Exotic Vine Smokers Blog

Exotic Vine Smokers Blog: Behind the Brand and One Year of Exotic Vine!

site-jYMyCA — Fri, 03 Nov 2023 19:08:39 GMT

Exotic Vine Smokers Blog: Behind the Brand and One Year of Exotic Vine!

Hi there, cannafam! We’re back with the latest installment of the Exotic Vine Smokers Blog!

As always, we’ll have our fingers on the pulse to share anything and everything cannabis, for Southern California and beyond, along with sharing all the need-to-know info on Exotic Vine!

As October comes to a close, we’re reflecting on one of our busiest months yet for events, with a couple more coming up in November. As Exotic Vine recently celebrated its one-year anniversary — and we continue to build our cannabis community and connect with the incredible people that embody it — it feels like a proper time to look deeper at the Exotic Vine story, the brand’s growth, and the road ahead.

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A lot can happen in the course of a year. Looking at the growth of Exotic Vine is surely a testament to that statement.

The family-owned brand began with husband-and-wife duo Aaron Moore and Kourtney Newell, owners and founders of Exotic Vine. Aaron had worked in the cannabis industry for about six years prior to starting the company, while Kourtney has always been a creative professional, involved in marketing, social media, and branding for more than 10 years.

“We’re artists, at the end of the day, both him and I,” Kourtney said. “When it came to us wanting to create a brand, he had the business side, I had the artistic side, and it kind of came together to make Exotic Vine.”

Aaron felt like the traditional market was beginning to go downhill. As the couple looked at the cannabis biz, it seemed like the wholesale market was slowly being pushed to the side, with selling eighth by eighth as the only way to make a profit. This marked Exotic Vine’s transition from selling wholesale — starting a new brand, selling by the eighth, and getting the word out to consumers.

October 28, 2023 marked the one-year anniversary of Exotic Vine and a point of reflection for the growing brand, which has evolved exponentially in the past year.

“We were able to crack the top 100 brands in less than six months of being on the market, which is literally unheard of,” Kourtney said. The Exotic Vine crew is also extremely proud of snagging major accounts, like Dr. Greenthumb, Exotix in Hollywood, and Cookies, which very few brands get in their first year.

“It’s something that we can be proud of, that we know that we're going in the right direction with the brand,” Kourtney said. “People are really identifying with the lifestyle culture that we're pushing out, as well as the characters and of course the exotic weed.”

As Exotic Vine looks ahead, many of the brand goals remain the same: continuing to expand, putting the brand out there, and getting product into more dispensaries into more markets throughout the California coast. Consistency is key when it comes to Exotic Vine’s flower — ensuring that any customer in any location will have that same experience when it comes to the product — alongside top-quality bud.

Long-term, Exotic Vine will eventually have its own dispensary.

Exotic Vine is always looking to keep the brand fresh, keeping ears to the street to see what people in the cannabis community are enjoying and want to see. It’s part of how Exotic Vine has already bloomed into the brand so many know and love.

In that regard, Aaron, Kourtney, and all the folks behind Exotic Vine also look to continue fostering the community element of the brand, acting as part of the electric cannabis culture here in Los Angeles. Between the brand’s audience and collaborators, making sure everyone in the community is included is essential to Exotic Vine.

If you’ve ever caught Exotic Vine out in public, you’ve seen that community connection firsthand, a weed brand with a soul.

“We feel like a lot of people are out of reach with their brands, that they use big influencers and they’re weeding out a huge market full of real-life smokers… We want to feel like we’re part of the community and that the community is also a part of us,” Kourtney said.

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A huge thank you to everyone who has been part of Exotic Vine’s budding community as we celebrate the brand’s one-year birthday! We can’t wait to see what’s in store in the years to come!

Stay high,

Exotic Vine Cannawriter Keegan

Instagram: @promwitch

keeganmwill@gmail.com

Catch Us at KUSHSTOCK, Plus Final Rulings on CA Cannabis Bills

Fri, 03 Nov 2023 18:27:07 GMT

Catch Us at KUSHSTOCK, Plus Final Rulings on CA Cannabis Bills

Exotic Vine Smokers Blog:

Catch Us at KUSHSTOCK, Plus Final Rulings on CA Cannabis Bills

Hey y’all! It’s that time once again — the Exotic Vine Smokers Blog is back! The cannabis world is ever-changing, and we’re here to keep our fingers on the pulse covering everything you should know. We’ll also continue to share essential info surrounding Exotic Vine, so be sure to keep up with us. It’s been such a blast to see our online audience grow and to meet everyone in our community face-to-face!

