Go deeper - join us!
Cannabusiness
As, state by state, medical or recreational marijuana is becoming legalized, the stigmas and stereotypes surrounding the drug have fallen away. More and more companies in the booming cannabusiness industry are marketing their products in chic packaging to upscale clients.
Customers who like to unwind at the end of a workday are as likely to smoke weed or enjoy an edible as they are to drink a glass of wine with dinner.
Taking note
This trend has not been lost on the wine industry. In Oregon, where recreational marijuana was legalized two years ago, some vintners are incorporating marijuana into their agricultural production.
More and more vineyards are leasing their land to pot growers, or growing the plants themselves in adjacent fields to their grapes.
Some vineyards are even pulling up some of their grape plants to replace them with marijuana. Said Katherine Bryan of Deer Creek Vineyards, “I get $2,000 a ton for my pinot gris grapes, whereas I can make potentially $2,000 or more per pound of cannabis.”
Wineries, meet Weederies
Southern Oregon’s climate is ideal for growing both grapes and marijuana, and there is strong potential for crossover marketing. For example, Stoner Magazine, a cannabis publication in Oregon, reviewed both wine and weed from Cowhorn Vineyard & Garden in the same article.
Winery tourism is already thriving in the region, so it’s easy to imagine that buses bringing out-of-towners for wine tastings could also stop to learn about production and sample wares at Oregon’s “weederies.”
Wineries who want to grow weed still have to be careful, since marijuana has not been legalized on the federal level.
Growers have to keep the plants on separate lots and have two distinct licenses.
Time will tell
The risks seem well worth it, given the potential profits in this growing industry. Says Brent Kenyon, who operates a pot consulting firm, “The ‘weedery’ and the winery. I think that’s huge, and we see it developing.”
