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High demand for local weed in the Shuswap

Published on January 7, 2022 by David Wylie

Locally grown and processed flower is a popular pick for cannabis customers at Copper Island Cannabis in the Shuswap.

Ashley Jager, who is manager at the store in Blind Bay, says people in her community know what’s good and they know what they want.

“Everybody really gravitates toward the stuff that they know comes from our immediate area. Most of our products come from BC. We come from a community where shopping local is huge. We have a very educated consumer in our direct area, so I do see a lot of people gravitate toward the higher-end cannabis,” she says.

“We are focused on craft cannabis. It’s cool to see people get excited about the same product that I get excited about.”

Ashley Jager is manager at Copper Island Cannabis.

Anything from Joint Venture Cannabis under the BC Black label sells well at Copper Island. Joint Venture is based in Salmon Arm and processes cannabis from a number of BC micro-cultivators.

“Everything from Pineapple Buds is flying off the shelves. The Golden Parfait and the Pineapple Party, people go nuts over that,” she says.

She says Pistol and Paris is a big seller.

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Also, Cake and Caviar’s Waffle Bites pre-rolls, produced by Habitat in Chase, are selling too fast to keep in stock, she says. The store has a big “Made in the Shuswap” card in front of it.

“Simply Bare has been another really amazing brand that sold very well,” she says, adding the BC LP’s Sweet Bubba is “beautiful to look at and even more beautiful to smoke.”

It’s an OG, thick earthy smoke, she adds.

The open-concept store doesn’t have TV menu boards, rather they show custom product cards with detailed information. Jager says it creates a more relaxed feel in the store.

Staff are knowledgeable and excited about what’s new in cannabis.

“Order days are like Christmas for us—customers hear us very giddy in the back,” she says. “We have a lot of fun here.”

Jager says the owner is also a cannabis enthusiast.

“He renovated the building, handed me the keys, and said ‘this is your baby now.’”

Those at Copper Island are passionate about being part of the community; they supported a family through the food bank this past holiday season and sponsor local organizations.