Pubdate: Tue, 03 May 2016
Source: Ukiah Daily Journal, The (CA)
Copyright: 2016 The Ukiah Daily Journal
Contact: http://www.ukiahdailyjournal.com/feedback
Website: http://www.ukiahdailyjournal.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/581
Author: Kate Maxwell

CANNABIS APPELLATIONS PROJECT: BRANDING LOCAL CROPS

The Mendocino Appellations Project's current map of the ten proposed 
regional appellations for cannabis cultivation within Mendocino 
County. The Project is seeking input from local farmers in order to 
finalize the boundaries of the smaller regions.

Since new state laws redefined cannabis cultivation as agriculture, 
many farmers are looking for ways to distinguish their products from 
the ever-expanding array of goods available to marijuana patients. 
Some farmers in the Emerald Triangle, seeking to preserve the name 
recognition the crop has brought to the region for decades, are 
turning towards establishing regional appellations to protect the 
unique culture and branding of their cannabis.

Currently, appellations are established throughout the wine growing 
industry, including within Mendocino County, as a way to protect a 
specific geographical region and the naming and labelling of what is 
grown there. Many times, these regions are established by designating 
smaller bioregions within a county or country that are consistent in 
climate, soil type, elevation, and other characteristics that impact 
the crops grown there.

For example, champagne can only be legally produced in the champagne 
region of France using a specific variety of grapes; this ensures 
that farmers growing in the famed region are the only ones able to 
market their products using that designation. In Mendocino County, 
there are currently ten appellations for grape growers, and several 
more in the application process, which involves state approval of the 
designated appellation.

The Mendocino Appellations Project is seeking to do the same for 
Mendocino's cannabis growers. Under new state laws, only cannabis 
products grown in Mendocino can only be labelled with the county 
name, a regulation meant to protect the use of geographical names as 
brands for cannabis businesses. For local cannabis farmers, many of 
whom may want to use the name "Mendocino" in their product labels or 
strain names, these legal protections will prevent larger 
corporations, who may use cannabis from around the state, from 
employing the names of Emerald Triangle counties in their branding.

The group began conducting a survey of local farmers last fall, and 
have created a rough map of different micro-regions within Mendocino 
County, based both on ecological characteristics of that area, such 
as the watershed and microclimate, and other information from local 
farmers participating in the project.

"Everywhere we go with this map, people are so excited to connect 
themselves to these smaller micro-regions within agriculture," said 
Justin Calvino of the Appellations Project. "We specifically picked 
regions where people cultivating have community pride," in part 
because the strength of the appellation designation in the greater 
marketplace will only be as effective as the efforts of the farmers involved.

Currently, there are ten regions proposed: Spyrock-Bell Springs, 
Covelo-Dos Rios, Long Valley-Branscomb-Leggett, Willits, Comptche, 
Ukiah Valley, North Mendocino Coast, South Mendocino Coast-Greenwood 
Ridge, Anderson Valley-South Mendocino, and Potter Valley.

The group is continuing to collect surveys and invite participants to 
help map out the proposed regions before submitting them for state 
approval, which Calvino hopes to see by the end of the year. He said 
the Appellations Project is also collaborating with county grape 
growers and vintner associations to designate appellations and 
potential branding that work for both industries, and have also been 
in discussions with representatives of the county's tourism board.

Calvino said he'd like to see the county establish a certification 
such as "Mendocino Made," which will allow local farmers to brand 
their products under a larger regional umbrella, as well as work in 
smaller groups to establish branding for the appellations and their 
associated characteristics. He emphasized he believed this kind of 
organization and focus on the county's cannabis cultivation heritage 
was essential to "our ability as a community to really embrace where 
this industry is going in the future," particularly in connecting the 
county's cannabis farmers to local food movements and regional 
cooperation. Calvino also noted there are many farmers working with 
"heritage" strains in the county that could benefit from such appellations.

Calvino said the Appellations Project has been in discussions with 
some who worked to establich Napa County's appellations, and he 
believes that Mendocino "could be the Napa of cannabis," if locals 
are able to work together to protect their long-established culture 
and name recognition to remain competitive in the new commercial 
market. "It's time-we've already been doing this for 40 years, it's 
time to legitimize it," he said. Calvino said the group has also been 
contacted by cannabis farmers in other Emerald Triangle counties 
seeking to establish similar appellations for their farming regions.

Both the county's Agricultural Commissioner Chuck Morse and several 
of the supervisors have expressed support for establishing county 
branding in the cannabis industry. Morse has stated that one 
possibility is for the county to establish a local version of organic 
certification standards, which could establish a precedent for other 
cannabis cultivation regulations and bring more value to a Mendocino 
certified brand.

The Appellations Project plans to finalize the regions by this 
December, and Calvino said they are seeking more farmers and 
participants as the appellations boundaries are finalized. More 
information, including surveys and how to participate, can be found 
by contacting the Mendocino Appellations Project at  ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom