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Happy 710!

Hello again my Canna-friends. Another Cannabis holiday is upon us… Today, we celebrate 710! What is 710, you might ask?

If you’re newer to the Cannabis world, this may be a holiday that you’ve never heard of. 7/10 is basically the 4/20 of Cannabis extractions. Certain forms of extractions are referred to as “oil”. Flip the word “OIL” over, and you get: “710”. For the past 10 years or so, on July the 10th, the Cannabis community comes together to celebrate all things Extractions. Oil, hash, resin, rosin, shatter, wax… the vernacular varies, and the different options are getting more numerous by the day. 

That is, in large part, thanks to Master Extractors like my good friend, Guild Extracts Co-Founder/CIO, Brad Robertson. 

When it Comes to Guild, It’s Personal…

If you know me, or have read a few of my past publications, then you already know that Guild Extracts has a very special place in my heart. In 2015, my 3 year old son was diagnosed with Leukemia. I stayed strong while my son was around me, but when I was alone, I was hitting rock bottom. I lost my corporate job, ended my relationship, moved in with my parents… It was a very rough period.

Enter: Guild Extracts. I had a friend who was working as an extractor with Guild at the time, and he told me he could get me in as a packager. When I met the bosses, I told them that I had a sick son, a lot of anxiety, and couldn’t necessarily promise to be there everyday. Between my sons chemo appointments and the side effects he felt afterwards, I needed a very flexible schedule. 

They simply replied “Do you know how to use a scale?”

I was hired right there on the spot. They never complained when I had to schedule days off, or call off unexpectedly… They basically employed me while I felt I was unemployable. The Guild team supported my son and me through all of it. They taught me a ridiculous amount about not only the Cannabis industry, but the plant itself. And, bonus, I gained access to a whole new world of extracts that would help change my life, and the way I managed my anxiety. 

I am forever grateful to Brad, Claudio, and the whole Guild crew; Who loved me and my son through the most difficult time in our lives.

How it Started

Brad grew up in the Bay Area, California, and started smoking Cannabis in the 8th grade. “I remember, I had a friend whose brother grew, and one day she gave me about an OZ of weed… I was like ‘Oh my God… This is amazing!” He laughed “And with that weed I was like ‘I’m gonna learn how to roll joints!’ So I sat down and used that OZ to teach myself how to roll up.”

By the time he was a High Schooler, he was taking trips up north to the Emerald Triangle. There, he would buy pounds directly from people close to him, and bring those pounds back down to The Bay to “do the whole hustle thing…” Eventually he noticed that no one was doing anything with the trim.

“I started seeing all these trash bags full of trim. I would ask them ‘What are you doing with all that?’ Everyone said they would just burn it or dump it. And I would be like ‘Well, can I have it?’ So back then, all the trim was free. I started making tons of edibles on top of selling flower. Eventually, when I was 18 or 19, I got my first house, and built a grow room. In the garage, I started acquiring washing machines. I had this whole elaborate system… where we were making a lot of bubble hash. I was selling that to all the dispensaries in San Francisco.”

Something More Efficient  

From Cannabis butter and bubble hash beginnings, Brad has grown into one of the worlds most skilled Cannabis Extractors. I asked him: What brought you to this method of Cannabis extractions? 

“I wanted a more efficient, pure way to do extractions.” He said. “It was the Prop 215 days, and being at 1944 Ocean and The Hemp Center so often, (because I was vending so often…) I started meeting all the patients, and talking to them. It was the first time in my life that I started hearing real stories from real people about how MY product helped change their lives. Which made me think ‘Ok, well… How do we help MORE people??’”

“Back then, it was all about Rick Simpson Oil (RSO) and you needed to eat about 1000mg a dose for it to be effective. And personally, it would make me really uncomfortable when I would eat that much Cannabis. Then, other people would come to me and say things like ‘My Uncle is going through chemo and he’s never smoked weed, but I heard about RSO and he took the recommended dose… then he overanalyzed his whole existence and now he’s never going to touch Cannabis again.’ After hearing multiple stories like that, I thought ‘How do we give all of these compounds without getting people so high that they are scared to touch Cannabis ever again?’”

This question led to one of my favorite products: THCa. “We were the first to isolate THCa. And this was way before all the studies came out on the differences between THCa and Delta 9 and what not… So the respective effectiveness could be debated. But, we had isolated crystalline powder, got it tested, and that was 99.9% THCa. It was a good stepping stone for a lot of the other things that we wanted to do.”

With this form of THCa, you have different ways of getting it into your system, with different effects respectively. When you orally ingest it, without heating it up, there are no psychoactive effects. Meaning you can orally ingest a large dose, like 1000mg, and NOT feel high whatsoever. But, when it’s decarboxylated by heat and inhaled, this very pure form of THCa will get you extra stoney. You can sprinkle it on your flower when you roll up (which is my preferred method of using THCa… I love infusing my own joints!), or dip your favorite dabs in it, to give your regular product a little extra potency. 

Over the years, Brad has designed and built multiple Hydrocarbon systems for this very precise and scientific form of Cannabis extractions. This was all brand new technology, so Brad was really “building the plane while flying it.” He has spent a lot of time perfecting different formulations, and figuring out how to isolate and extract specific Cannabinoids such as THCa, CBD, and Deltas 9 &  8, just to name a few. 

Bringing the Community Together

Guild Extracts has also been starting to gain recognition for their amazing community events. Usually held on the beautiful Empress Yacht, these Cannabis industry parties take you on a lovely cruise of the San Francisco Bay. They regularly boast a list of amazing CA Cannabis operators, showcasing their products. So you can take in the city-scape while you listen to their DJ, smoke quality flower, eat, drink, and connect with others in the industry. 

While the ultimate goal of these events is to promote networking, the result is usually the attendees forming genuine friendships. I say it all the time, but the Cannabis industry is special. A space where the community is put in the forefront, and friendships are a vital part of doing business. Because, after all, why would you ever do business with someone you wouldn’t want to be friends with? 

For more information on attending or sponsoring one of these events, contact Brad via instagram @guild_extracts_ or @dabley_guildextracts.

Celebrate!

Brad is a true pioneer in the field of Cannabis extractions, whose efforts really show in the quality of Guilds product line. They’ve won multiple awards, and are a staple in the Cannabis community. They offer Live Resin, THCa Powder, THCa Crystalline, Vape Cartridges, and more. You can find Guild Extracts products all over the state of California. 

Thanks to Master Extractors like Brad, we have a whole new world of Cannabinoids and Cannabis Extractions to explore. Products that can target specific issues like multiple different cancer treatment side effects, anxiety, PTSD, insomnia… the list goes on. Having so many options available is truly saving lives. Gone are the days when you had to smoke to get these advantageous cannabinoids into your system. These products are opening new doors for both the canna-curious and canna-sseurs alike. Whether you are new to Cannabis, or an OG, extractions have something to offer. 

So let’s celebrate! Do yourself a favor, and treat yourself to some Guild Extracts this 710! You will not be disappointed.