Apex Cannabis with Eddie Saade

Yo, what's going on?

Everybody?

Welcome to a new episode of My cannon Caast. I'm Canaday, I'm groovy. On today's episode, we have special guests Eddie, Founder, owner and operator of Apex Cannabis. Thanks for joining us today, Eddie.

Yeah, thank you very much for having me. Man, you guys are awesome and I appreciate what you guys do.

Hey, yeah, I appreciate that. I appreciate making the trip out here. You came in the studio and I'm excited to learn about Apex and learn about your history. What got you into cannabis, like your goals, morals within the industry, because there's a lot of brands out there, so I want to see what makes you stand out compared to some of these other brands. But before we dive into Apex and that, what got you in the cannabis and like, let's get a little background. Who was Eddie? Sure?

Yeah? I have been high school counselor and coach for quite some time. Back in twenty ten, I decided I was going to become a grower once it became legal and in the Landing area it was becoming more and more popular. My daughter Ava had a brain condition, and she had classmates and friends that had to be in medically induced comas because of their seizures. So the first

We lost a close mutual friend too.

Yeah, yeah, it's real. Yeah, So just just using cannabis to help other people is really how it started. Yeah.

I hate that that had happened to you, you know what I'm saying. But I like how you literally started with Charlotte's Web like that is like that. I remember hearing about that stream coming out of Colorado back in like twenty twelve, twenty eleven, twenty ten, whatever it was.

Yah, yeah, because I wonders.

It was doing out there.

It was like the first strain where people were like, oh, yeah, this could be this is medicine, you know, like really the public saw.

I mean, I think you're already a believer, sure, but it took some time to show.

People drove out to Colorado for their families because you weren't able to get cannabis at the time, and you don't really go out to char go get that Charlotte's Web question. Do you still have charlotte Web?

No? I actually I'm working on getting it again for for somebody that is in need. So that's good.

Yeah.

I've always I was always curious on that plant because I've always looked for like a high uh CBD strain myself to see how it would be compared to like a normal thh T a high dominant TAC strain, just because like CBD can do wonders for many, many people. There's many benefits with a high CBD strain, and you don't see that often in the market. So I was curious if you had in the market, because that'd be something that I want to get and try.

So if anybody out there listening has a cut, i'd be I'm definitely open to growing it. I wanted to give back to the kind of the roots of how it all got started. But yes, people were, people were driving out to Kyler Grotto. People are risking their freedom by ye taking it back to their.

Freedom back then too. I mean it's still you can get in trouble now, but back then.

Yeah, you had one stay legal was like Colorado, right, it was like the last chance for a lot of these people. You know, literally people are taking twenty thirty pills to combat prescriptions from side effects and so so what's what I always kind of let people know is people talk about cannabis being an alternative drug, but it's the primary drug, right. Everything else is alternative.

They use that. I feel like that's a big Farma thing.

They use that to keep their drugs ahead, and like it's I can go on a whole tangent about the big farma thing.

No, totally totally agree.

So big players get the word things and people don't understand how powerful words are.

I mean they do, but I don't know. Yeah, I'm trying to say.

Yeah, yeah. So that's been my big stance is I've seen up close and personal, whether it be through classmates or peers of Avas or my sister in law Sarah, I've seen how medicine and I'm not a medicine hater. I'm not a prescription drop.

People just became so easy to abuse them.

And people did not realize that how close like an adderall is to math, or how close a Viking can lead or open can leave to opiates, or i mean like Heroin like now strong opiates. So it's like, I don't think people really understood what they were doing when they were overprescribing and really how messed up and made a lot of people's lives.

Yeah, and some of some of the flat out deals that were made behind the scenes. I mean I'm not naive to that either, you know. So, so that's kind of where it all where it all started for me. I wasn't heavy into it before twenty ten. Like a lot of the people that I associate with. But at the same time, once I'm once I got into it, I became a very firm believer in the medicinal properties to it. And then obviously I was glad that a lot of people could check it out recreationally in Michigan

Yeah, oh, I know.

I mean, like just talking about it can get you in such like gray areas with jobs and like it was. I mean, like now it's become a long way, but even when it was first legal, it's taken some time to get here.

It's just like, oh, it's so nice, And it took what ten years to get from medical to legal and then we were still there's still like you go to still some states and you can go to jail for having like a joiner to you on you know, you

Or you just don't know what you're getting, especially when it's for medicinal purposes or you're trying to save someone's life. You know, like you can't just like go the streets and trust that's the strain.

