Keeping afloat in the rushing river of the legal cannabis industry can be difficult to manage on your own. That’s why many have begun turning towards cannabis cooperatives to pull their heads above water. There are many benefits of a cooperative. Some even argue it’s the only way for a small farmer to continue competing in this evolving industry. With the large corporate structure we see forming new farms throughout California, the added pressure felt by the small farmer to produce on the same level is increasing. These pressures can be a lot for us farmers to take on by ourselves, but what keeps us going is the argument that our quality is easily our winning asset. We put love into all of the decisions we make, we take time to think about how our choices affect those around us, and our years of experience in the game make us experts compared to most. Typically, you will see a loss in quality as a company scales, but co-ops offer the ability to increase cultivation area while keeping the batches small enough to focus on quality.
The culture that comes with a cannabis cooperative is one most see in their communities already. We are able to find like-minded individuals who want to work together towards a common goal, all while maintaining our farm’s individuality and preserving the needed time spent with our plants. When we join forces, we are able to lower our operating costs by sharing resources, splitting marketing fees, growing our network, and sharing ideas and experiences to avoid costly cultivation mistakes. We personally like to produce craft cannabis, a category that puts an emphasis on organic and sustainable farming practices. Craft cannabis is more expensive to produce, but a cooperative gives us the ability to do that without having to dish out hard-to-swallow funds.
It can be hard to compete with large companies whose pockets seem to have no end and whose farms span to max capacity. Our harvest numbers individually make us small farmers appear insignificant among the large producers. As a co-op, we don’t have to fear the large companies and their enormous production numbers. We as a whole can produce the same quantity. It’s appealing to the distributor to only go through one funnel -- one large purchase rather than a dozen small ones. By coming together collectively, we have a greater market share, increased shelf space, and the ability to produce a quality product at the “standard” inventory amount. As a whole, we have a product that often looks better than the competition due to our thoughtful cultivation methods, but numbers that range as high as the others. We now have the ability to market our product consistently and desirably, all while maintaining our own unique approach.
There’s also something to be said about the cost of simply starting a farm in the industry nowadays. Fees are expensive, taxes are through the roof, and the hurdles we have to jump through to become licensed are seemingly never-ending. With the help of a cooperative, there’s an avenue for entry that provides a reasonable start-up cost for a small business. Bulk accounts, equipment, insurance policies, and branding are no longer daunting obstacles a small farmer has to face. Navigating the waters of cannabis compliance can also be hard to tackle alone, and the support of a co-op in that sense is invaluable. Co-ops give us the opportunity to support a small business that is driven by passion rather than just the dollar.
If you’re starting to feel like this may be a good decision for your farm, then the next step is finding your co-op partners. You can either reach out to already established co-ops or you could form one of your own. You want to find a group of people who shares your same values. Your growing methods can be unique, but for marketing and budgetary purposes, you all want to share a common goal. In fact, having differences between the members of your group can be very beneficial for the growth of your brand and the evolution of your cultivation methods. However, if your core values are different, making a collective decision could turn into a headache. Being a part of a co-op involves a lot of communication, so choose your tribe wisely.
Giving Tree Farms is a part of the Hive Mendocino cooperative. We all believe being involved in our community is important, and we all want to see the cannabis farmers of Mendocino county succeed. We not only share resources to lower our costs, but we also serve in cannabis organizations to help propel the industry forward. Passion ultimately drives this industry, and we want to do our part by encouraging and empowering the small farmers that make up our community. There are a lot of resources out there for forming a co-op, but perhaps the best way to learn is to talk to others who are already involved. If you are in Mendocino county, consider joining the Mendocino Cannabis Alliance. If you’re not here in Mendo, reach out to local groups in your area to point you in the right direction. Although this industry is moving in ways not everyone agrees with, we try to find a middle ground that allows us all to move forward without losing our integrity and love behind everything we do.