The SoCal-based Lowell Farms first lit up my life last year while I was out with my friend Carrie. She suggested we get high, I naturally agreed, and that would have been a typical exchange — except what Carrie pulled out from her purse made me feel like I’d teleported to the future. It was a pack of pre-rolled joints unlike any I had ever seen before.
Everything about this Lowell Smokes Classic Pack stunned me, from the elegant packaging emblazoned with a beautifully rendered logo of a bull to the little compartment for green-tipped wooden matches to the smokes themselves. And all this struck me before we even lit up!
By the time the weed worked its full magic, I knew I’d be ordering my own supply of these wonder joints, as well as explore what else Lowell Farms had to offer. I took a pic of the pack and got on it the next day.
Right away, the Lowell Farms website felt like it exuded my vibe and sense of taste. I’ve been a longtime fan of craft beer and, more recently, artisan wine cultivated by local vineyards. And the Lowell Vibes Classic Pack conveyed that exact aesthetic.
From there, Lowell Farms checked off every other box I was hoping for. The company’s weed is greenhouse-grown and pesticide-free. Their packaging is sustainable. They offer a vast, but still consciously focused, variety of products that includes Sun Grown Flower, a Solventless Vape, and a full hash roster ranging from Timeless Bubble Hashish and Full Melt Hashish to Age Cured Rosin and Artisanal Live Rosin. There are even Lowell Farms Old Fashioned THC Mints!
I live in California, so I checked out the list of dispensaries that carry Lowell Farms and made the trip. I bought a Classic Pack and the vape, along with a 510 cart. And, just like that, a Lowell Farms fan was born.
From there, I checked Lowell Farms Direct and nearly dropped my phone in awe of the Lowell Exclusives Gold Rush Gift Set. Just based on the Black Packs alone, I almost ordered it before even fully reading what it contained. Getting that delivery turned out to be one of my all-time favorite gifts I’ve ever given myself.
That was before I even got to the Last Call Menu, which I hit up regularly to order Lowell Farms’ limited availability products that are going out of stock. I don’t want to miss a single sample of Lowell Farms’ greatness.
Lowell Farms also actively supports an array of causes which I am dedicated to, including Black Lives Matter, the Marijuana Policy Project, and the Prison Arts Project. Lowell Farms even turned me on to the brilliant, necessary work being done by the Women’s Foundation of California and the Venice Beach Clean-Up.
So, yes, I am a delighted devotee of Lowell Farms — to the point that I actually wanted to get to know more about this astounding company and their meticulously cultivated, crafted, and presented products.
With that in mind, I reached out to Lowell Farms and heard back from their dynamically lit duo of Caroline Bank and Matt Nissenbaum. We had a great email conversation and we’re sharing it here. Check it out.
*This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.
MERRY JANE: The Lowell Farms origin saga of William “Bull” Lowell is just brilliant. What is the story behind the story of Lowell Farms?
LOWELL FARMS: In many ways, Lowell Herb Co.’s story and ethos are reflected and intertwined in the story of William “Bull” Lowell as it pays homage to the fight against cannabis prohibition. Lowell’s story is rooted in its desire to end cannabis prohibition and, consequently, elevate the consumption of cannabis.
When we set out to create Lowell, we wanted to create products that honor the plant and cannabis culture. We looked at other industries, like chocolate, whiskey, coffee, and wine, and reveled in their great packaging and custom-made experiences. We wondered why the product we cared for so much came in plastic bags and dodgy containers. That’s when we took matters into our own hands and created cannabis products people would be proud to own, consume, and share, all in the very same way.
What’s one way in which that mission has evolved?
Today, we are incredibly proud to say that we are one of the fastest-growing brands in the industry, and we’re at the forefront of ending cannabis prohibition. We have plans for US expansion as the normalization of cannabis use grows along with global growth. But when it comes to our mission, we’ve been pretty committed. Instead of evolving our mission, we think it’s the industry that has grown and allowed our mission to strengthen.
Every aspect of Lowell Farms is beautiful to look at and just feels like it’s been crafted with such care. What can you tell us about that?
Everything we do at Lowell is deliberate. We emphasize the customer experience and are always brainstorming ways to wow our customers. From the reversal of Proposition 64 to today, we have watched as many brands transformed their product and packaging from illicit resembling plastic bags and prescription bottles into works of art.
The Lowell Farms packaging makes an immediate, knowable impression. Amazingly, the weed actually exceeded it.
We view the presentation of our products as a part of the Lowell customer experience. From creating “canna-bars” for celebrity events and weddings to sending elaborate gift baskets, we take many steps to ensure our presentation and products are one of a kind.
But it’s all about shining a light on artisan craft cannabis. We think of Lowell as a platform for our community of family farms to share their flowers with patients and consumers all over the state, in a package that protects the integrity of their plant and with a trusted partner. We’re so proud to share those farms and their stories with our customers. Whenever flower from one of our community farms is used, you’ll find its name front and center on our packaging. Similarly, we also highlight those farms and their stories on social, our website, and wherever we have an opportunity. Seeing our customers engage with those farms directly, genuinely connecting with the farm that the flower they’re enjoying came from, on platforms like Instagram is one of the most rewarding parts of our work.
