As California’s cannabis consumers become more aware of the importance and quality of small batch craft cannabis, the Emerald Cup (www.theemeraldcup.com) team is proud to announce the return of the Small Farms Initiative 2022. California state licensed Mixed Light and Outdoor farms with a canopy of 10,000 sq. ft. or less are welcome to apply between October 10 – 21, 2022. Winners will be chosen by a randomized lottery-style process and those applicants that are chosen will be announced on Friday, October 28th, 2022. With immense gratitude for the outpouring of support received around last year’s Small Farms Initiative program, the Emerald Cup is very excited to be able to offer this opportunity once again.
“One of the most highly loved features of the Harvest Ball last December was the Small Farms Initiative marketplace,” says Emerald Cup Associate Producer Taylor Blake. “We are so excited to have the opportunity to bring the program back again this year! We all need to rally together to celebrate small craft cannabis farms and legacy brands, many of whom have paved the way for this industry. ”
Envisioned by Emerald Cup founder Tim Blake, the Small Farms 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. The 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.
Seeking to improve upon the experience for the farms who are selected for this year’s Initiative, while continuing to provide other opportunities to those who are not chosen, the Small Farms Initiative 2022 will potentially provide dozens of craft cannabis brands with access to the Emerald Cup’s engaged audience of California cannabis connoisseurs.
SMALL FARMS INITIATIVE 2022 DETAILS & ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
Important Dates:
- October 10th, 2022 – Application window OPENS for 2022 Small Farms Initiative
- October 21st, 2022 at 5:00pm PST – Application window CLOSES for 2022 Small Farms Initiative
- October 28th, 2022 – All winners announced for 2022 Small Farms Initiative
Farms interested in applying should visit www.theemeraldcup.com within the entry window and fill out the application found HERE. Winners of the Small Farms Initiative will receive:
Ten (10) farms will be awarded their own complimentary dedicated 10’x10’ booth space with the ability to sell six (6) SKUs face-to-face with the consumer. These ten (10) farms will represent heritage producing regions from across the state. Two (2) farms will be chosen from both Humboldt and Mendocino Counties, and one (1) farm will be chosen from Trinity, Nevada, Sonoma, Lake, Calaveras, and Santa Cruz Counties. The ten (10) total farms selected will have the option to invite one (1) additional farm to share their booth (potentially giving 20 farms a complimentary vending space)
An additional eight (8) farms will be awarded an opportunity for a steeply discounted booth in the Craft Cannabis Marketplace at the 2022 Emerald Cup Harvest Ball. These discounted booths can be shared among multiple farms but will still be limited to six (6) total SKUs
The Emerald Cup Harvest Ball in Santa Rosa serves as both a celebration of the year in the rear view mirror as well as the start of the road to the 19th Annual Emerald Cup Awards in Los Angeles 2023 with hundreds of hopeful entries starting to pour in beginning at the Harvest Ball
The 2022 Small Farms Initiative will also award ten (10) complimentary entries into the upcoming competition to applicants who were not selected to receive a booth space
“The 2021 Emerald Cup Small Farms Initiative was the first large-scale event to provide a meaningful opportunity for a significant number of small sustainable farmers to receive complimentary access to vend their craft products,” says Executive Director of Mendocino Cannabis Alliance, Michael Katz. “Access to opportunities like this are essential for our community who, while faced with some of the most onerous regulatory and economic conditions, continue to produce the best cannabis in the world.”
Applicants/Winners MUST be able to meet ALL of the following criteria no later than November 11th, 2022 to be eligible for this Initiative:
- CA state authorization to engage in commercial cannabis activity
- Outdoor or Mixed Light Cultivation of 10,000 sq. ft. or less
- Practice sustainable farming -or- participate in a third-party certification program
- Packaged CR product compliantly labeled with valid COA
- Product COA must be good through Jan 15, 2023
- Cultivation tax already paid through distro
- Minimum of 125 products available for sale
- Maximum of 250 products available for sale
- If interested in the discounted booth opportunity then you will just have to select a box on this application
- If selecting interest in the discounted booth opportunity, must have payment available upon selection
Weekend passes to attend this year’s Emerald Cup Harvest Ball on December 10-11th, 2022 at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds, in Santa Rosa, California are available for presale now at www.theemeraldcup.com. To participate in the Emerald Cup Competition 2023 and to have your cannabis featured in the Emerald Cup Competition Almanac, complete the entry process in person at Emerald Cup Harvest Ball 2022 or visit www.theemeraldcup.com once the entry window officially opens on December 10th, 2022.
Emerald Cup Harvest Ball 2022 Sponsor and Vendor opportunities are available now on the Emerald Cup website: www.theemeraldcup.com .
Interested in applying for the Small Farms Initiative 2022 but have questions? You can contact [email protected].
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.
