By Heather Egger
Welcome to “Behind the Label,” where we tell the stories of Canada’s most innovative craft cannabis producers. Today, we feature Dabble Cannabis Co., a standout in the craft cannabis market known for its exceptional extracts. Located in the Cowichan Valley, a unique Mediterranean climatic zone, Dabble grows the sun-grown cannabis used in its single-source products. Their fruity signature strain, Strawberry Jam, won Grow Up’s 2023 Canadian Cannabis Championship in the concentrates category. Plus, CEO Alannah Davis leads Hi Point Guest Ranch, offering cannabis-friendly accommodations, tours, and educational events around their private lake. Join us as we explore the products and practices that make Dabble Cannabis Co. an award-winning craft cannabis company.
Growing Together: Dedication to Education
The Dabble team is driven by their passion for family, cannabis, and a strong commitment to education. The Davis family works closely together to produce their award-winning cannabis into concentrates and operate Hi Point as a cannabis tourism destination. And Alannah’s goal is to continuously educate herself about cannabis and concentrates and share that knowledge with retailers and consumers. This dedication is evident in the events she organizes at Hi Point to support and educate the community. This summer, she and her sister, Chelsea Strang, “The Holistic Cannabis Nurse,” an LPN and accredited holistic cannabis practitioner, hosted a cannabis education retreat.
Uniquely Dabble: Cultivation and Innovation
Dabble stands out in the industry by producing its sun-grown, single-source cannabis, owning the entire supply chain from cultivation to extraction. Their tight focus on producing terpene-rich solventless live rosin also sets them apart. And Hi Point Guest Ranch is growing into a busy cannabis-friendly destination with a lovely bed and breakfast, private lake access, lakeside camping, and event spaces for cannabis-focused gatherings.
Signature Strains: From Strawberry Jam to New Releases
Dabble’s signature strain, Strawberry Jam, is a testament to the meticulous work of their master grower, Ross Butcher, who has spent years hunting for the finest cultivars. This strain is known for its unique fruity aroma, reminiscent of overripe strawberries and Nana’s homemade jam. Alongside Strawberry Jam, Dabble offers live rosins of Hashplant and Dabbleberry (Blueberry Cream). With 12 new strains in the fields, get set to receive small batch releases throughout this year.
Growing Techniques: Quality and Sustainability
Dabble’s cultivation practices are distinctive in that they approach each plant in the field like an indoor plant, ensuring that each one is cared for and pruned removing unnecessary plant material to boost growth. They also employ pesticide-free growing methods, using beneficial and predator insects and companion plants like marigolds and catnip for preventative pest control. They are continuously improving their process to produce their hash, using solventless ice-water extraction to produce live rosin and ensure the highest quality of their product before allowing it out of the facility to market.
Challenges and Successes: Overcoming Obstacles in the Market
Despite the challenges of high administrative burdens and initial difficulty breaking into the BCLDB, Dabble has taken fire. Once it entered the BC market, it doubled the category sales in the province. Alannah advocates for cannabis to be considered an agricultural crop so that cannabis farms can access insurance and tax exemptions available to other farms. She would also like to see the industry come together to work towards a common goal, like reducing onerous red tape and the punishing excise tax structure.
Commitment to Quality, Family, and Innovation
With a foundation rooted in family values, a passion for cannabis, and an unwavering commitment to education, Dabble Cannabis Co. has firmly established itself as a leader in the craft cannabis industry. Their dedication to producing sun-grown, single-source cannabis and solventless concentrates has earned them accolades and a loyal following.
Dabbleberry Live Rosin
Hashplant Live Rosin
Strawberry Jam Live Rosin
Q. How do you engage with your local community and support local initiatives?
A. We leverage community events as our primary means to connect with our community of consumers and retailers. Each month, we host an event called 420 Church alongside another local farm welcoming enthusiasts and newbies alike to enjoy cannabis, community, food and prizes and to give back to different charitable organizations. We are also often hosting dab-bars at events and attending events to meet others or having events at the farm!
Q. What trends do you see in the craft cannabis market, and how do you plan to adapt?
A. In other more established markets like California, Colorado and BC’s own legacy market – solventless products for inputs for infused products like gummies, vapes, drinks, prerolls etc. I definitely see that as an evolution from distillate inputs that have barely begun to reach the market in Canada, so I see a big opportunity there. We are well positioned to adapt to this, with ample ‘food-grade’ supply of rosin that is produced when we make our premium jar grade. We have already sold some rosin to beverages for another brand and hope to see our own products in market one day.
Q. How do you see the future of the craft cannabis industry evolving in Canada?
A. I see the future of the craft cannabis industry evolving similarly to small wineries and craft breweries. BC is already well positioned to capitalize on this, and once the government releases their tight grip on regulations and taxes and fees, we will be able to afford things like developing a farm store and tasting room, allowing cannabis to participate in agri-tourism, contributing to our local economies. What needs to happen first however, is for all of the different associations and groups must release their egos and work together to provide priorities to the provincial government.
Websites and socials:
Dabble Cannabis Co: https://www.dabblecannabis.com/
Hi Point Guest Ranch: https://www.hipointguestranch.com/
Instagram: @dabblecannabisco
Find Dabble Cannabis Co. products in BC stores and on Mendo Medical.
