Shopping for Buds that Match Your Lifestyle (featuring Origins Cannabis)
Flower legal in your state? (Or the state you’re in?) Boveda takes the Cultivate podcast on the road to introduce you to the best of the best in the cannabis space.
In Redmond or West Seattle, Washington? Make a stop at Origins Cannabis, one of the Pacific Northwest’s premium dispensaries for:
Product recommendations based on your lifestyle preferences and desired effects
Mature, relaxed and responsibly tended buying experience
Hand-selected, high-quality flower from local farms
Garden-to-consumer certification to ensure strict quality and freshness controls (that’s where Boveda comes in)
Plus watch and learn why tortillas, bananas and apples are best kept on your grocery list and out of your flower.
That first foray into a new dispensary can be daunting. A lot of product. A lot people who know more than you do. A lot of trust in that bud behind the counter. Imagine choosing flower where who you are and what you do guide your shopping experience. This is the low-pressure, customer-centric approach you’ll find at Origins Cannabis. And it puts both the novice and cannoisseur at ease.
THE EDUCATION OF ORIGINS
Successful cannabis retail operations, the ones that will survive and thrive, must do more than just sell weed under glare-free glass. Dispensaries like Origins take a highly informational approach to selling flower. They educate consumers and empower them to make mindful buying decisions.
No budtenders here. At Origins, there are cannabis guides. They’re trained to help customers choose their experience, rather than acting as pseudo-pharmacists and recommending specific strains or product types.
“The cannabis guides get a lot of training on putting people with the right products,” A.J. Cornwall said. “So we look at them as guiding you into the experience of the store.”
A team member will truly engage with you at Origins. And it’s not just a cursory, “What’ll ya have tonight, bud?”. It gets personal. Each product is categorized based on the desired effect or activity that you’re shopping for.
“The categories are developed for an experience. ‘Self-Discovery’ is going to be a more intense, meditative high. Then we have ‘Adventurous,’ which is going to be a ratio that is going to get you stimulated,” A.J. said.
“Because you know, not everyone consumes cannabis at the same level. Some people smoke before a hike, and others, to go to bed … These lifestyles allow you to be able to come in and pick the right kind.”
Where are you on the spectrum? Take a ride on the Origins Lifestyle Spectrum. Compare desired effects, delivery method and more on this interactive menu.
CONNECTING YOU WITH THE RIGHT CANNABIS PRODUCTS
Origins changed cannabis retail with its Cannabinoid Ratio System. Created in partnership with a local testing laboratory Confidence Analytics, the system helps customers achieve a consistent experience each time they return to the store.
Right at the counter, shoppers can compare the cannabinoid ratios of several products simultaneously. Then customers find the strain that best fits their routine, their pleasure. This customized experience keeps customers coming back for more—along with a robust rewards program for loyal cannabis customers.
GOING TO THE GROW, KNOWING FARMERS & BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS
A homey store, techy system and guru guides only go so far. If a dispensary doesn’t have the goods, its rep gets around, fast. Every product sold in Origins is hand selected by Jon Sherman. He travels the state’s top cultivation sites to curate herb for Origins.
“There’s nothing hard about it,” Jon said. “Previously I came from the wine industry…I spent a lot of time going out to vineyards, working a similar situation where you go down rows of vines and you have to take those grapes back and make phenomenal wines out of it. So I’m kind of reliving what I went to school for.”
Cruising to different farms allows Origins to check out producers’ practices, including the grow lighting and air conditioning. This allows Jon to project quality over seasons. From the select growers they do work with, a very small percentage of their flower will end up on Origins shelves.
“They might grow 50 pounds of a particular strain. We want to go there and select five pounds that were extra special,” he explained. “Flower quality even differs from where those buds grew on a particular plant. “Being able to put our nose in the bag and actually smell the product and taste the product—not just look at numbers.”
So Jon weeds out the good stuff. And then Origins runs independent tests to ensure that all flower and infused products are terpene-rich and free of pesticides. The gardens also sign affidavits to verify that specifications set by the state of Washington were followed. If flower meets all of these standards, only then is it Origins Certified and available to consumers.
“It’s level of quality and a level of brand that people just aren’t used to in this business,” Drew said. “When you come to Origins, you get to see the best of the best. Premium quality strains from different farms that Jon has taken the time to curate.”
As the industry grows and matures, the measure of quality goes beyond seed to sale. Those who are successful in the cannabis space care about the end user’s experience and the impact of the products.
Friends don’t let friends smoke bad cannabis.
Wonder why there’s so much bad herb out there? So did the Origins team. And who better to ask than unfortunate buds with bad buds? So Origins ran a campaign asking people to bring in their empty containers from that flunky flower—whether they bought it at Origins or not.
The consumers filled out a quick little iPad® survey. “It would help us understand what they didn’t like,” Jon said.
“We were blown by what the results were,” Jon said. “It was because their product was too dry.”
This Origins Story DEPENDS ON Boveda
In legal rec states, some dispensaries think customers will buy practically anything if you leave it on display long enough.
Consumers are becoming more discriminating. They don’t like—nor do they want to buy—dried-out flower. Shoppers come to Origins for premium quality cannabis to match their amazing, unique life experiences. That includes the proper cure and storage for the smoothest, most flavorful and most therapeutic smoke. Boveda patented 2-way humidity control is the solution to flower’s moisture problems.
“We see how Boveda protects the quality. The way your cannabis flower smells, smokes and feels,” Jon said.
Keep up with cannabis industry best practices. After you buy, store your flower in an airtight container with Boveda to preserve your experience.
GOT A QUESTION FOR DREW AND SCOTT? | Use #AskBoveda on social media
#ASKBOVEDA QUESTION: Angela from Instagram – “Can I really use tortillas to help keep my cannabis fresh?” (28:02)
For years, cannabis enthusiasts have resorted to many methods to humidify dry marijuana. Have you ever tossed in a tortilla, apples slices, bread or other organic item to keep your jarred cannabis fresh? While absorbing some moisture from foods and food remnants, your flower also absorbs their flavors and aromas. (Rotting banana peel, anyone?)
Boveda enhances—doesn’t change—flower’s flavor, aroma and effects. Boveda 2-way humidity control keeps cannabis at the optimal moisture level to prevent mold growth and retain your bud’s therapeutic benefits.
Like tortillas, the ingredients inside Boveda are food grade. Boveda uses natural salts and pure water to add or absorb water vapor to your stash. But unlike tortillas, Boveda achieves and maintains a precise RH level for the long haul. No guesswork. No dried-out flower. No decomposing banana peel smell or taste. Toss your fruit detritus in your compost pile. Save your tortillas for Taco Tuesday. And store your cannabis with Boveda instead.
Heading to Washington state? You can visit the Origins Cannabis team at either their Redmond or Seattle location.
Roni Stetter is a professional in the cannabis industry who has been touched personally by the plant. She has used it as part of a healthy pain management routine since 2010, and since that day has worked hard to educate the world about the positive physical, mental and societal effects of legalized cannabis.
Roni Stetter’s posts are being provided for informational purposes only; they do not constitute an endorsement or an approval by Boveda of any of the products, services or opinions of Roni Stetter. Boveda bears no responsibility for the accuracy, legality or content of this post or links to the posts. Contact Roni Stetter for answers to questions regarding her content.
