Highlight: Maria Visitor of Pure Sunfarms on how hashish might be a part of new vacation traditions

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Welcome to Highlight, a weekly collection by The GrowthOp that supplies commentary and perception from consultants working within the hashish and psychedelic industries. This week, we chatted with Maria Visitor, the VP of brand name at Pure Sunfarms. The dialog has been edited for size and readability. 

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Maria Visitor, the VP of brand name at Pure Sunfarms, entered the hashish trade with a beverage-alcohol background.

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In hashish, Visitor noticed a chance to step into one other regulated trade and an opportunity for the College of British Columbia graduate to return west.

She additionally knew a number of the conventional model methods that labored in alcohol wouldn’t apply to hashish, the place laws round advertising and promoting steadily draw the ire of the trade. However that wasn’t the case for Visitor.

“I knew what I used to be strolling into,” she tells The GrowthOp on a latest name from B.C. “I feel that the largest distinction is you’ve obtained slightly bit much less to work with in your device field. So a number of the conventional channels to amplify your model aren’t there, whether or not it’s TV, print or radio. It’s actually about getting artistic in attempting to determine how you discover your customers and discuss to them and construct that connection.”

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A part of the technique for the Delta, B.C.-based Pure Sunfarms contains working with artists, each native and worldwide, to showcase the model and inform the corporate’s story. That technique finally developed into launching Market final yr, an e-commerce platform that includes the model’s attire, equipment, objects and artwork.

Visitor calls the platform a pure evolution and one other approach to normalize hashish, even when that wasn’t the unique aim.

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“I don’t assume we deliberately got down to scale back hashish stigma, however I feel it’s serving to normalize the dialog,” she says. “We’re not attempting to over-engineer something, we’re doing issues that I feel folks and customers wish to see and wish to be part of.”

That features discovering artistic methods to get hashish beneath the Christmas tree, together with Sweet Cane pipes, sugar cookies (a nod to the corporate’s Sugar Cookies cultivar) and hand-blown glass trays created in collaboration with native glass studio, Dougherty Glassworks. 

Learn on to study extra about Pure Sunfarms collaborations with artists, Visitors’ method to branding and why she believes hashish might be a part of new vacation traditions. 

What’s it like working in branding within the alcohol trade in comparison with hashish?

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It’s fascinating as a result of my profession has been beverage-alcohol, so regulated, and the hashish trade is regulated in numerous methods and controlled much more. So I feel what’s actually vital, and particularly from a model perspective, is the basics of a model and constructing a model don’t change, no matter trade. So I feel that’s actually vital to at all times have prime of thoughts.

We’ll work inside the parameters of what we’re allowed to do and give you artistic methods however I’m nonetheless trying to create these significant connections, I’m nonetheless trying to construct a model that has substance and basis. And I feel these are actually vital steps.

After I first got here into this trade, there have been loads of manufacturers at first line and I feel loads of manufacturers had been simply there to be manufacturers and that’s it. What I noticed is loads of them didn’t have the spine or the muse to make it and a few of them haven’t made it.

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We launched in September 2019 and I joined earlier that yr and constructing that basis, of what the model means, and the way we go to market, was job one. I feel that’s a part of what’s made Pure Sunfarms what it’s immediately, and when you concentrate on what makes a robust basis in a model, it’s about what’s behind it, what are they manufactured from.

At Pure Sunfarms, what I liked is we had so much to speak about, the muse was there. And that’s I feel any model or marketer’s dream since you’re not needing to leverage and borrow from some other place to assist construct your model.

Are you able to discuss Pure Sunfarms deal with artwork and collaboration with native artists?

Artwork has been a part of the model proper from the start. One motive is it’s lovely, and it’s such a stunning medium to specific the model, nevertheless it really did greater than that. It helps us inform the story of the model, or the strains, or our rising method, or no matter it’s that we wish to discuss. So it was a extremely versatile and significant means that truly related with customers.

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That pillar for us developed to the purpose the place we created a Market, which is our on-line e-commerce platform, the place we curate a number of totally different items and equipment. Artwork is central to that. I don’t assume we deliberately got down to scale back hashish stigma, however I feel it’s serving to normalize the dialog. So it was a pure evolution. And I feel, whether or not we meant to or not, I feel it’s serving to to normalize hashish.

What kind of components do you search for when collaborating with an artist?

Firstly, we prefer to discover a symbiotic relationship. We search for artists that may assist us inform our story. We search for artists that may think about issues and have a look at issues otherwise. A whole lot of them occur to be native, that’s vital to us, however they’re not all native.

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There’s a saying that we now have, and also you’ll see it peppered all through our model, however totally different eyes see various things. And on so many ranges, I feel that simply speaks to what we’re doing, particularly from an artwork perspective, as a result of you possibly can interpret issues otherwise. We would like that. We wish to see the model and the product via the eyes of the artists.

We respect the artists which might be devoted to their craft, as a result of we’re devoted to our craft, and there’s nice mutual respect there. These relationships need to be genuine, that’s what I feel actually issues.

What are a number of the approaches Pure Sunfarms took to include hashish into the vacations this season?

This yr, we took a extremely easy method with our ‘Vacation Hits’ program, which is a little bit of a double entendre. It celebrates our favourites, whether or not it’s Pink Kush or Jet Gas Gelato or pre-rolls so that folks can put these in stockings, it equally permits us to convey hashish into folks’s vacation traditions via the products that we’re providing.

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We’ve obtained some fairly enjoyable and distinctive and particular collabs. One is the hand-blown customized glass tray by Dougherty Glassworks, which is an area vendor, they developed an exquisite piece for us in our signature inexperienced color. In order that was a extremely superb collaboration and it’s a extremely versatile piece.

We additionally partnered with Small Victory, an area bakery, we made some un-infused sugar cookies, which is honouring our Sugar Cookies pressure. We’ve obtained a enjoyable vacation cracker set, which is an effective way normalize hashish and convey it into your totally different vacation traditions. So it’s actually coming to life at retail, but additionally on-line via the Market.

The sweet cane pipe was additionally a cult favorite from final yr, so we introduced it again.

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Is there anything you wished to say when it comes to constructing a model on this trade?

Constructing a model with substance and which means will resonate with folks and that’s the elementary spine of how I convey Pure Sunfarms to life. Every little thing begins within the greenhouse. How we develop, who grows it, the care, all of that’s the basis that’s the spine of the model. It truly is the important thing to constructing a robust basis.

Then it’s actually about attempting to focus our efforts on how we discover the folks and the customers to allow them to learn about Pure Sunfarms and to construct a connection. And that’s what we do via artwork. It really works for us. It resonates, and on the identical time, we’re serving to our group and lifting up the artists which might be selecting to be part of our world, as effectively.

Pure Sunfarms is basically targeted on crops and folks first, and bringing hashish to the on a regular basis. I feel that’s actually vital.

If you realize somebody that you just assume may very well be a very good match for this collection, please get in contact at sriches@postmedia.com.