Lights, camera, cannabis: Francis Ford Coppola launches pot 'lifestyle brand'
Another major figure in the North Coast wine business is getting into the cannabis industry since California legalized recreational use at the beginning of this year.
In early October, Constellation Brands, which owns local wineries such as Robert Mondavi, Clos Du Bois and Simi, announced a $4 billion minority investment in Canada's Canopy Growth. Now, acclaimed filmmaker turned vintner and hotelier Francis Ford Coppola on Thursday announced a "cannabis lifestyle brand" called The Grower's Series.
A spokeswoman for The Family Coppola, which manages his wine and hospitality ventures, clarified that this is a separate pursuit by Coppola himself.
"Wine and cannabis are two ancient and bounteous gifts of Mother Nature, linked by great care, terroir and temperateness," Coppola said in the announcement. "Expertise making one applies to the other. As with growing grapes, location matters, and The Grower's Series reflects California agricultural expertise creating a true blend of art and science."
The line is said to be a limited-edition collection of three organic cannabis flow strains, "hand-selected to offer distinct and memorable experiences." Though it's not a wine brand, the three 1-gram containers of flower are packaged in a bottle-shaped tin.
Each strain is said to reflect the diverse Humboldt County microclimates. One is a sativa-dominant strain cultivated at Tan Oak Farms, elevation 1,700 feet, where the climate is warm from continuous sunshine. An indica-dominant strain by Benbow Farm, elevation 600 feet, is said to relax body and mind. A third from Salmon Creek Farm is said to enhance focus and mood and is grown at 2,400 feet, where this strain benefits from cooler temperatures and diverse soil.
The budding line products are grown by Johnny Deim and Brett Todoroff of Humboldt Brothers and are being presold via licensed retailer Cali Chill for home delivery in the latter half of December.
Coppola has been working with The Herb Somm to launch the line at private events in Northern California through November. The products also will be sold through certain dispensaries.
The Grower's Series is a venture by a new Coppola organization focused on cannabis, Sána Company LLC, named for an original Sanskrit term for marijuana.