It’s also great that the packaging is sustainable.
Making our packaging sustainable was non-negotiable to us because as we’ve shared, our packaging reflects our brand’s ethos. We designed heritage cannabis packaging that treated the product with the reverence and love we had for the plant. Because Lowell Herb Co.’s flower is grown using only natural materials from seed-to-sale at our community of family farms, our packaging reflects that. Plastic bags or tubes ruin the flower’s purity and harm the environment.
But, in addition to being sustainable, we are also mindful and take great pride in our natural packaging details, we also focus on how they function. Convenience is a luxury and therefore, Lowell Herb Co. is dedicated to creating an experience that is as convenient as possible for our consumers. Our packaging for one-gram single pre-rolls includes a mini-envelope with two matches and a striking surface.
Lowell Farms definitely feels like a part of a larger moment and multiple other movements that successfully combine social consciousness with meaningful fun. Have there been any key cultural moments?
Of course, the first thing that comes to mind is our Coachella break-out moment in 2017. Knowing that flower crowns and the music festival, Coachella, are synonymous, we made quite a splash when we made our very own weed flower crowns.
After experiencing our popular flower crowns’ success, we continued to produce products around cultural events, such as our tasting flight for the eight days of Hanukkah and our cannabis bouquet for Valentine’s Day. By focusing on the customer experience and finding unique ways to package and present our products that had never been done in the cannabis industry, we set ourselves up for success.
Your new delivery service cannot be recommended highly enough (pun intended). What’s the story there?
Lowell Direct is another way for us to connect with customers and allow them to have the whole Lowell experience. It’s the first time Lowell fans can have any of their favorite Lowell products delivered directly to their door. Lowell Direct also maintains the craftsmanship our fans have come to expect from our brand now with the added convenience and luxury of delivery service.
And as we have shared, presentation is a big deal to us, therefore, Lowell Direct is another opportunity for us to put a great deal of care and detail into our products’ presentation. Unlike other cannabis deliveries, Lowell Direct ensures the delivery is on par with our products’ quality and packaging. Customers receive their ordered goods in a beautiful burlap bag with a small card with upcoming offers or product details.
Plus, Lowell Direct connects us with our biggest fans and allows them an opportunity to get their hands on our latest products first. After introducing Lowell Direct, we decided to release our signature, limited-edition Black Packs to Lowell Direct first. Therefore, those who signed up on Lowell Direct will hear about our products first and have the first chance to try new items.
What’s something else that separates Lowell Farms weed from other companies?
Probably our mission. Everything we do at Lowell relates to our desire to end prohibition and elevate the consumption of cannabis. Today, the industry exists thanks to those who openly took risks to make cannabis widely available and socially acceptable. Repairing the damage prohibition has done to society and to those who have been negatively impacted by the War on Drugs is necessary to keep the industry proceeding in the right direction.
So glad you brought that up! You can’t separate Lowell Farms from socially positive causes. Was that always part of the mission?
In the early days of starting Lowell, the best thing we could think to do was offer jobs to those negatively impacted by cannabis prohibition, those imprisoned and convicted of crimes that are now the same job we do every day in this industry.
As a fast-growing company with a wide range of open positions, we decided to create the Lowell Jobs Initiative. We attempt to right some of the wrongs prohibition has caused, provide a second chance for those who shouldn’t need one, and, above all, create an opportunity for them to become re-inspired by the plant the legal industry can provide for their future.
Since founding Lowell and our jobs initiative program, we have continued to make it a priority to partner with organizations leading the social movement and repairing the injustice that has occurred due to the prohibition of cannabis.
What are some of the projects that Lowell Farms supports?
We are very proud to support nonprofits like the Last Prisoner Project, which works for criminal justice reform.
Their vision is born out of the belief that because people can now profit in the legal cannabis industry, those profiting must do their part in releasing and rebuilding the lives of those who suffered from cannabis criminalization. Through intervention, advocacy, and awareness campaigns, LLP works to redress the past and continuing harms of these unjust laws and policies.
Additionally, we are honored to participate in National Expungement Week, a grassroots campaign to reintegrate those disenfranchised by the War on Drugs through record clearing and access to services.
Women and the LGBTQ+ community, specifically trans people of color, have been instrumental in the foundation of the legal cannabis industry. They were the first California trailblazers who fought for legal access to medicinal cannabis.
What are some direct actions Lowell Farms has taken in terms of actual weed?
In March 2020, we partnered with the Women’s Foundation of California and donated a portion of our proceeds from The Gossip strain. The Women’s Foundation of California is an incredible statewide foundation dedicated to achieving racial, economic, and gender injustice by centering communities’ experience and expertise most impacted by systemic injustice.
Additionally, we are incredibly proud that we were the first in the cannabis industry to work with GLAAD. This prominent LGBTQ advocacy group focuses on rewriting the LGBTQ narrative and advocating for the community to create cultural change.
In 2019, we celebrated Pride month with a Pride Pack, donating proceeds to GLAAD. With our 2020 Pride collection, we donated the proceeds of our Pride Pack to the National Black Justice Coalition, a civil rights organization dedicated to empowering Black lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and same-gender loving people.
Visit the Lowell Farms website by clicking here.
**This was made in partnership with Lowell Herb Co.
