weather without worrying about mosquitos or other bugs. It's a much more pleasant way to protect yourself than spraying a fine mist of questionable chemicals all over your skin. Instead light one of the GCC’s palo santo sticks and breathe in the layered woodsy scent knowing those pests and bugs will steer clear.
Burning your palo santo is also an excellent natural air freshener, so if you need to clear the air after a smoke session, this will just add to the experience.
Now that you know all of the many ways that using palo santo can benefit your mind and body, you might be wondering how exactly to use it!
It’s very simple and if you have ever burned incense before it will feel familiar. All you do is hold the palo santo stick upside down and light the end of the stick.
Try to use wooden matches or a refillable fire source for this if you want to minimize your environmental impact. Then place it ember side down in a heatproof dish or incense holder. The smoke will waft gently upward from the burning tip.
Depending on the length of your smudging session or how long you’d like to enjoy the palo santo for, you may have to relight it a few times or gently blow on the embers at the end of the stick. If you don’t have a heat proof surface that makes it easy to snuff it out, you can also place a few small rocks in a bowl and let the embers drift down that way.
Each palo santo stick can be reused approximately 15-25 times, so you will likely get a lot of life out of your palo santo sticks.
Some people find the scent of the palo santo is strong enough from just leaving them in a cloth bag in a drawer is a nice way to store them when you aren’t using them as it makes the clothes take on that natural tree resin scent. And when you are done with your GCC palo santo sticks you can use the glass jar to store buds.
While the Bursera graveolens tree is not endangered, there have been rumours floating around about the sustainability of having a regular palo santo habit. In 2019 the internet was flooded with articles claiming that palo santo trees were dwindling, all of which stemmed from a confusion about the type of tree that palo santo was sourced from.
The bursera sarmeniento tree is in fact endangered, but this is a lumber tree that has been clear cut for commercial purposes. The bursera graveolens tree, the one that palo santo is harvested from, has been declared “a species of low concern”.
As always when reflecting on how to make sustainable choices, it’s important to look into the origins and environmental impact of whatever you are buying. This becomes even more necessary in the case of palo santo.
Choosing to purchase from an ethical, sustainable source means the difference between contributing to the protection and conservation of the dry tropical forests and supporting questionable practices that may have significant environmental impacts. In addition, not knowing the true source of your palo santo can actually mean that you are burning a less effective and potent incense.
Given that the life cycle transformation is what gives the heartwood of palo santo its uniquely beneficial properties, making sure that you are buying your palo santo from a sustainable source is a necessity.
In this age where disconnection, distraction and stress have become a chronic part of daily life, palo santo is a simple calming ritual that can have powerful effects for shifting your energy.
Buying your palo santo from the GCC ensures that you can enjoy the most potent and transformative benefits from this holy wood and know that you are participating in an ethical supply chain.
An energetic reset is as close as lighting a stick of palo santo, and now that you know all about its mystical origins, you can truly relish the natural gifts of this grounding practice while feeling gratitude for the people who originally discovered its powerful effects.
The GCC’s palo santo sticks are sourced ethically from a small company made up of botanists, environmentalists, and socially minded entrepreneurs who are dedicated to the preservation of the tropical dry forests as well as improving the quality of life for the producers within the supply chain. This company adheres to strict guidelines that are put in place to make sure that palo santo is harvested only from trees that have died of natural causes and that thousands of palo santo seedlings are planted each year to ensure that reforestation is an ongoing commitment.
You can feel good that your palo santo choice also helps to support the farmers and indigenous people who act as the gatekeepers of the health of palo santo trees and the tropical dry forest.
If you’ve never smoked cannabis out of a pipe, it can be hard to know where to start. Options abound and it can feel intimidating when you are also trying to make the most sustainable choice. Glass pipes, metal pipes? Bongs? Even joints need to be rolled in a certain way. All these options can feel overwhelming for a complete beginner or someone who is just looking to simplify their cannabis routine. Once you settle on a pipe it can be hard to find something that is both simple in design and completely biodegradable. Made of unprocessed natural components in a classic corn cob pipe shape, The GCC’s Corn Cob Pipe is the perfect pipe for a beginner.
A sweet, small and sustainable pipe, corn cob pipes usually come in two sizes, a standard and a shortstop size bowl. Our Cob Pipe features a smaller bowl which is one of the reasons it makes it a great starter pipe. It’s discrete size also means it's easy to have on hand or stow away in your pocket for convenience. With the proper care, this pipe should last for years. A corn cob pipe also has the effect of absorbing any harsh taste in the buds and over time the resins in the corn will release, imbuing a sweet, mellow flavour into your smoke. When you consume your favourite flower in a corncob pipe, it also tends to be a cooler smoke, which cuts down on any feelings of tongue bite.
