The story of Gold Leaf Gardens

How did Gold Leaf come to be? Can you tell us about your personal journey into growing cannabis throughout the transition of the medical and recreational market?

In his book, "The Botany of Desire" author Michael Pollen explores the question of whether humans cultivate plants for their purposes or if the plants are using us as their propagators. I distinctly remember the first time a plant was placed in my possession almost two decades ago by a patient I would be a caregiver for. Despite not having much of a green thumb or any experience, I somehow knew it would be my life's purpose to spread this plant around the globe. This amazing journey has been filled with highs and lows and so much adventure and to be perfectly honest it feels like we are just being pulled along in a current. When I look back on the last ten years of this company it just seems all too impossible to be anything but inevitable
What do you believe makes Gold Leaf stand out in the vast i502 market? Aloha. Love. Dedication. Washington is filled with so many incredible cultivators and brands. We are just fortunate that over the years we have developed a very loyal consumer base that supports what we do. I like to believe that somehow the good island vibes is what comes through in the product.

Can you tell us about the Gold Leaf Team that grows and packages this amazing flower?

We are a tight company primarily made up of three families. All of our gardeners are brothers and cousins and come from a small plantation town in Hawaii called Koloa. They grew up there on a family farm growing vegetables and fruits that they would sell at the farmers market. In Hawaii we practice "Aloha Aina", or love for the land. It's not just environmental responsibility, it's a deep reverence for the land that acknowledges it as a living entity. This relationship with the land and soil is the foundation and principle of everything we do.

We just keep nurturing and feeding it like a sourdough starter.

Can you tell us a bit more about your specific growing practices?

Our soil is alive. If you grab a handful of soil at the base of a plant it will be teeming with worms, insects, fungus and bacteria. We've been seeing a lot of mushroom blooms in the soil beds this fall. That is why we never dispose of our soil. We are growing our plants in the same medium that we have been using for the last five years. We just keep nurturing and feeding it like a sourdough starter. I like to think it's like a violin or cast iron pan - the longer it goes the richer and more seasoned it becomes. Plus nothing is wasted. It's what we don't do. No chemicals, no pesticides, no water runoff, no waste. Only natural organic raw inputs. The lighting is LED.

How do you cure your flower?

Right now the market seems to reward fresh and recent harvest dates and the product turns over very quickly, so in all honesty when you get some Gold Leaf on the shelf it probably isn't very far removed from the gardens. We package everything in glass so I'm sure there is a curing process that goes on in the jar much like aging whiskey.

How does VOLUME 3 support the values and brand of Gold Leaf?

What excites you about the release of VOLUME 3? There's so many incredible concepts with VOLUME that got us excited. We really are inspired by the integration of an artistic interpretation of our collaboration. It's also such a great opportunity to get our products processed by the amazing team at Heylo to get our flavors to a new consumer. But more than anything it is a chance to team up with another great company and raise as many meals as possible for those in need.

Can you tell us a little bit about Be Kine and how it supports the goals of Gold Leaf?

Be Kine is our initiative designed to maximize social impact in the community. Our primary focus is supporting hunger and food insecurity. It is humbling to see so many of our neighbors living on the edges and we want to do everything in our power to help. Be Kine was conceived as a place where like-minded cannabis companies could collaborate around this cause. Heylo is our first official partnership on this and we are honored.

How did Be Kine come to be?

Like everything else, I think its been there always and we are just doing our part to cultivate it.