October is already coming to a close, and while we’re all about Spooky Season, we can’t wait for what November and December have in store. If you’re in the SoCal area and have yet to catch us at one of our in-person events, rest assured that you’ll have plenty of opportunities coming up. We’re only getting started!

Find Us This Saturday at KUSHSTOCK!

We know that this coming Halloweekend is a sacred time loaded with events, but KUSHSTOCK is the best way to pregame for your Saturday night out!

This Saturday October 28, find Exotic Vine at the world’s largest, FREE legal cannabis consumption festival! KUSHSTOCK runs all day, from 12 to 10 p.m., acting as the perfect way to amp up before whatever haunted antics you have planned for the evening.

This year’s theme is Barbie Things, embracing two of the cultural phenomena that helped define 2023: Barbie and Stranger Things! Show off your best pink ‘fit or try on your favorite Hawkis-themed garb for a scary good time.

Exotic Vine will be there with all of the classic strains our cannafam have come to love, plenty of merch, and a few surprises up our sleeves as well. (Did you catch all the fun from earlier this month ?) Expect plenty of other great vendors, showing off the best California cannabis has to offer, along with live music and delicious food and drinks!

It’s all going down at Adelanto Event Center at 12000 Stadium Way in Adelanto, California. RSVP here to score your free tickets, and we hope to see you this weekend! You don’t want to miss this one!

We have plenty more in store, so stay with us here and on our Instagram page for more updates. And now, let’s wrap up the ongoing saga surrounding California’s collection of cannabis-related bills as the year begins to wrap up.

California’s Changing Cannabis Landscape

Gov. Gavin Newsom has officially signed the last remaining cannabis bills of the legislative season. While the governor unfortunately rejected a measure to legalize cannabis cafes and a bill to legalize certain psychedelics and create a pathway to regulated access, there are still a number of cannabis-related bills set to become law.

Here are some of the cannabis laws Newsom ultimately signed off on:

SB 700 : This legislation prohibits employers from asking job applicants about prior cannabis use, building on existing employment protections enacted last session that keep employers from penalizing workers for cannabis use (in compliance with state law) when off the clock.

SB 622 : This bill changes the requirements around tracking of cannabis plants. Supporters say this will promote environmental sustainability, eliminating the use of single-use plastic tags, and they have also said regulators will have discretion to implement ecological alternatives, like digital tags.

SB 302 : Under current legislation, only terminally ill patients can use medical cannabis at health facilities, including home health agencies. This new bill will give people 65 and older with serious chronic illnesses the same privilege.

AB 1021 : While Newsom did not sign off on decriminalizing certain psychedelics, this new law deems that California health professionals can automatically, legally prescribe and dispense any Schedule I drug if the federal government reschedules it. This could be especially relevant for psilocybin and MDMA, which the Food and Drug Administration has designated as breakthrough therapies and could soon be approved for medical use.

SB 51 : Regulators stopped accepting provisional licenses for all cannabis business types this summer, but due to the continued challenges related to obtaining an annual license, this bill creates an extension, allowing people who qualify as social equity business applicants to continue to apply for and renew provisional retailer licenses through January 2031.

Even though cannabis and plant medicine advocates would have surely liked to see some measures meet a different fate, it’s assuring that we’re still seeing evolution and progress to California’s growing cannabis market. Far more bills were approved than rejected, so hopefully this final push points toward even more good things to come in 2024.

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It’s always a pleasure serving this special cannabis community, and we truly appreciate everyone reading and everyone who shows up to support Exotic Vine in person. We hope to see you at KUSHSTOCK this Saturday, but if you can’t make it, rest assured that you’ll have many more opportunities to catch us in November and December.

In the meantime, enjoy the fall weather (finally!) and stay high!

Exotic Vine Cannawriter Keegan

Instagram: @promwitch

keeganmwill@gmail.com

Exotic Vine Smokers Blog: Exotic Vine Hits SoCal CannaBar’s Area 420 Event

Sun, 22 Oct 2023 21:07:48 GMT

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Exotic Vine Smokers Blog: Exotic Vine Hits SoCal CannaBar’s Area 420 Event

Hello again, and welcome back to the Exotic Vine Smokers Blog, covering everything you need to know about Exotic Vine and the incredible cannabis community we’re a part of!

As we further venture into our busy events season, getting some face time with all of the great folks who embody this space, stay tuned for our event recaps — and be sure to get out there to catch Exotic Vine out in the wild for yourself!

On Sunday October 15, we hit SoCal CannaBar’s alien-themed Area 420 event. The vibes were immaculate all night, with plenty of smoking and fun to be had.

