Consumers are no longer satisfied with access to high‑quality products. They also want to know the people, the land, and the practices behind the items they buy — especially in this more environmentally‑conscious era, when shoppers consider it their personal responsibility to shop sustainably.
That’s why many cultivators are stepping out from behind their plants and becoming the public faces of their brands, sharing their stories and philosophies directly with customers. Big celebrity names still grab attention, but forging deeper, more meaningful connections between consumers, the land, and the people who produce the products can turn casual customers into diehard brand fans.
How can cultivators and brands integrate behind‑the‑scenes stars into their marketing firmament? We asked some professionals who have stepped out of the shadows for their advice.
Tell a good story
People connect to authentic stories. In today’s industry, growers’ lived experiences, philosophies, and hands‑on practices can satisfy consumer curiosity about an industry many see as arcane. Adding human faces can make almost any operation seem more approachable, even if the faces or names aren’t immediately recognizable.
According to Nikki Lastreto and Swami Chaitanya of Swami Select, consumers crave a connection to the “everyday” stories behind the products they choose. Celebrity endorsements may receive headlines and buzz, but real people with their hands in the soil can make a much more memorable impact.
“You need that everyday story of being on the farm,” Lastreto said. “Bob Marley wasn’t on the farm growing weed. He wasn’t even alive anymore when the brand [Marley Natural] was formed. But having that everyday story, that can be as simple as posting on social media, saying, ‘Here’s a plant at three days old, and here’s a plant at three months old. Oh, and here’s all of the fun stuff we did in between harvesting that had nothing to do with cannabis.”
Unique practices as a selling point
For Swami Select, regenerative farming is also at the center of the story. Regenerative agriculture protects the environment, creates a distinctive product, and can cost less over time—all of which becomes part of the brand’s mystique.
“Regenerative farming is a separate thing, but when you incorporate it into your marketing story, it becomes that much more profound,” Chaitanya said. “Up here in the Emerald Triangle, we live in the middle of wilderness. We see animals, plants, and mushrooms that come and go with the seasons, and that gives our cannabis its special quality.”
Growing regeneratively isn’t just more natural or cost-effective; it’s also hyper-local and deeply intentional. Regenerative farmers consider themselves stewards of the land; consequently, sharing their commitment seems more like paying homage to the Earth than ego. Chaitanya and others who grow in harmony with nature build tribes around their brands, saying, in essence, “If you care about this, you’re one of us.”
“It doesn’t even have to be regenerative farming. You’re just telling the story about what you do and how you do it,” Lastreto said. “Another thing that’s super important to us is in‑store demos, which we’ve always handled ourselves. It takes a lot of time and requires us to drive all over the state. But then our customers get to come by and meet their farmer, not just a sales representative. And that makes a huge difference.”
Lastreto and Chaitanya also trained budtenders with seminars showing pictures of the farm, walking them through the process, and helping them understand and appreciate sun‑grown cannabis and their brand.
“It makes it personal: ‘Hey, this is a beautiful place in the country where we grow cannabis, and we’re the ones doing the work,’” Chaitanya said. “It teaches budtenders, who are ultimately the ones selling your weed. They have twenty different cultivars in their counter, so which one are they going to recommend to customers? If you took the extra time to show them how you grow, they might just prioritize promoting yours on your behalf.”
Personalizing the name
When the farmer is the face of the brand, personalization matters.
Lastreto offered an example.
“Look at KFC,” she said. “It’s more personal than just fried chicken. The Colonel matters. In the cannabis industry, some companies have the most generic names. However, when you have a name and a face behind it, people begin to develop a personal connection. It’s like Ann Taylor or Versace. You’re not just buying ‘pretty clothes.’ You’re buying into the person behind the clothes.”
In the case of Ann Taylor, Versace, and other fashion labels, the founding designer left an indelible mark on the industry. Their names now define a particular style. With enough effort, cannabis cultivators can create the same effect. Education often plays a disproportionately large role, according to Chaitanya.
“A lot of people want the most THC for the cheapest price, and that’s a whole level of awareness that we have to transcend and raise,” he said. “For example: We’ve always been sungrown people, and we’re convinced that sungrown is better for the planet, the people, and the plant. However, it’s up to us to convey that message and establish a brand for it. Branding is the experience the user gets, and it becomes the signature of your product. If you consistently produce that same experience, your brand will start to carry some weight.”
Chaitanya admits that discussing cultivation in public can be uncomfortable for growers at first, especially those who came from the legacy industry. Before legalization, talking openly about growing practices and philosophies could, and did, get operations raided and people arrested.
Arcanna Flowers’ Sales and Operations Director, Chiah Rodriques, can attest to how difficult it is to overcome old habits. A second‑generation grower, she was taught almost from birth to stay silent and avoid attracting attention.
Even after California’s Proposition 64 legalized adult use in 2016, “we were still afraid to put our names on our business cards,” she said. “We were working with other legacy farmers who didn’t want anyone to know who they were, so we were like, ‘How do you tell your story?’”
Telling one’s personal story is essential in today’s cannabis marketplace, she said. But, “We’ve also had our Instagram shut down because we were telling too much of the story,” Rodriques added. “So how do you balance the need to be honest with what social media deems ‘appropriate?’ That’s the most challenging piece of the puzzle.”
Mainstream marketers know you can’t appeal to a consumer without telling some sort of story, especially if you’re a grower working with unique crosses that most people have never heard of. So, when working with hesitant legacy growers who were accustomed to operating in the shadows, the most natural first step was to appeal to people through lifestyle.
Most recently, the Arcanna Flowers team split up for 420 weekend and attended various events to promote their products.
“My son is a third‑generation grower on our farm, and he did a table at a small dispensary in Cloverdale for us,” Rodriques said. “A lot of older, hippie legacy people live there who grow their flower, and this guy came over, talked to my son, smoked some of our weed, and listened to our story. The guy called the owner the next morning and said, ‘So, you mean to tell me I can get an ounce of weed for $60 and it’s grown by people just like me?’ He’d never been to a dispensary before, but now he comes in and gets our products. That’s the power in meeting the farmer and hearing the story.”
This also works for Martyjuana founder Marty Clein, who finds the most success from putting his boots on the ground.
“If you’re selling any type of service in any state, the best way is to personalize it,” Clein said. “‘I’m doing this for you; I’m saving money with this system, and I want to help you save money, too.’ My best sales come from single dispensary owners that uphold integrity, meaning they understand small farmers and appreciate everything we do.”
Events and in‑person demonstrations are a powerful way to reach consumers, but they can be quite costly for growers. That’s why creative, personalized experiences are also becoming increasingly important.
Think infused dinners, where your flower is one of the featured strains in the dish, or intimate tastings and farm tours. These kinds of moments go beyond just handing out samples; they create an emotional connection. Consumers walk away not only remembering the product, but linking it to a meaningful experience: the people they were with, the atmosphere, the story they heard.
Cannabis tourism: The next big thing
Growers agree: the future isn’t just in product sales. It’s in experience, and cannabis tourism is emerging as another big opportunity for growers to shine. By opening up their farms for tours, tastings, and educational experiences, growers can offer a firsthand look at their practices and deepen the connection between the product and its place of origin.
“Tourism is definitely the next goal,” Rodriques said. “Any time we’ve even brought a dispensary team to our farm, that relationship has been solidified that much further, because they’re able to say, ‘We know and love these people. We ate their lunch on their porch with their family. Now, we’re going to sell their weed.”
As the market matures, growers who step forward as the face of their brand will stand out from the crowd, because in the end, it’s not just about the weed. It’s about the people, the land, and the love behind it. These are the growers who get it.
