In 2018, California cannabis retail stores sold $2.5 billion of cannabis products. That’s a lot of cannabis! With numbers that big, you can bet your bottom dollar large corporate companies will want their share. The California cannabis market is vast and growing. The market is expected to reach $7.7 billion by 2022, and more cannabis will be needed to supply the increasing amount of consumers. While an up in demand will increase a need for a more abundant supply, it puts increased pressure on farmers to provide large batch amounts. Fewer transactions for distributors means less time and money spent on obtaining products. They are looking for suppliers that have hundreds, even thousands, of pounds to sell at a time, so how can the small farmer, one with 10,000 sqft or less of cultivation space, expect to supply enough to make the distributor’s time worthwhile?

Sustainable cannabis is growing in popularity among consumers as the public becomes educated on the environmental effects of old and wasteful farming methods. The same can be said about organic cultivation methods, though there isn't a recognized state-wide organic certification for cannabis at this time. Since the consumer base is shifting their decisions to buying products with responsible backgrounds, distributors must also shift their buying motivation to supply the retailers with what they truly need. They now need to look for cultivators who practice sustainable farming methods that align with their evolving consumer base. Cannabis cooperatives may be the answer.