Shadowbox Farms Treats Weed like Wine

It’s a fitting metaphor for the bougification of weed, and one that’s emblematic of Shadowbox’s emphasis on connoisseurship.

(Henry Cromett)

Location: Applegate Valley

Signature Strain: Pink Cookies

According to Shadowbox Farms president Tim Winner, cannabis is a lot like wine. "Sometimes after work, instead of having a glass of wine and all the calories, I'll just enjoy my vape pen," he says. "I think there are great conversations to have about certain wines or certain strains." It's a fitting metaphor for the bougification of weed, and one that's emblematic of Shadowbox's emphasis on connoisseurship. Shadowbox was founded in 2015 by Dani Jurman, "an old black-market grower from way back when." The initial investors were mostly Jurman's friends and family, who pitched in to buy a farm in Williams, Ore., a region that has earned the nickname "the Napa Valley of cannabis." Shadowbox's very first crop won Dope magazine's Dope Cup. Jurman left the company around 2017—his family are still investors—and the farm now takes up an idyllic 35 acres, nestled in the rolling hills of Applegate Valley. The genetics of Shadowbox's cultivars have mostly stayed the same since the farm's early days, but their distribution has branched out beyond bulk flower. Shadowbox sells vape cartridges, and recently launched a line of vegan THC capsules that pack a gentle dose of Shadowbox's Purple Hindu Kush, Black Lime Special Reserve or CBD strain. To take full advantage of Southern Oregon's rich soil, the crop consists mostly of native plants, all of it sun-grown. "The consumer will pay a premium for the organic apple, or they will pay a premium for the free-range chicken," says Winner. "I find it fascinating in this business that indoor continues to get a premium. Sun-grown was the way it was meant to be, and I think it's beautiful." SHANNON GORMLEY.

Where to Find It: Amberlight Cannabis House, Blaze Distribution, Canna-Daddy's, Electric Lettuce, GroHi Station, Happy Leaf, Ivy Cannabis, Kaleafa, Loud Lab, Magic Castle, Mana Extracts, Natural Remedies, Natural Wonders, Portland Best Buds, Portland Extracts, Precision Alchemy Processors, Progressive Collective, Satchel, Serra, Silver Stem, Tetra, the Dime Store, the Flowershop Powellhurst, the Green Front, the New Amsterdam, Tru Cannabis, Truly Pure, Virtue Supply Company, Wild West Emporium.

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