Our Story
Why Did We Start Cannafax?
9 out of 10 consumers want independent quality verified cannabis.
As a team of legacy operators and industry leaders, we are incredibly excited for the legalization of cannabis. This amazing plant has been in the safe custodianship of indigenous peoples for eons, and more recently grown and cultivated as a valuable plant medicine in the legacy market.
It is with deep humility and reverence that our team has engaged in the adult-use market. As the legal market started to take shape in 2012 and cannabis first became legal in Washington State and Colorado, many in our team started quality grading and trading bulk cannabis between growers and processors. We did this very successfully at scale. To date we’ve graded more than 500,000 pounds of cannabis (5 pounds at a time, served 100s of licensed operators in the bulk space, visiting more than 1000 facilities, and some months moving more than 10,000 pounds (+5000kg) worth more than US$100MM.
Quality Standards
8 out of 10 frequent consumers prioritize quality above anything else.
Very early on we realized that there were many problems in the cannabis supply chain. A severe lack of trust and transparency existed. It made sense. There was no common language to talk about cannabis, no objective process to verify quality, and at times blatant unethical practices by some operators.
To counter these issues, our founders played an integral role alongside the International Cannabis and Hemp Standards (ICHS) in creating quality standards, a common language, and objective processes to ensure buyers and sellers of bulk cannabis could be confident in the transaction of this amazing plant. Our efforts made an immediate impact. The fidelity of bulk transactions improved, with a 90% reduction in returned orders and cancellations, 60% faster sales turns, and more accurate market pricing for bulk products.
As our friends and family became more aware of the work we were doing and how we were solving these supply chain challenges with unbiased and objective solutions, we started receiving many requests to help our community identify if cannabis they were buying from retail stores was good, bad, safe, and/or worth the price.
Transparency
& Integrity
1 in 2 consumers want more transparency around lab testing.
In addition, many of our clients who own brands in multiple states and countries also started asking if we could grade their branded product going to retail dispensaries, and if we could, when could they provide that valuable information and insights to their customers.
Integrity has always been important to us. It was something we were taught early on by our grandparents and parents. Knowing what we knew about what was going on in the legal cannabis supply chain there were very few brands and cultivators that we would recommend, let alone consume. We've always cared about what we put in our bodies when consuming food. Our cannabis consumption was just as important, if not more important.
So we took action. Everything we do is based on data not opinion, based on transparency and integrity, not BS marketing. From the quality scores to the information we aggregate, it has all been gathered and verified from unbiased sources. 1000s of consumers took part in surveys that are critical in informing our thinking.
What consumers
have asked for:
Wanted to know more about their cannabis:
What the cultivar actually is, what the lineages and genetics are, who grew it, where it was grown (indoor, outdoor, greenhouse, hoop house, light dep tunnels), what medium it was grown in, etc.
Independent Quality Score:
We were asked for an unbiased, transparent evaluation of color, structure, trichomes, and aroma.
More Lab & Testing Data:
Full lab reports, complete pesticide panel, heavy metal results, and cannabinoid and terpene insights.
Many consumers rely on cultivar names (aka strain - although this is not the right term), potency %s, terpene profiles, or the species type (indica, sativa, hybrid) to determine if the product is what they are looking for. In reality, there are many ways to fudge potency, and terpenes are only a small part of what creates the aroma of the plant (other aspects are the chemical components of sulfurs, aldehydes, esters, and more that make up the overall olfactory experience). Read more about aroma with expert Adie Rae PhD.
Not all, but many operators will simply change cultivar names, because a specific name is selling better than others. Another shady practice is tampering with the samples sent to labs. For instance, the smokable flower (not infused) you are buying, should have a very low % level of THC D9, and a much higher % of THCa. THCa converts to THC D9 once it is decarboxylated (heated up). If you are buying flower that has a high THC D9 %, then it most likely was heated up to help it “pass” aspects of the lab testing. That potentially puts all of us at risk.
The brands that have chosen Cannafax operate with higher values, integrity, and have ultimately made a commitment of trust and transparency for the betterment of the industry and consumers.
Cannabis species type relates to how the plant grows, and the misnomer that has continued to be perpetuated by all of us in the industry is that indica will relax and calm, while sativas will uplift and energize . That is 100% false. Yes, it's true a consumer may find similarities from sativa to sativa, but these similarities have much more to do with other aspects of the plant and how that specific genome interacts with you as an individual. Understanding the cannabis genome helps breeders create new cultivars with targeted characteristics, improving the plant’s medical, recreational, and industrial applications. Consumers can also use this information to better understand what aspects align with their preferences.
Even though the human body is hard-wired to interact with this plant via our endocannabinoid system, the fact is that we are all extremely different and unique people. Each one of us has a unique body chemistry that has a preference. Just like some of us love pumpkin pie and others don't, with cannabis, there is a reason why some prefer gasses or citrus, while others prefer cheesy or fruity profiles.
As important as set and setting are when consuming, what you had for breakfast or during your last meal could also possibly impact how your cannabis experience goes.
The point being, for us to truly know what we are buying, we need and deserve to have much more transparency in our purchase. Who grew it, where it was grown, what types of soil, in what environment, grown with or without pesticides, and if it contains heavy metals. How does it compare to other products? Are they more similar or dissimilar? How do I know if this is good or not?
What Cannafax has created is an independent quality score that provides consumers with accurate information when selecting products. Not only do consumers receive this unbiased quality score (0-100), but they also get direct access to verified lab reports that include levels of pesticides and heavy metals.
Know that we at Cannafax are just getting started with grading your favorite brands and infusing more transparency into the complex cannabis market.
Help us make Cannafax better for you.