The classic design of the corn cob pipe dates back to the turn of the century, when pioneers and industrious farmers used dried corn cobs and whittled pieces of wood or reed to fashion these small practical pipes. They were inexpensive and accessible which helped them gain in popularity. Legend has it that in the 30s and 40s corn cob pipes were used primarily to smoke marijuana and could be used as a signal during the days of marijuana prohibition. If you saw someone smoking a corn cob pipe then you would know they were a friend of mary jane, as opposed to traditional tobacco smokers who tended towards wooden pipes. Cob pipes are also long associated with literary greats like Mark Twain and of course Popeye! The fact that they are still being used a hundred years later shows their staying power. A corn cob pipe is simple, unpretentious and easy to use; a perfect starter pipe. Corn cob pipes are classic for a reason.
One of the little known benefits of using a corn cob pipe for your cannabis is the fact that you actually end up wasting less weed. With a joint, you either have to smoke the whole thing in one go, or if you put it out and then try to re-light it. Sometimes this works but sometimes it gets soggy and you end up having to throw out the rest of the joint. When you use a corn cob pipe, you can pack it with the exact right amount of your favourite flower. The small bowl size of our corn cob pipe is perfect for a single session or a quick toke to share with a friend. It will also help you to make the most of the amount of weed you have. There’s a particular pain in wasting even a small amount of the most precious herb.
Our Cob Pipe comes ready to use out of the plastic-free packaging, so there’s no breaking in process which means you can start smoking it sooner! Another reason why it’s a great starter pipe. To start, just pack the pipe bowl with the flower of your choice, filling it and then pressing down gently with your finger. Next, take your heat source, an electronic lighter or hemp wick is preferred, ignite and inhale. Repeat this process until you can see that the flower has combusted. Our pipe also includes a screen, which you can place into the pipe bowl before lighting it if you’d like, but you don’t have to use it. After you’re done smoking, empty your pipe bowl. That’s it! So much easier than rolling joints and more sustainable than a glass or a metal pipe.
There are a lot of reasons but one of the biggest is taste. Unlike glass and metal, the corn bowl will actually taste better the more you use it. Over time, the cured resins in the corn itself will start to release and there will be a subtle sweetness to your session.
In order to get the most longevity out of your corn cob pipe it’s important to clean it regularly. Properly cleaning it after each session will ensure that your cob pipe lasts for years. A pipe cleaner is perfect for this. In fact when you use it, you’ll finally understand why it’s called a pipe cleaner. These things were literally invented to clean pipes, they are not just for arts and crafts projects! Use this to remove any large debris, and then dip it into warm water and run it through the stem and the bowl. Another option is to dip the pipe cleaner in a mixture of water and alcohol, again run the pipe cleaner through the stem. Just be sure to let the pipe air dry completely before using it for your next toke.
Yes, in fact, you'll find that you will actually end up wasting less weed with a corn cob pipe. Approximately 0.3g will fit in our bowl – don't be afraid to pat in the stems. What's more is that the corn pipe will savour the taste, making each bowl sweeter than the last.
Unlike most corn cob pipes, the GCC’s Cob Pipe doesn’t have a plastic tip or any metal parts. It uses a birchwood stem and an all natural sealer in its construction and like all of our products it's assembled by hand right here in Toronto, so you don’t need to think twice about the environmental impact of shipping from halfway around the world. As long as you are using matches or a hemp wick to light the bowl, you can feel confident that using the GCC Cob Pipe is an environmentally sound way to indulge.
The GCC’s Cob Pipe is handmade, biodegradable, minimalist and easy to use. Its unique vintage style paired with its biodegradable, small batch construction make it a great way to connect with your favourite flower. It's also a truly unique choice, because we make all of these by hand you know that the pipe you are getting is completely one of a kind. Each one varies slightly in colour gradations and exact shape.
There are so many aspects of life that are complicated right now. Living through a global pandemic means that it often feels like there are no easy choices anymore. Our connection to the earth through the weed we are smoking doesn’t need to be complicated. Choosing a corn cob pipe means you’ll be well on your way to wasting less weed, imbibing in style and feeling truly confident in your sustainable choice. Knowing that your first session with your new corn cob pipe is as easy as packing the bowl, we’re not sure what you are still waiting for! You and your new corn cob pipe have a beautiful future together. We can see it now.
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Sharing is engrained in humanity. Throughout time, we’ve connected with each other while sharing with each other. Think about the significance of breaking bread together. Sharing a meal is one of the most important things you can do with someone. Think about the symbolism associated with passing the Olympic torch. Think for a moment about the earliest of days, sharing your fire with someone gave them life. Humanity needs sharing. The connection that comes with sharing is what makes us human.
Have you ever smoked alone? It’s great… sometimes but I’d always choose a doobie between a few pals, no question. It’s always a better session. Over the course of the pandemic, I’ve found myself smoking more frequently on my own and spending a lot of time in my own head. Again, totally fine, but I always find myself to be more open after I’ve consumed. And I always prefer hearing new perspectives other than my own. It helps me be more empathetic, intuitive and generally more open.
