Spiritleaf Vernon adds unique new 'aquaponics' products

Photo: Sarah Ballantyne

Spiritleaf Vernon carries products from Cake & Caviar, that produces its cannabis products in nutrient-rich water used to raise coho salmon.

Spiritleaf Vernon carries products from Cake & Caviar, that produces its cannabis products in nutrient-rich water used to raise coho salmon.

As it gears up for one of its busiest days of the year — April 20, commonly known in cannabis circles as 420 —cannabis retail store Spiritleaf Vernon continues to grow, cementing its reputation as one of the leading cannabis retailers in the North Okanagan.

In addition to a huge sale planned to coincide with 420, the store continues to add new products to meet the needs of its diverse and loyal clientele.

Some of the new categories carried by the store include higher dose edibles, infused “pre-rolls,” where the flower is infused with hash or resin and rolled in kief and blunts, larger joints, as well as more concentrates and 10 varieties of highly sought after “Shatter,” a brittle, glass-like cannabis extract named for its breakability into small pieces. Prices for shatter at Spitirleaf Vernon are below the illicit market price, Ballantyne notes.

The store also carries products from Cake & Caviar, a certified organic craft producer in the Shuswap that produces its products in a unique way. It uses aquaponics to produce its flower. The plants are grown in nutrient-rich water that was used to spawn coho salmon.

Spiritleaf Vernon owner Sarah Ballantyne says she recently took her staff on a tour of the Cake & Caviar operation.

“You only get flower from the female cannabis plant,” she says “and at Cake & Caviar everything is female, including the fish they raise. We went on International Women’s Day and most of my team is female too.”

Ballantyne said visiting producers is something she likes to do, not only to get to know their products but also to help build brand loyalty and awareness. The visits help her and her staff get to know the products they sell on a level that allows them to better serve the needs of the store’s customers.

Spiritleaf is highly reviewed on Google and has built a solid and loyal following amongst its customers since it opened nearly three years ago.

Ballantyne says she also recently visited a number of cannabis stores in California and says she saw many of the same products there that are available here in British Columbia.

With an expectation of more American visitors returning to the Okanagan now that pandemic restrictions are lifting, she says that will bode well for her business as visiting customers will be familiar with products for sale here.

Spiritleaf Vernon is one of the few cannabis retailers in the North Okanagan that offers a delivery service, something that has proved popular among tourists, especially those staying at SilverStar and Sparking Hill, over the winter months.

The store introduced the delivery service, which Ballantyne currently handles personally, last year after receiving approval from the province.

“When COVID happened, so many people stayed at home,” she says adding that was the impetus to introduce the delivery service. But it also helped allow the store to get to know its customers even better.

It is one more way Spiritleaf Vernon store is meeting the needs of its customers, she says.

With a continually expanding array of products, service enhancements and its knowledgeable, friendly and well-trained staff, Spiritleaf Vernon is continuing to grow and is busy as it has developed a reputation for product variety, good pricing and stellar customer service.

Ballantyne encourages anyone interested in cannabis products – both new and existing customers – to come by and talk to her staff and see for themselves the extensive variety of cannabis products available at the store.

More information about Spiritleaf Vernon can be found here.

Photo: Contributed

Coho salmon help Cake & Caviar produce unique cannabis products.

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