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In this episode, Joe interviews Philip Wolf founder of Cultivating Spirits, a cannabis pairing company. The talk includes topics on Terpenes, Social Consumption and the Cannabis experience industry.
3 Key Points:
- Terpenes are the component in cannabis that produce the aroma and ‘mood’ you will be in after smoking.
- As more and more places legalize cannabis, the market opportunity for combining food and cannabis grows.
- Cultivating Spirits is a cannabis experience and tour company that offers small-batch cannabis, fine wines, and locally sourced gourmet meals. They are a leader in cannabis-infused experiences.
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Show Notes
About Philip
- Philip has been in the legal industry of cannabis in Colorado for 9 years
- Cultivating Spirits started in Breckenridge, Colorado in 2014 after legalization
- He went to a wine experience event and had an epiphany of bringing the cannabis experience to the ‘soccer mom’
- He walked away from equity in multiple companies because he believed in it
- Cultivating Spirits is the first company to offer a cannabis pairings experience
- After learning about terpenes he learned about pairing foods with attributes of cannabis
Terpenes
- There are 3 components in cannabis that give you certain feelings
- THC gets you high, gives a euphoric feeling
- Flavonoids
- Terpenes produce the aroma of cannabis and it determines the ‘mood’ you will be in after smoking
- Terpenes are produced in all plants and produce, they attract pollinators and help fight disease within the plant
- THC-A is non-activated THC, meaning it needs a flame or heat to activate it
- Michael Pollan’s book - Botany of Desire
- At the base genetic level, our goal is to reproduce and expand
- “Are we the workers for this plant?” - Philip Wolf
People’s Reactions
- They are loving it!
- The average age for a person who attends Cultivating Spirits is 45
- Cultivating Spirits focuses on parties and events
- Old folks are some of the best clientele, they don't have jobs and they are done with all of the hassles of making a family and working hard for their job, etc.
Microserving
- Microserving is one hit
- Holding cannabis in longer doesn't get you higher, it's about the surface area of your lungs
- So if you expand your lungs very lightly, you will get less high than if you would if you fully expand your lungs when taking a hit
Expansion
- Cultivating Spirits operates all over Colorado
- They are working to expand to Las Vegas
- They also opened up Cannabition
- They are taking this business to other places with good heart
Cannabis Nightclubs and Social Consumption Lounges
- Cannabis isn't the reason for the decline in alcohol sales, but the desire for new experiences
- Philip believes it will happen first through coffee shops
- Everyone needs food, so it's a great market to integrate into
- “I use cannabis like I use a cup of coffee, I use it, but I don't use it all day” - Philip Wolf
Cannabis… Psychedelic?
- There is a psychoactive part to cannabis
- Philip says he uses cannabis to deepen his meditation and yoga practice
- He is a Certified Yoga Teacher
- Although he is certified to teach, he did it for himself and to learn tools he can use during his whole life
- Cannabis is a mirror - it's what’s inside already but getting amplified
First Dinner Approved by Municipality
- The opening of X-games in Aspen, CO in 2015
- 5 courses, 5 wines, 5 strains of cannabis
- A DJ from Thievery Corporation deriving beats from where the food dishes come from
- Jessica Catalano - Infusion Chef
Learning More
Links
Cultivating Spirits Website
Cannabis Wedding Expo
Facebook
Check out this FREE online course, "Introduction to Psychedelics"
About Philip Wolf
Philip Wolf is one of the world’s first pot sommeliers, an expert and pioneer in the field. In 2014, he opened Cultivating Spirits with a mission to show mainstream America how cannabis should be treated. Setting tables with forks, wine, and pipes, Wolf’s pairings are grounded in the science of interpening, which the institute calls “a method used to identify and understand cannabis variety [by] interpreting … terpenes and flower structure.” Wolf can sniff a bud, identify the strain and terpenes, and interpret both the flavor profile and high. The protocol for his dinner with bud pairings is puff, eat, drink.