Relive some of the highlights here:

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The Exotic Vine crew waited eagerly as the sun began to set, the air cooled, and the long line of attendees piled into Void Studios, located in the Downtown Los Angeles Arts District, for Area 420, an alien-themed night filled with music, cannabis, and community.

The out-of-this-world theme was evident, as attendees donned their best alien-themed attire, walking throughout the outdoor and indoor spaces lined with blow up extra terrestrials and UFOs, alongside plenty of neon green and purple motifs.

The Exotic Vine table was decked out with glass, nodding to some of the iconic branding and characters consumers have grown to love, along with plenty of flower, hash, and merch. A few early birds were immediately drawn to the table, one nodding and affirming “good quality,” as he took a whiff from one of the bud jars.

One new customer, Martin, said he was immediately drawn to the artwork on Exotic Vine’s products as he approached the booth.

“It got my attention. Just being authentic, the packaging — there’s a lot of detail,” Martin said. “They put time into it. The names, all catchy. I love this, I love this, I love this! It’s super dope. It’s not like, ‘What is that?’ It’s like, ‘What is that?! You know I like that.’”

Exotic Vine also saw plenty of returning customers, eager to get their hands on another helping of the brand’s top-notch offerings.

CJ had tried Mr. Nobody and It’s Organic previously, so he quickly stopped in to see the latest from the brand. He too was initially drawn in by Exotic Vine’s branding, adding that the brand’s mylar bags are some of the “best in the game,” while attesting that the flower never lets him down.

“It’s super consistent; it’s always fire indoor, and really compared to a lot of these other brands, I feel like I’m supporting a grassroots movement,” CJ said. “I feel like I’m starting somebody’s dream with this brand, and that’s not something you can say about some of these crazy big companies.”

The event also saw some big local names in cannabis, like influencer, tattoo artist, and musician Kimmy Tan . She highlighted the great vibes and people behind the brand, originally becoming acquainted at an Exotix smokeout event where she first sampled Mr. Nobody.

“What pulled me in was the unique design, because I’d never seen anything like that before,” Kimmy said. “I was just telling them, I finished it, and the wrapper got thrown away before I could take any footage or anything. I’m just like, ‘No. This time, not going to accidentally get it thrown away.’ It’s like an art piece.”

Exotic Vine came with alien girls in tow, dressed in interstellar silver crops, shorts, and antennas spreading the word about the brand’s special raffle giveaway, including a free merch bag with eighths of Mr. Nobody, Baked Potato, and Secret Stuff.

JC took the prize, having just met Co-founder Aaron Moore a few weeks prior at a network show. The chance meeting prompted him to check out the booth, say hi, and ultimately sent him home with an incredible haul of Exotic Vine swag.

“Heard there was a raffle, had to indulge, got lucky! I can’t wait to check it out,” he said.

Exotic Vine also turned heads when Aaron lit up the four-ounce joint shaped like the brand’s Mr. Nobody character, filled with best-selling strain of the night and brand staple the mascot is named for. The joint continued to burn well through the rest of the evening, attracting plenty of new folks eager to take a puff off this mammoth creation, made by professional wrapper MJ Mazzel .

Salma and Sam arrived later in the evening. It was Salma’s first cannabis consumption event, and stopping by the Exotic Vine booth to hit the titanic Mr. Nobody joint was their first stop.

“That made my night,” Salma said. “That was so fucking cool!”

When asked how she felt after hitting the joint, Sam said enthusiastically, “I feel good! I feel really relaxed,” adding that it was a great way to kick off the night.

Along with the joint collab with MJ, the night also showcased Exotic Vine’s first drop of the strain Secret Stuff. As the third SoCal CannaBar event the brand has participated in, Co-founder Kourtney Newell said that these events are great to get the word out to the cannabis community about the brand and the people behind it. With plenty of new and returning customers, it shaped up to be another successful night.

“We’re about the LA community,” Kourtney said. “We’re born and raised here, so we just want to always make sure we’re always giving back to the community and making them feel included — because we’re a lifestyle brand along with the weed.”

Aaron similarly nodded to the importance of showing up in the community, saying that each event continues to foster that crucial community connection.

“If you can get people in the cannabis community to support you, you’ll be able to survive,” Aaron said. “It’s a small community. As long as you get around a good group of people who fuck with you, you’re good.”

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Be sure to keep up with all the happenings on the Exotic Vine Instagram to check out all of the highlights from this and past events, alongside announcements of future events. We loved seeing you roll up for an intergalactic evening of cannabis and community at Void Studios, and we hope to see you again soon!

Stay high,

Exotic Vine Cannawriter Keegan

@promwitch

keeganmwill@gmail.com