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Use your senses at Summit Cannabis

Published on December 17, 2021 by David Wylie

Photo: Contributed

The biggest challenge with cannabis packaging is that you can’t see what’s inside, says Summit Cannabis co-owner Brian Jones.

“My biggest complaint with packaging is that you can’t see through it,” he says. “Even an inspection flap would go a long ways for the consumer or retailer.”

Summit has two stores, located in the ski towns of Fernie and Revelstoke.

Jones says the stores have opened up the flower bar again so customers can see and smell the buds. They also have smell jars at the till with product that customers can handle.

“It’s how the experience used to work,” he says.

“You used to go to your friend’s house, you’d have a couple bags of bud, you checked each one out, you smelled them and you left with a bag of weed that you liked. That’s huge for a consumer so they don’t get let down when they go home.”

Jones says consumers are starting to consider the terpene content. Still, the market continues to demand a THC content of 20% or higher.

“We don’t carry a ton of big name brands,” says Jones. “We sell a lot of BC craft cannabis—that’s what people desire.”

Price can be a challenge, but Jones says the store sometimes cuts its own margins to get products into the sweet spot of $30-$35 before tax.

He says his personal favourite cannabis product right now is Greasy Pink from BC Bud Coast; it’s 28% THC and $38 for an eighth—“It’s phenomenal, sticky, and well-priced.”

Some of Jones’ other recommendations:

• Lilac Diesel from High Street
• Redneck Wedding pre-rolls from Qwest
• Real fruit gummies from Wyld, a US brand
• Venom OG Live Rosin (All Gas OG) from EarthWolf Farms

Ounces are also very popular and the Summit stores try to carry between 10-20 different ones at a time. The Freedom Cannabis ounces are in demand, he says.

Jones says he’s seen leaps and bounds on the quality of cannabis coming into the legal market.

“If I look at what we ordered when I opened it’s kind of humorous to see the products that we had on our menu. Fast forward to today and I have a hard time picking out of this list which is my most exciting product to come in. That tells me the customer is also getting that experience.”