I mean, you know, like if they're like it's Charlotte's Webb, but like I don't believe you. You don't see that strain ever, And like that when you said that, that stood out to me because like that reminds me of back in the day when I used to see the sixty minutes. I'd watch the CNN and there's multiple people talking about Charlotte's web And that's truly when I saw that, I was like, Yo, this this plant does have truly

These kids went from being in being asleep all day to learning to being able to function, ultimately becoming CAZAR free, learning how to walk, talk, eat, speak. Some of them were five six seven before they even learn how to talk, just because of how much of their life had to be asleep so that they wouldn't hurt themselves through Grandma seizures. So for me, that's you know, that's that's kind of where my mission is.

I mean, that's so motivating, you know, and I not necessarily like you know, in a in a in a sad way, but also like you used it positively, and I'm sure that charges you in negative ways too, because that's just such a sad thing to hear, you know, the loss of your daughter.

Man. I I mean I can't really even compare.

You know, I had to put down my dog recently and I and that was hard, you know, so I can't honestly put myself in your shoes. But but it just the power that you have like given to others through your growing and cannabis and doing that.

So it's like trying to find the light in it.

I guess, yeah, I mean you have to when those when things like that come about, you definitely have You're either going to get better or better, right, so you're gonna you gotta and trust me, I was out for the count for quite some time and have had to use uh, I had to use lots of help, you know. And so how long has it been? Eva passed August versus eighteen? Yeah, so she was ten years old, you know. Yeah, yep.

That's awesome. That's really awesome.

You said you opened in twenty one, but was that when they grow started, like wet started started growing in twenty one?

Yeah, April of twenty one. So then you got to wait obviously a while for things to flower out and the harvest and all that. And to be honest, when we first started, we were overdrying everything. It wasn't it wasn't the best. But we've had some people really stick with us and help us do that. You know, when you're coming out of caregiver game, you think you have everything dialed in, you go commercial.

And so we learned is everyone's like, oh, they have the best weed because they were the weed guy.

Yeah yeah, yeah, the best. Yeah, you're the best one person, right, yeah, and you.

Go and you put it against everyone else.

Yeah yeah, and you're going from seventy two plants to what's your guys' plant.

Like growing scale, So yeah, we have two thousand. Yeah.

Yeah.

It's not a basement, right, So right, it's not a base spent, it's a lot more difficult to get things dialed in on the curing side where all the magic happens. But you know, so that took us a year. You know, the guys over at those of Lake Effect, they kind of helped us out for quite some time. They stayed with us, and we weren't able to get very much for our flower when we started, because.

I mean, it's a hustle, you know what I mean.

You don't just come says a thing like you come into marketing and I have good weed, I'm just gonna sell it.

You got to make those connections.

You got a network, you got a brand, Like there's all these new things that like you just strictly.

Didn't have to do.

You're lower because you have a lot of the big companies they are growing so much. You're just lowering the market so fluctuates, like I've heard that from many.

Yeah, when we started our license in seventeen, started the whole process, people are getting like four grand you know that's unheard of you you talked about that last week or yeah, it's insane, it's now they're like not even yeah. Yeah, So so the money was looking a lot different. I thought i'd be flying helicopter by now doing other stuff, you know. But we but at the same time, when when like I said, when you're doing it for the right reasons, the money can fluctuate, but the grind doesn't,

There's that hope, right, there's that almost like that you know that that that old saying that is like, treat others how you want to be treated. Not everyone does that, you know, And that's something I had to remind myself, you know. So sometimes I try to treat people better than I want to be treated in hopes that you know.

It made you halfway?

Yeah, you know, you know?

Yeah yeah, So I mean, I mean when we first got rolling, I had a guy tell me your business will never take off. You're just you're too too nice. You're to this, you know, like people aren't like that, and you can't do that in business. This isn't this isn't X Y or Z.

But dude, I there's always going to be doubters and haters, yeah, because they can't see the vision because it's not their mission.

Whoa whoa.

I love that, whoa whoa.

I gotta write that down, write I write a song off that. No, but that's true because like.

You know, you can see it because it's your vision. You know, there's always going to be those people who doubt it.

Oh this that that.

You know, and it's I'm so glad you step through because sometimes I'm that's like the universe testing you to be like, you know, get yourself.

Yeah, and I think that person, to be honest, was genuinely trying to be helpful to me, But it's just not who I want to be, right. I'm not going to sell my soul for a dollar, you know, So for me, if if the industry if they if the industry wasn't a good fit for somebody who was honest, had had good morals and it was nice to people, it just wouldn't be the industry for me, you know.

