StateHouse Holdings Inc. (www.statehouseholdings.com), a California-focused, vertically integrated cannabis enterprise and parent company of Harborside and Urbn Leaf, has stepped up to support the Emerald Cup (www.theemeraldcup.com) to sponsor the annual Emerald Cup Small Farms Initiative, continuing the work that began at last year’s inaugural 2021 Emerald Cup Harvest Ball and allowing the Small Farms Council to expand its scope in the near future.
Prop 64, California’s cannabis legalization initiative, spelled out clearly that there would be no farms larger than one acre for five years. This was established to protect small farmers from having to immediately compete with large scale farming. At the onset of legalization the State of California removed the one acre cap and consequently, small cannabis farmers have faced considerable challenges. StateHouse Holdings, formerly HARBORSIDE Inc., the parent company of the long-established California-based cannabis brand, recognizes the removal of the acre-cap was the single biggest detriment to small farmers and have stepped forward to acknowledge the severity of the impacts of these historic actions, and to address the crisis facing small farmers today. In doing so, StateHouse has actively engaged the Emerald Cup, the Origins Council (representing 900 small farmers), as well as several other groups advocating for small farmers, to lend support in paving viable paths forward towards a sustainable future.
The Small Farms Council worked with the Emerald Cup to evaluate license distribution among Northern California’s heritage cannabis-producing counties with active ordinances, allocating a proportional number of participants to each county. Empowered by Emerald Cup founder Tim Blake, the council includes Michael Katz of the Mendocino Cannabis Alliance, Genine Coleman of Origins Council, Chris Anderson of Redwood Roots Distribution, Nicholas Smilgys of Mendocino Cannabis Distribution, Traci Pellar of the Mendocino Producers Guild and Brandy Moulton of Sovereign 707.
In addition to the sponsorship of the Emerald Cup Small Farms Initiative, StateHouse has also pledged to support the collaborative lobbying effort on both the state and federal levels advocating for direct-to-consumer cannabis sales that would allow qualified small farms to shorten the supply chain to reach end consumers directly.
“This ‘farm-to-table’ model is seen in communities from coast to coast across all forms of agriculture, except cannabis,” says Tim Blake of the Emerald Cup, now in its 19th year in operation. “It’s critical for America’s craft cannabis farmers to be able to directly connect and sell to the folks who love their products the most – very few traditional small farmers could make it without the local farmers markets we all love and appreciate.
To solidify its support to legacy farmers, StateHouse Holdings has also pledged to use their Harborside and Urbn Leaf dispensary locations in California to promote and provide premium sungrown cannabis flower cultivated by legacy small farmers. Legacy brands like Swami Select and Sonoma Hills Farm have already been spotted on store shelves in Oakland, San Jose, and San Diego.
The visionary team at the Emerald Cup see the opportunity for the 2022 Emerald Cup Harvest Ball as a springboard to a more comprehensive collaboration. By recognizing the challenges facing the California cannabis market, Statehouse Holdings and the organization will create beneficial impacts that could be compounded greatly with focused awareness and lobbying support offered by the company.
“We must work together to preserve the stewardship, generational farming and strain diversity from legacy farmers.” says StateHouse Holdings CEO Ed Schmults. “We respect and hold the Emerald Cup and the Small Farms Council in high regard. We look forward to supporting them in their efforts. Multiple paths of distribution with direct access to loyal consumers can help small craft growers survive. As we open our shelves to the best heirloom and craft cannabis from legacy farms, we are also supporting opening access blocked by Proposition 64. We recognize that consumer education comes from the source of the plant and the farmers who grow it. We seek to create more pathways for that connection.”
This historic moment signals a shift within the struggling California cannabis industry. It is opportune for all sectors to build cohesion and work together towards safe access in the legal California cannabis industry.
ABOUT STATEHOUSE HOLDINGS INC.
Founded in 2006, StateHouse’s predecessor company, Harborside, was awarded one of the first six medical cannabis licenses granted in the United States. StateHouse now a vertically integrated enterprise with cannabis licenses covering retail, major brands, distribution, cultivation, nursery, and manufacturing, is one of the oldest and most respected cannabis companies in California. Today, the Company operates 13 dispensaries covering Northern and Southern California and one in Oregon, distribution facilities in San Jose and Los Angeles, California and integrated cultivation/production facilities in Salinas and Greenfield, California. StateHouse is a publicly listed company, currently trading on the Canadian Securities Exchange (“CSE”) under the ticker symbol “STHZ” and the OTCQX under the ticker symbol “STHZF”. The Company continues to play an instrumental role in making cannabis safe and accessible to a broad and diverse community of California and Oregon consumers.
ABOUT THE EMERALD CUP
The Emerald Cup is the world’s premier cannabis brand destination and iconic live event. While advancing the concept of sustainable farming, the iconic 19-year old organization’s reputation is firmly solidified as the largest and most respected cannabis competition in the world. As an organization, The Emerald Cup prides itself in bringing together the leading experts in the cannabis industry to educate and inspire our fellow farmers, patients, and patrons each year. The community celebration has grown to become a global movement honoring each year’s finest, organic, sun and indoor-grown, cannabis harvest, as well as the finest cannabis products available starting with the annual Harvest Ball Festival which marks the start of the Emerald Cup Competition. The Cup has stood as a celebration of excellence and over the years the founder, Tim Blake, has been recognized as one of the guardians of the cannabis industry.
