Nikki and Swami urge sungrown regenerative farmers to raise their prices

The year is 2023. Nikki Lastreto and Swami Chaitanya of Swami Select are urging sungrown regenerative farmers to raise their wholesale prices. I first heard of Swami Select’s plans to raise their prices in 2022. When I heard that they had successfully done so, I knew it was a story worth sharing. Nikki Lastreto talked with me over video call to share their experience raising wholesale prices and demanding fair value. She started by describing the legal cannabis industry playing field that led to their decision:

“We came to a decision this year before the season started. It’s such a mess out there in retail. At one point we were in 25-30 stores. So many are a hassle, or they don’t pay you. It just should not be like this. One of the reasons we’re doing Club Swami is to have more control. We started telling stores: ‘we will not sell our products for less than $20 per eighth wholesale.’ We used to be at $16. We actually went out to raise our prices more. We’ve found 6-7 stores that still sell just as well. We’re the best and we’re all the things that indoor can’t claim.”

She named a few dispensaries that have been receptive to buying at fairer prices:

“Harborside, Green Heron, Tahoe Wellness, 7 Stars in Richmond, and ATA in Sacramento and a few others are really supporting us. I feel much better about that this year. I’d rather give my energy to the stores that share the same values in promoting sungrown.”

To skeptical buyers that still think that indoor is always worth more than outdoor, Nikki suggests a simple test. Open a jar of indoor cannabis and open a jar of sungrown regenerative cannabis and wait five minutes and then evaluate the differences.

Nikki and Swami urge other sungrown cultivators to follow their lead in raising prices

Fresh from the 2nd rendition of the Mendocino Craft Farmers Auction, Nikki emphasized that education is still key:

“The auction is all about raising the consciousness of who we are. That we have the best cannabis around so it should be treated that way, and it should cost that way.”

Raising prices is just good business. Nikki told me the situation prior to the price hike:

“We were losing 4 dollars on every eighth… at 16 dollars an eighth. That’s no way to run a business. I want other growers to look at that too. Become solid business people and find out what cost you need to charge to at least break even.”

Good sungrown can outcompete good indoor, shouldn’t it cost the same?

The best sungrown and regenerative cannabis can compete with the best indoor all day every day as seen in competitions from Emerald Cup to the recent Zalympix where Ridgeline Farms Lantz medaled with their deps. Just the latest win for sungrown and those closest to the plant and the money both know that the market perception that “outdoor” is unequivocally a lower tier than “indoor” is a perfect example of imperfect information and a gap in consumer education. To skeptical buyers that still think that indoor is always worth more than outdoor, Nikki suggests a simple test. Open a jar of indoor cannabis and open a jar of sungrown regenerative cannabis and wait five minutes and then evaluate the differences. Nikki stated:

“The stores know it’s worth more, but they don’t want to suggest it of course. I just want to see small craft farmers survive. They have to.”

Nikki and Swami from Swami Select are proud to have raised their prices, and they are urging other sungrown regenerative cannabis farmers to do the same. Comment below if your brand plans to raise prices! Featured image from Swami Select Instagram.