Fact.

But I think in every industry there is room for that. You know, you just have to you have to persevere because it's not as easy to get there, you know, if you're not gonna shortcut, if you're not going to screw people over. And I think you know that's coming, it's coming to the surface. A lot of the people who operate on that level, you know, they're exposing themselves, you know, Oh yeah, I know, absolutely that makes sense.

I mean, there are a lot of nice there are a lot of good players in the issues. You got to find which ones, yeah, you know, and there's there's a lot of bad though. You're absolutely right, there's a lot of bad, there's a lot of good. You just got to find the ones that fit your morals, like you said, and that aligned with you. And that's what we try to do all the time. And we try to bring on the brands like you for instance, that yeah, we don't do that.

I mean, we get hit up all the time.

For interviews, and you don't want to just like get in bed at everyone just because, you know, especially because we know when people are just trying to use it for the platform to get their stuff out there. And that's totally fine when we like you know, and yeah, but when we hear your story not trying to be used and like again, I consider myself. I try to be a nice guy generally. I'm sure someone out there hates me, but like you know, you put that posi energy.

No.

Yeah, that and I mean is what I do about this industry. I think long term, as people stick around and can see who the small guys are, they're the ones that it can survive. You just have to get through these the price cutting, you know, and make sure that you're not producing flour that costs obviously more than what it costs to keep your lights on. So a

It's been yeat, put your whole put everything into it.

Yeah, and people are really receiving it finally. You know, like I said, we got our curing dialed in for the last two years nice and since then, you know, if I can just get get our product in front of somebody and have a conversation, you know, we're right around ninety percent of me coming back with account. Yeah, it's been great, I.

Mean, and we've heard good things. You know, shout out my cannabisie. She pretty much said this knocked out like seven hours.

Yeah, we're pretty excited for this over there.

Yeah, that's a great gray sativa of ours.

We've loved that a little off the vertical shot, right.

I might as well talking about it.

That's uh. We just rolled up which one was this cherry bombs?

Cherry bombs, So we're about this.

I got a little bit all of them over here.

Yeah, we're about to smoke some cherry bombs. Can I see the cherry bombs groove? I'm gonna pull up on the cannon chemick the actual flower.

Yeah.

And then while we go into this, just.

Trying to be esthetic for some reason.

So you guys just flower, are you?

Yeah? Produced you guys currently have, Yeah, yep, we're going to focus on that. We wanted to focus until we had all of our flower pre sold for one years straight before we moved on or expanded one sor.

We've seen people expand too fast and all of a sudden, now they're gone.

Yeah. Yeah, So that's a major fear, especially when you know you have three three of us owners are there full time. We don't have a plan B, so where you have to really be cautious about our expansion what we dabble with. So now that we have, we are looking to expand our grow and then we'll get into possibly doing some.

Processing awesome like single source like you guys are processing house.

Yeah, down the road, very much down the road. But we want to expand one of those we've.

Heard companies expand too fast because now we're gonna be making four thousand pound forever and then all of a.

Sudden, Yeah, and that's a major killer. Whether you're selling books, computers, it doesn't matter. So you have to, you know, you have to depending on where you want your margins, you have to be really conscious of how good you want to get before moving on, and you got to make sure the demand is there.

Definitely have the super book taste in that good. Yes, nice, they actually post there. I think that.

This superpoof and cherry cush nice.

Yeah, yeah, no, I know.

You could.

You could smell the super boof on it, like the super boof stands out on Yeah, And that's what I was saying before. I was like, that's what I like, because sometimes you'll get super boof and it doesn't smell like that, and you're like, what is this really super boof? But this it transcends like the turps are there, turps are there, and it tastes it. So that's what I like to see, and then I want to show it we're gonna showcase this on the Canic camp.

Got a little yeah, let's do that.

Whereas so we could showcase this, this looks let me see if I get some light on it.

Yeah. Also the formation of the butt is also also really.

Yeah.

I love the Yeah, I wasna say, I like the way I love nugs when they don't look super what is that hardened?

Oh yeah, this is good frosty slight purp in it.

Sorry, no, I was just saying that PRG that's the type of ship that people think you're gonna get when you're buying like you know, you know, cheap butt or like whatever, because it kind of is like that's kind of that, you know. So yeah, it looks more natural.

Yeah, we don't use any type of hardeners nice.

Nice.

