How Washington's Oldest Cannabis Company Keeps Things Fresh

Solstice was the original, first-ever legal cannabis grower in Washington, starting with medical cannabis in pre-recreational days. Committed to quality from the very start, they wanted to change the way cannabis was perceived and the stigma surrounding it in the early days of legalization. We sat down with the Solstice team to learn more about their mission and the Washington cannabis market.

“Solstice means a change of the seasons; we’re trying to change the perception of what cannabis [is.]” – Will Denman, CEO and Co-Founder of Solstice

And they are continuing to perpetuate that change with everything that they do. 5% of all their profits are donated to the Last Prisoner Project and the Marijuana Policy Project to help fight to free people currently in prison for cannabis, making sure no one else goes to prison for cannabis, and providing support and opportunities to the previously incarcerated.

Not only that, but they also work with local Seattle artists to design custom pre-roll multi-packs and donate proceeds to organizations that help make the world a better place.

In 2021, they partnered with artists Barry Johnson and Nikita Ares to donate to the Central District Forum for Arts & Ideas, and the Malaya Movement. The Central District Forum for Arts & Ideas empowers the Black community through art and provides a unique artistic, culinary, and community experience to engage the community. The Malaya Movement is a movement dedicated to defending Philippine sovereignty against any foreign domination and pursuing political, economic, and social reforms that benefit the Filipino people and promote genuine sustainable development in the Philippines.

Barry Johnson’s piece “electrick slide” was featured around the 6/20 summer solstice to celebrate Juneteenth, which celebrates the final emancipation of enslaved African Americans and has become a central day for celebrating the African American community.

In this multi-pack, “electrick slide” was paired with a blend of Orange Kush and Sundae Driver, picked by the artist himself. Barry Johnson is a self-taught multi-media artist who reflects global events and his own personal life in his works. He was one of the artists to contribute to the Black Lives Matter mural in CHOP, authored the book Oh What Wonderful Hair, and hosts the podcast “Anything is Anything.”

Nikita Ares’ piece “sweeter than a swisher” was featured in the same time frame to celebrate Pride for the LGBTQ+ community. Nikita is based in Seattle, and originally from the Philippines. The Malaya Movement’s focus on defending human rights, democracy, and sovereignty in the Philippines made this a worthy cause for her to bring attention and funding to.

“Sweeter than a swisher” was paired with a hand-picked blend of Lemon Bubble and Strawberry Banana by Nikita herself. With a Bachelor of Arts under her belt, Nikita’s works primarily consist of movement, energy, and consciousness in the form of drawings and paintings.

Will Denman co-founded Solstice in 2011, and they currently operate two farm locations – their indoor grow in SODO (South Downtown Seattle) and their outdoor grow on the other side of the mountains in Moses Lake.

Washington is the lowest priced cannabis market in the United States by nearly 30%, despite having the highest cannabis tax in the country at a whopping 37%. Thanks to the clean, cost-efficient power in Washington State and the regulations preventing growers from being involved in retail stores, competition is high, and prices are low.

For consumers, this is a utopia with high-quality cannabis being sold at incredibly affordable prices, with plenty of options to choose from. From an operating standpoint for cannabis cultivators and processors, this drives innovation out of the need to differentiate amongst the rest of the farms on the shelf. The severe competition makes the market harder to succeed in, and demands persistent evolution and adaptation to processes, products, and marketing.

What sets Solstice above the rest is their passion for cannabis and a never-ending desire to improve.

Will pointed out the similarities in ideal growing conditions for grapes and cannabis plants. Central Washington, Oregon, and Northern California are hubs for some of the best wine in the country due to rich soil and temperate growing conditions, and cannabis plants are also proving to thrive in these places.

Due to the conditions in California becoming hotter and drier and water becoming more expensive and less accessible, Will predicts that Washington and Oregon are going to be growing increasing amounts of the nation’s cannabis in coming years. Solstice is prepared and planning for those years to come, and are dedicated to producing high-quality cannabis that is accessible to those who need it.

“Solstice is all about delivering quality to the people in accessible ways.” – Alex Bernson, Marketing Manager at Solstice

Solstice recognizes the importance and prevalence pre-rolls in the market, and that’s why they partnered with us here at Custom Cones USA for their pre-roll cones and grinding process! They use our Industrial Grinder to grind their fresh bud in preparation for their pre-rolls, knowing that the material will be ground consistently and provide an even smoke for their consumers while still preserving the trichomes and terpenes of the plant.

They know that pre-rolls are a popular way to try out a new brand or strain, and they also know that first impressions are everything. They strive for quality from start to finish, and rely on us here at Custom Cones USA to provide top shelf pre-roll cones and pop-top tubes that feature their custom branded labels.

Solstice laid a claim to fame with their pre-roll multi-packs, featuring unique custom designs over the years that could be recognized on social media across the country. Alex Bernson, the Marketing Manager at Solstice, explained how valuable pre-roll multi-packs are because of the way they allow full branding and customization on every square inch of the box. From a brand perspective, this leaves more room to tell more stories and add more visuals, in contrast to a jar of flower that needs to showcase the flower without detracting from it.

“Custom Cones USA is a great example of a cannabis-attuned company that is not just selling some random product into the cannabis space and taking money out of it. They really understand what our needs are, what the complications of our productions schedule are, even what makes a good cone and a bad cone. The details really matter on these kinds of things for smokers, so being able to have that conversation of ‘hey, we want this to look this way, and that’s really important,’ and [they] really get it.” – Alex Bernson, Marketing Manager at Solstice