Cannabis + Design: An Evening of Community

At our first cannabis panel event, co-hosted with CANOPY at Jackson Square, we brought together thoughtful canna-brands and consumers for a wonderful night full of discovery, insight and conversation. The event started with a brand showcase, which included samples by our favorite brands. We also had the pleasure of hearing leading local canna-brands share their experiences and thoughts on how design is benefiting and necessary in the industry.

CANOPY provided such an wonderful setting for these creative minds to come together and talk one-on-one with consumers. In addition to a light filled co-working space, lounge and balcony views, and they hosted drinks and food for guests to enjoy as they discovered new products.

Here were some of our favorite takeaways —

Jennifer Chapin, co-founder of Kikoko Tea, shared with us how the brand started, and one of the secrets to their success — authenticity. “When we started Kikoko, we put a stake in the ground for women. At the time, most cannabis products were developed for and marketed to men —they were high dose, and there were no packaging designs that were distinctly feminine and fresh. This lit our fire. We knew that we wanted to create a low dose product that addressed women’s needs, we wanted our packaging designs to captivate and connect with women, and we knew we wanted to be a significant part of destigmatizing this natural path to wellness for women. We built our products for ourselves and hope other women would love them too.”

We encountered these products for ourselves in their tea lounge, brought to life by hemp pillows and home accessories by MoonCloth. These ladies know their hemp and are pushing the benefits of this plant into all aspects of lifestyle. From apothecary and apparel to home and pipes they have a great list of products for you or for gifts. We are really excited about the new 3D printed hemp vases they showcased at the event.

We learned from panelist Johnny Deim of Humboldt Brothers his view on how the cannabis industry is embracing design, “For years, the cannabis industry was its own biggest enemy in the branding sector. I think its a product of how illegitimate the space has been, but now that it’s mainstream, I’m excited we could be open and put some amazing players in the space.” Humboldt Brothers is unique in their focus to help as many people as possible with the highest quality plant-based medicines and through the most sustainable farming practices known.  They have a true dedication to the plant, the community and the environment, and their flower is always 100% organic, sungrown & pesticide free.

Tasty chocolates were provided by Défoncé Chocolatier. This team of veteran artisans uses sun-grown, single-origin cannabis and delicious chocolate ingredients to craft beautiful infused chocolate bars. At our event they also shared a new creation of milk and dark chocolate covered treats. Other samples included low-dose tablinguals by our friends at Level Blends. We love the portability, discreteness, and endless customization opportunities their products offer. Focused on effect, Level gives consumers the power to choose what specific cannabinoids they want to consume.

Albert da Cunha of Dovana Delights shared his upcoming line of CBD and THC caramels, as well as his experience breaking into the cannabis space. “  Making non-medicated caramels started as a hobby, and something fun to do with my daughter. But going to market  with our cannabis-infused caramels we wanted to enter the market at a much higher level. In order to really differentiate it from others, we worked with Noise 13 Design, and they brought Dovana into a high end market space It’s helped get through a lot of doors and different challenges.” Keep an eye out for his beautiful boxes of caramels to hit shelves in the near future.

We also love the ladies behind curated brands like TSO Sonoma and Simple Jane. TSO Sonoma provides organically sun-grown flower and vape pens, and they also create experiences. They bring the Wine Country tasting events of good food, wine, and now cannabis to the community through their Elevated Event Series. We also got to see and take home one of  Simple Jane’s newest offerings, a CBD infused massage oils and body balms. These are great for pre and post workout—even when that workout is sex. Pleasure is key for Simple Jane, and we love their Naughty or Nice Box. In addition to the amazing CBD benefits of their products, they are also infused with essential oils to make an amazing aroma.

Still in development mode, Murmmr is a consumer products company bringing exceptional, social, cannabis experiences to market. With a fresh perspective of the cannabis consumer, co-founder Ericka Olson shared her thoughts on how storytelling helps build their brand, “We’ve working with a marketing agency but I also think the product will speak for itself in a way, and oftentimes you need to rely on that—the design of the product, the functionality and the beauty.” We’re excited to try out their first products Summer 2019 as they look to set the standard for the best way to smoke flower with friends.

Nicole Skibola, one half of Cosmic View, shared with us just how hands on she is with her brand. While her mother, Christine, works primarily on building the formulas that make their products great, Nicole, an accomplished artist, focuses on giving Cosmic View their visual edge. “It was important for me to be very close to my brand since it comes from such a personal place. I hold on to it very tightly.” We trust them to consistently deliver high quality, effective products and can’t wait to read Nicole’s new book – Wakeful Night – which was written and illustrated by herself.

We also enjoyed having Nurit Raphael, founder of Ona Life, announce San Francisco as one of her newest service areas. One of our favorite online delivery shops, Ona Life is a boutique cannabis collective delivering high quality strains, edibles and products. We love their eye for great quality products that also look amazing, and can’t wait to put in our first order!

We loved being able to see some of our favorite companies talk honestly and candidly about the process of building their brand, and to see them connect with consumers in a whole new light. We look forward to further building these connections in the future. You can participate too by sharing your thoughts on Facebook and Instagram, and sign up for our newsletter to be in the know about upcoming cannabis events just like this.