We don't people that purchase it specifically on the ice cush We don't.

I was like, I was like, yeah, effects you didn't.

Got you.

But all of our bud that makes it into our prepacks, I'm good. That makes it into our pre packs or goes out as balk has to meet the characteristic of the of the flower that that should be there. So if it's gonna be our cherry bombs that needs to look exactly like that. If it's underdeveloped, it gets ground up, it gets sold with our trim, same with like our purple cush If it's not that's more of a cushy

Right, So it's I used to love just getting purple weed purpse pretty much.

Yeah, yes, yeah, you got purple.

But it was a sucker.

That was why I was so let down when people said there was like other ways to make it look purple. That's why it's a natural purple bud.

You're always like nice, right right, Yeah, you can do the attempts, you can do lots of things. Yeah, So again cutting corners. So what we want We want to not cut any corners obviously, but when people open a prepack or when when our accounts and the people that we work with open up their bulk packaging, it's got to look like primo bud.

You know.

Ice push is also like more of a loose, loose bud. We're dropping GG four in the middle of December.

Okay, Okay, Yeah, I loves me some GG.

Four Okay, I love you. Definitely have to have you guys come out once that drive gas gear. Yeah, well you're gonna really like like that ice cushion.

I follow my nose. That was the one I was like, I mean, don't be wrong, I like the other one smells. I just know what urs. I really know that, and I'm like, I'm rolling this up.

That's well.

The thing is, you know it's gonna be it might be those days are on and up.

Yeah, yeah, for sure, dude. So one thing that we really try to do is obviously make sure we have intoicate tiva hybrids, but also that we have different turp profiles. We don't want any of the consumers to open up four bags of Apex flower and they all look and smell the same. Yea, So we don't We don't really chase off. Yeah, we don't really chase like all runts.

All this, all that flavor chair You're not flavor what's that? Like the hot news strain type of Yeah.

Yeah, Because honestly, this is the thing about weed is everyone it's not like you're just gonna sell it and it's gonna taste good.

Like you have to dial in to grow.

Yeah, you takes some time.

Every strain is different. Y that kind of leads just leads me to my next question. Are these your the three strains you primarily grow. Are you guys growing other strains or.

Yeah, so we primarily grow these three strains and rose Gold Runs, which is white runs, apples and banana crossious. Yeah it's good.

Yeah, well that's why it's not here.

I didn't have any in the.

Vault, so that's a good sign.

Yeah, No, it's a very good sign. It's not the best producer, so we'll probably will end up having to phase it out just because it doesn't make sense. We don't charge a certain rate based on the harvest numbers. We try to keep it uniform for the way we do business with so it's still got to be somewhat of a producer.

I gotta try that before you cut it out, though. Yeah, that cross just sounds really good.

Two weeks we'll be chopping down our second to last harvest on that. Yeah, and then we're bringing in that g G four. We have Mcflurry coming in, Pixie Dust coming in, Robbery Runs. I feel like I'm missing sour Diesel right.

Yeah.

So yeah, so actually linked up with with Jason over at Score Organic his his weasel diesel, which is this is a sour diesel cut all of our all of our flour has to be a good washer as well, and so that's another one. So we can pivot with the market and do some fresh frozen products as well as Carrie Flower that obviously sells well, has good nose, good look, and it's got to hit a certain number as far as weight per table for us continue to carry it.

That's that's just that's a scale though. At that point, that's like I get rid of the white runs crossed like if it's not producing enough, and even if it's I'm not going to make a dollar amount that's able to pay your lights and you're able to pay yourself right right, business, you got money, and.

There's enough strains out there that that you can. Yeah. Yeah, so that's that there are enough strains out there that high quality, good ones. We're just looking to grow eight solid ones that have in our rotation and we'll keep it moving that way.

I dig that I do that talk and growing since that's what you guys specialize in. I gotta know what are you guys growing like, what's your medium? What lights you use in? You don't have to let us know, but no, I'll let.

You guys know. We we believe in LEDs. However, we have made the choice to be as caregiver as possible and old school caregiver as possible, so we still use HPS and metal highlight every other We know a lot of people listening, are a lot of people that come by and see it as a waste of money, But we do believe that it just creates a superior product, and there are some trust issues that LED can in fact mirror the same results. So where we are right now,

Us six feet tall baby, Those some big girls.

Yeah, yeah, we'll have to have you guys out. But yeah, so yeah, so we're right, we're based out of we're in Lancing. Yeah, that's too far west side of Lancing. Nice.