So, we’ve made a new product. One that will help us reconnect with the ones we’ve been longing for. And, we can do it safely (and stylishly, if we say so ourselves). The Green Cannabis Co. has developed Hand-Carved Wooden Filter Tips. They’re sold in pairs and will help make your session that much smoother. Take a haul, and pass the joint from tip to tip. So, you ultimately pass the dutchie but not the germs.
Sharing joints is natural. It's important and it's back!
]]>July is live-plastic-free month. And, it’s a great time to think about your cannabis consumption and how you can easily shed single-use plastics from your sessions. We’ve compiled a list below of some tips to help you along the way. We’re hoping these small and simple steps are easy to try. The last thing we want to do is give a bunch of stoners a long to-do list.
So, here are a few things to think about that'll make your sessions a little greener. You could say it’s, green meets green.
Buy more weed.
Seriously, buy your cannabis in larger quantities. Every pack of cannabis, by law, needs to be sold in child-resistant and sealed packages. Safety first, of course, but think about all those layers of plastic. The next time you’re purveying some fine herb, opt out of smaller amounts and buy packages that are 3.5 grams or more. Store your plant pals properly and you’d be surprised by how much plastic you’ll have removed from the environment. Plus, you’ll have more weed. Win-win.
So, you own a plastic rolling tray.
If you do, you’re going to have to use that mass-produced piece of plastic for the rest of your life. It’s going to last for a thousand years, so you might as well use it. For everyone else, grab a Canadian-made wood tray (made with sustainable wood preferably) or go for something smooth like this one, it’s hand-made and uses locally-sourced clay. It, too, will last forever as long as you don’t drop it.
Go for a walk.
Connect with nature. Bring a refillable bottle of water with you and get outside. Don’t you find out when you're in nature you begin to appreciate your connection to it a little more? (Maybe that’s just me). But, the more time you spend outside, the more you want to keep it just the way it is. Enjoy those moments and try to carry them with you through the day or week. You’ll naturally start making better choices. You’ll subconsciously make more conscious choices.
Roll your own joints.
Pre-rolls are super convenient. But, they’re also super packaged. And, packaged individually. That’s a ton of plastic. Instead, roll your own joints. And, don’t worry, there are tools to help you roll, like pre-rolls that just need to be packed or rolling machines. There are even electric, automated rolling machines. Whichever you decide, just make sure you use good papers, like ours that use biodegradable filters and sleeves. :) Or, if you don’t think you’re the rolling-type, grab a multi-pack next time. Same amount of plastic, more pre-rolls.
Lighters are the worst.
They’re a tiny piece of plastic in your purse or pocket that you lose in about 4 minutes. So. Much. Waste. Think of using an electric, rechargeable lighter instead. I know what you’re thinking, “what about my Pop-Pop’s wicked, vintage Zippo?” No. Zippo's are gorgeous, and all, but the manufacturing and packaging of zippo fluid is not. Do your best to avoid them or try not to lose your lighters. Or you could use wood matches (again made from sustainable wood).
Oh no, I’ve got the munchies.
You should avoid individually wrapped snacks for a lot of reasons, the most important one should being your health. But think about snacks and their packaging. Lots and lots of waste. Whether you’re a sweet-or-savoury-kind-of-snacker aim for larger packages. Better yet, head to a bulk store or your local refillery and stock up. Or, you could try some of our favourite local, organic and vegan snacks, Nomz. New eco-packaging is jarred and resealable, which we love.
The list above is full of very small changes that’ll have a huge impact collectively. We sometimes forget as consumers how powerful our choices are. How we spend money shapes industries. Let’s do our part to shape the cannabis industry into one we’d like to see for the long-term. Let our industry be an example for others, a greener way to do business. And, finally, if you only retain one thing from this article, it should be this: buy more weed - it’s better for the environment.
]]>This article appeared in Forbes. Warren Bobrow writes for the Vices column. He and our CEO had the pleasure of chatting earlier this month.
WB: Please tell me about yourself. Art trained? How did you discover the plant? How old were you? Indoor or outdoor grown?
I’m a design nerd. I’ve been attracted to design of all kinds my whole life. I originally applied to architecture programs for university. When my poor math skills caught up to me, I turned to art school. I attended OCAD (The Ontario College of Art & Design) and discovered my love for graphic design and communications. After a specialty college program, I started working in advertising. I was fortunate enough to work in all the top-tier ad agencies in Canada building brands for the last 15 years. Now, I’ve set my sights on designing and hand-making cannabis accessories for my own brand.
