Cannabis Wine Tours founder Charles Kimball argues that farmer-hosted experiences can connect visitors with the land while giving small Northern California growers another way to be seen and supported.
After years of working in Northern California hospitality, one thing I’ve learned is that people rarely remember only what they drank or ate. They remember the drive through the countryside, the garden they walked through, the person who welcomed them, and the story behind what they experienced.
I think cannabis has that same ability to connect people with a place. Through my work with Cannabis Wine Tours, arranging private, farmer-hosted experiences in Mendocino and Sonoma counties, I’ve watched people who have enjoyed cannabis for years stand next to a mature cannabis plant for the first time. They smell it growing in the sun, see how large the plants can become, and start asking questions.
Many have never really thought about the farmer, the land, the weather, or everything that has to happen before that cannabis ends up in a package at a dispensary. For me, that is where cannabis tourism gets interesting. It stops being only about the product and starts becoming about the people and the place it came from.
Cannabis Tourism Starts With the Farmer
Mendocino County is a natural place for this kind of experience because cannabis is such an important part of its agricultural history. These are real farms, and many are small family operations trying to survive in an industry that has become extremely difficult.
Spencer Stribling, owner and farmer of McNab Cannabis in southern Mendocino County, told me that some of the biggest challenges are simply reaching customers and surviving a constantly changing marketplace.
“Being able to welcome guests to our farm is an integral part to getting our story out to the …
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Author: Charles Kimball / High Times
