Ben Kaplan: Your award was chosen by Canada's budtenders from around the country. What does that mean to you and what role do the budtenders play in our industry?
Jesse McConnell: A huge thank you to the budtenders for recognizing Simply Bare with this award! Budtenders are our key bridge to consumers, so knowing they love our sativa pre-roll solidifies that our team is putting forward a superior, premium product. As always, we strive to grow the best cannabis on earth, for the earth.
BK: The legal industry was originally best by complaints about quality, but clearly informed voters are resonating with your product. How important is quality to your brand?
JM: Quality is paramount to Rubicon Organics. Simply Bare, our first brand, is a testament to that. We start by growing our flower in living soil, hang dry it for 14 days which in turn delivers the unbelievable room-filling aroma. The fresh buds are milled to perfection and rolled with 100% organic hemp paper, with each pre-roll hand-finished with care.
BK: We've seen the Cannabis Act pass and we've seen Cannabis 2.0 products introduced in our legal marketplace. What's new on your horizon for 2021?
JM: 2021 is going to be an exciting year for Rubicon Organics within 2.0 products.We’ve signed partnership agreements in 2020 with PAX LABS® & Wildflower Brands Inc. and are looking forward to launching CBD Relief Sticks and CBD Cool Sticks in Canada in 2021. We have plans to launch PAX pods, concentrates and edibles within new and existing platform brands. Stay tuned!
BK: Lastly, 2020 was obviously hard on lots of us, in and out of the cannabis community. What's one random act of kindness that restores your faith in humanity both for this holiday and for the year to come? Who, or what makes you feel good?
JM: In a year of global unrest; I’m immensely proud of our team at Rubicon. They continue to stay positive, support one another and remain optimistic about the future. Additionally, we continue to be focused on sustainability initiatives at our greenhouse with living soil hand-mixed from raw agricultural inputs, in-house composting, and solar energy from greenhouse cultivation to name a few. I'm looking forward to accelerating Rubicon Organics’ commitment to sustainability in 2021.
