Quality over quantity is the name of the game at Blue Roots Cannabis Co., but considering this is their fourth-straight honor as best cannabis brand, the trophy case is starting to have the best of both worlds.
The Airway Heights-based cannabis producer focuses on small batch, hand-watered and hand-trimmed cannabis, just as they have since opening in 2013, during the very early days of the legal cannabis industry. The depth of experience begins at the very top, with owner Allan Homes.
"He is 89 years old, and he is in here every day checking on the status of things and making sure that everything's running smoothly," says Linda Pierce, controller at Blue Roots.
Blue Roots is best known for its top-shelf cannabis, with a broad offering of loose flower and pre-rolled joints. The company prides itself on maintaining a wide offering of strains, specifically emphasizing established genetics that allow both grower and consumer to have faith in the product from one plant to the next.
"We've been in business for over 10 years. We do try to produce a variety of strains, but we have our heritage brand that is made up of traditional and older genetics, so things like Grape Ape, UDub Purple," Pierce says. "The fact that we're producing old time strains that other people don't, that keeps us in the forefront. Plus just our commitment to consistency and quality."
While the flower continues to be the main driver of business for Blue Roots, the company is growing and adapting as well.
In January 2024, Blue Roots merged with Fugu Farms, a producer of high-quality rosin products.
"That is something that has been very beneficial in keeping us current with the industry, current with our customers," Pierce says.
The merger has allowed Blue Roots to expand into the red-hot vape market without sacrificing the quality that consumers know with the Blue Roots name. Fugu Farms founder Seth Shamberg now acts as Blue Roots' COO, maintaining a level of continuity between the two brands.
It's that ability to stay on top of trends without abandoning the small-batch mindset that has allowed Blue Roots to establish itself as a premier cannabis brand in the Inland Northwest.
"It's the attention to quality, attention to detail that really, I believe, keeps us set apart and the fact that we're constantly developing new products, new ways to market our products and keeping up with the industry trends," Pierce says.
2nd PLACE: Root Down
3rd PLACE: (tie) Bodhi Brands, Fifty Fold Industries
