Cannabis and Canines: How District Derp is Creating New Standards for Washington DC Cannabis

Washington DC has a very unique cannabis market due to its political status and lack of a controlled budget. Because of this, cannabis is able to be cultivated, carried, and consumed – but it cannot be taxed or regulated. The sale of cannabis is still lawfully prohibited. This has resulted in an uncommon “gifting” phenomenon to bypass the law in a legal way. Many cannabis retailers will sell a different product, such as a t-shirt, or in this case a piece of art, and then “gift” cannabis to their customer.  Because DC is unable to regulate cannabis, weed in DC is often untested and low-quality. There isn’t a way to truly know what you’re getting, and sometimes you have to take a leap of faith and hope for the best. District Derp wanted to change that.

We sat down with their team to learn a little more about what they do and their company’s mission. District Derp is an art gallery that also happens to produce high-quality cannabis gifts in the Washington DC area.

Their dog is the inspiration for their brand in many ways – after making a bet with a friend that their dog could be trained to do something truly impressive, they discovered that their dog had a knack for painting. And so, their art gallery was born! They named it after their pup, who they lovingly refer to as their “little derp.”

As they started their business, they couldn’t help but notice the lack of safe, reliable, high-quality cannabis gifts being offered in Washington DC. They recognized that many of the players in the DC market seemed to be in it for monetary gains, rather than out of a passion for cannabis. And that’s why they wanted to change the game by providing safer, high-quality cannabis gifts to their consumers that results in a more enjoyable smoking experience. 

That is also why they decided to partner with us here at Custom Cones USA. 

People aren’t able to find another high-quality pre-roll like District Derps’ in their city, which is exactly what makes their pre-rolls stand out, “and we have Custom Cones to thank for that.” – Anais Hayes, COO & Head Baker at District Derp

District Derp packs their pre-roll gifts with only high-quality flower, making sure to avoid the trim and “mixed greens” that much of their competition seems to uses. 

By grinding whole buds with our industrial grinder, sifting out the particles with our industrial sifter, and using the King Kone pre-roll filling machine to pack their cones, they are able to achieve a top-shelf product that the DC market has never seen before: a smooth-smoking pre-roll that burns easily and doesn’t canoe or run while smoking.

CEO Christopher Licata and COO Anais Hayes credit the King Kone pre-roll filling machine as the most critical piece of equipment in their pre-roll process.

“Unparalleled is the only thing that comes to mind when it comes to the King Kone.” -Christopher Licata, CEO & Chief of Technology at District Derp Maltz

The King Kone allows them to pack their pre-rolls evenly and consistently, as well as create a high-quality product unprecedented in the DC area. Their production process flows fluidly, starting with whole-flower bud and finishing with a top-shelf pre-roll. And they love that the King Kone is easy to use, allowing any employee to work the machine with ease. 

“By making the investment in the King Kone, we’ve made our team members more successful at their production work, we’ve created a more consistent and enjoyable product, and we’ve really been able to have a growing pre-roll production process.” & Anais Hayes, COO & Head Baker at District Derps

Because they have been able to fine-tune their pre-roll process, they are excited to soon be adding pre-roll multi-packs to their product offerings! They already carry two-packs, but being a gallery featuring art by their dog, they are looking forward to adding Dogwalker pre-roll multi-packs to their product line for their consumers to enjoy – with or without a dog.