I think that, man, I think that that's what's up. I like how you guys are trying to specialize in like the eight eight specific strengths, like these are the ones we're going to be cultivating. These are our best products. Do you think you'll once you have those eight, you'll probably maybe do like a little R and D testing on a couple other ones' is like maybe you come across new seeds or new cuttings from friends or something.

Yeah, so we have a couple off site R and D spots, you know, and so so we'll check them out and then we will make sure that they kind of get through the testing where do they test out on the turfs and everything, and then we usually will it's it's a long painstaking process, but we'll take one plant, bring it in, flower it out, get it tested, see out, produced in our place, and then come back with the ninety six cuts of it and run it. So that's like a year, right, you bring it in, got to

It's I really like when you just I mean, especially like going to scale. There's so many things that changed, but like I really like love that you just said that. I kind of want to like highlight that, like you want to say, as caregivers possible, Like when you said that, I don't know if I've ever heard any company word it like that, you know, And I mean people may have alluded towards something similar, But I like the way you said that because it's like shows how deep.

Your roots go to where you came from, you know what I mean.

Yeah, I think that's pretty the market, yeah mindset.

Is there any other ways, like outside of the lights that you feel like you do that as a brand or is I just yeah, I like that.

So people that used to trim for me run the trim cruise at our place where and trim facility there's no machine there. Yeah.

Yeah, I think it just brings like just a great aspect of the bud. The but looks beautiful, like showcase your hard work. You grew it for four or five months, See how pretty it looks.

Yeah, yep, so we have we have a we have a couple. Yeah, we have a couple of people that came with me from back in the basement days. You know, like I said, caregiver time, and there are there are leads and they work really really hard and they've been with us. They've been with me for a long time. But they've been with Apex since that that probably that summer of that that we opened because we didn't have anything ready to flower. And I mean they were with

I was gonna actually kind of lead. Yeah, that was kind of questioned. So so three owners five that's eight people, you know what I mean. That's like, yeah, that's definitely family operations, you know what I mean. It's crazy that you could run commercial grow ups with that many people, but like without the tech you couldn't, you know, But you've got to have good people too.

Yeah, Mark and Jim. Yeah, Mark and Jim who are both owners. Uh, they very recently have allowed for an employee to come in and touch the plants. So they're there every day working on the plants. It's me out on the road every day. If I'm not in, I handle all the packaging, so I'm the one that's taking a look at stuff before it ends up in your bulk or your pre pack order.

Okay, so owners is also a loose term for like worker employee as well. We pay the bills, we managed big things Like no, you're like, we're still getting their hands dirty, Like yeah, so when you say that, they just started, so they were the ones only people touching the plants for the longest time.

You're saying, yeah, I'm pretty much still are Like they're the ones, they're the only ones who who will lollipop them, who will clone them, and then we have some help with thinning out.

It's pretty cool, man, that's really cool.

Yeah. Yeah, you guys have to come through.

Yeah, no, no, I definitely want to come come to. I haven't seen just Metro as well, like yeah, I've seen like I've seen l eds and hps, like I've seen them mixed. Yeah there, but I haven't like metal highlightes throws me back and I.

Had HPS for the longest time. It took them forever to switch over to LED.

Yeah.

Yeah, and there there are some you know, but I'm.

For a while.

Yeah, I did test myself, and it's like kind of like the l eds. Yeah, me personally, but like HPS, man, that's that's old school right there.

Yeah, they were really tough to get a hold of because of transportation. It was it got sketchy for a little bit. But but yeah, so so we do that, like I said, we when we chop down, we I mean, we just treat everything. The process is just the same as it was, you know, and then you have to

Yeah, that's a great way to worry.

It can't afford to fail because this industry is so hard to get into, and especially all the things that you're not just.

Like a equal business in society. You're a campus business. So there's a pole.

Oh yeah, yeah, no no help coming, so yeah, no grants, no, none of that coming if.

You no PPP or whatever, the loans or yeah.

None of that for whatever. No, nope. So so for us that was pretty that was to but but we were able to make some adjustments and now stuff. As you guys can see when you open your pre packs, when you get your flour, it's not dry and dusty. It doesn't crumble apart. And what's been really nice is we've been the people who buy it from us usually sell it pretty quickly, so it stays fresh.

I'm telling you, for all my gassy people out there, this is the one that out for you. I was just about to smell it.

Yeah, what's the point of just smelling it at that? Yeah?

As well, you got to enjoy it, right, I like the way they do business please here.