Cannabis has been a part of my life for a very long time and I discovered it like most, behind a roller rink, next to a dumpster. It was the dead of summer, hot and stinky. It was the least romantic introduction I could’ve had and, I kind of loved it. Since then, the plant has been a huge part of my life in all forms. I’m an organic, outdoor-guy mostly. But, when the harvest runs out, I head over to the Ontario Cannabis Store (OCS) to *legally* buy weed and it’s shipped right to my door in a day.
WB: Please tell me about your company? What is your thoughts on stigmas? How do you anticipate removing them?
The Green Cannabis Co. is an ethical brand focused on eco-friendly and sustainably-sourced cannabis accessories. Our entire collection is made by hand. We locally-source our raw materials, including hemp from British Columbia, beeswax from Quebec and raw clay, used in our ceramics, from Ontario and Alberta. We use bio-degradable packaging, we’re a plastic-free organization and we take a print-free approach to the way we package our goods. Instead, we hand-trim pages of vintage books and stamp our labels by hand using vegetable ink. I know what you’re thinking, “Doesn’t that take long?” and the short answer is, yes. It absolutely does, but we think it’s worth it. It not only minimizes our impact on the environment, but it also gives us our “look”. Our brown kraft paper, hand-stamped labels and imperfect approach is the signature of our brand. Even our business cards get the same hand-stamped treatment. In an industry littered with overuse of plastic, loads of flashy graphics our simplistic, subtle and sophisticated approach is refreshing.
I learned a lot about how companies view the cannabis industry while setting up The Green Cannabis Co. Banks would laugh me out of branches, I was booted out of PayPal, Square and Stripe, all the major credit card processing companies for violating their terms. They view selling legal, hand-made cannabis accessories in the same light as selling illegal drugs. It was incredibly disheartening, but it pushed me to find a better way. And, in time, I believe it will get easier for companies like ours to thrive in this industry. Stigmas are being shed everyday and fingers crossed the major ones fall soon. But, if a small, independent company in Canada (where weed is legal) is having these issues I can’t imagine what it must be like for others in the US and around the world.
We started The Green Cannabis Co. in December of 2019. Little did we know what the first half of 2020 would have in store. When Covid-19 hit people were locked in their homes and looking for ways to relieve all of their pent up stress and anxiety. People started to ask me what strains are best to sleep, to relax, to escape. These are people who I never thought would ask me about cannabis, people like my mom, my sisters-in-law and elderly neighbours. That, to me, speaks volumes. The stigmas are falling and now people are trying the plant - and it’s helping. Some of them are trying it for the first time, others are reminded of how awesome it was when they were kids. Either way, a whole new group of users have entered the cannabis space and we believe that’s good for everyone. The more we can normalize the use of cannabis, the more those stigmas will start fading away.
WB: What are your six and twelve month goals? What sets you apart from your competitors?
We are super excited about what the next few months hold. In the next 6 months, we’ll be continuing to launch new products and expand our foothold in retail shops, dispensaries and boutiques, both brick and mortar as well as online. As the brand continues to grow, we’d love to expand our offering. We’re beginning to add in some lifestyle-wear to our collection, we’re prototyping a line of topicals and edibles and are looking to secure a retail location, you know, if that’s still a thing in 12 months. We are fortunate enough to have an incredibly strong brand with laser-focused brand pillars. With that, we immediately know if we’re playing in the right sandbox or not.
There is nothing like our products on the market. Many of our competitors source mass-produced, white-labelled goods from overseas and slap a logo on it. We take an entirely different approach. We design, we prototype and produce our collection ourselves, proudly in Canada. Every cut, every stamp, every fold all happens here. It would be far easier and far cheaper to manufacture overseas but we believe there is a better way, where we aren’t dependant on outsourcing to fulfill our orders and where we can feed our local economies. Another thing that will become more important on the heels of the virus, we think.
WB: Do you have a food memory you’d like to share?
I grew up in an Italian household. Lots of food, lots of cooking and, as kids, we were always welcome in the kitchen. And, by welcome, I mean forced to help in the kitchen. I remember helping jar tomatoes and making sausage when I wasn’t even old enough to hold a knife. My job on Sunday mornings was prepping the sugo (red tomato sauce) for the big Sunday family dinner. Little did I know how impressionable I was back then. The garlic grinder I used every week would inevitably become the inspiration for our signature built-in grinder on our rolling trays.
WB: What is your passion?
Thoughtful design. Design that is pleasing, purposeful and created with the user and the environment in mind. It’s a part of everything I do and every choice I make from the clothes I buy, to the beer I drink – I’m a sucker for a good label. Design isn’t just about the end result either. It’s about the process, the materials, the environment and maybe what’s most important, its about what happens after you’re done with it.
Good design keeps me coming back to brands I love and keeps me away from others. I remember sitting down in a new, trendy restaurant recently, looking at the poorly designed menu then immediately putting it down and walking out the door. My wife still won’t let me live that one down.
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