Yeah.

Yeah, So the ice cush is one of our newer ones. It's a seventy sativa and nobody if people tell you that that they know where it came from. Nobody really knows. So that was intriguing to me. What would do it?

Yeah?

Yeah, I want to try it.

I'm not worried about too many people growing it because lot of people like to turn out eight eight nine weeks. This takes twelve weeks to grow.

Definitely.

You knowa's just in general, and it really stretches yep. And so so that's why you know, we really pride ourselves when we have a harvest of that. It goes really quick. But it's also like you, the nose is like a unique gas smell.

Yeah, that's what kind of draws draws me to it.

And especially I mean especially because I've been smoking now, like I've been smoking a long time. I've been smoking a little while. I remember when cushes were the thing. Yeah, Like so for me when I see it cush, I'm like, and I smoke that, I.

Was like, hell yeah, so for me, like.

I also really just like like cushes at OG's lose, you know what I mean, those still have like a spot. I mean, I know they got trendy after a while, like everything O G you know what I mean, But I still like when you first got those first ogis.

You know, I don't know how to explained it.

Yeah, but I think they're also they're on the comeback a little bit. Man, people are people are kind of getting tired. People are getting tired of, you know, some of the Runts cuts or some of the other cuts that have become really trendy, and they're noticing you can't just chase the name. It's much deeper than that.

You know, you gotta really dial it in and master that grows.

Just like we were talking about earlier, and like, I feel like these trendy things, unless you like, it's almost like kind of a letdown.

I remember the first time everyone.

Was like cookies, cookies, cookies, cookies, right, and like I had my first cookies and it was like that what But then I had like a true cookies like in Cali. Okay, that was solid, but I saw I got it. But sometimes it's almost like it depends on where you're getting it. Who's the cold of war, where the seat's from? Like there's so many las.

That's the thing.

When the popular strain comes out, like you see you have like the ice cush or the cherry cherry bomb. Yeah, cherry bombs, cherry bombs. You don't see those strains when everyone has the same strain, Like what makes you different? Everyone's got runs? Yeah, I love runs, so like, I likes it more for personal but it's like, you got to make sure you grow that runs perfect or no one's gonna buy that strain from sitting on the shelf because nine out of ten brands are growing runs like

They got a nice huge.

It almost reminded me of gorilla glue back in the light green. Yeah, super frosty. The butt structure remind me of grilla gloss on your cameras.

So when we so, when we uh, when we end up apparent these because we take down two tables every ten days, this and the glue will be growing together. We take down perpetual, not by room, so two tables every ten.

Days, kind of like because you gotta keep it moving.

So these those two will grow side by side because they do grow similar rate, they do stretch similarly. But the glue still at our place has two weeks before our first harvest. And I'm super pumped because that came from my no caregiver spot and I'm just really glad it's coming back. It's not gonna be the highest tester. But I think off of its name, the nose on it, I think your.

Markets, right.

I think sometimes when you're talking to these news strains, the new ones, I feel like that's the person who wants the new the high TC.

There's something that I can talk about, right, how I smoked this new ship. I got this high TC.

Right, It's almost like these sell points, and I that's not necessarily my thing, right, I'm a big I want to smell, I want to taste it.

I want to to you know what I mean.

I don't even necessarily ask for TC. I trust my nose, you know what I mean, Because I like the terp so much so I think you're almost chasing. And I'm more nostalogic on some of those trips. I think you're chasing different demographics almost, you.

Know what I mean. So just two different people.

Yeah, So for me, it's got to do well in our place, and it's got to meet our checkboxes and we've got to ride or die with that mindset. When we first started, we chase the chase to everybody else's like what their list was, you know, I.

Mean, it's natural to be like, well, it's working for them, hopefully maybe it'll work for me. But then, like you gotta find out what works for you.

Like again, like when I started getting to music, and like I was like, I want to play saxophone over electronic music.

There's this guy Griz and.

I'm like, well, so I started writing funky music. And then eventually you started finding out who you are. You know, you don't just copy, you know, and now I write different type of stuff, right, So still in me a little bit, but like you're just saying, like sometimes you got to find yourself throughout the creative process, and like growing is the same way. It's like you're making your whole brand. It's it's your heart and soul, you know. Yeah, I totally agree with that. I think, uh, I think

Is all about.

Should we pause? No, we're just okay, keep going. How are you.

There?

You go?

Yeah, shout out, No, it was just cool. I wanted to make sure you got there that I can just edit it out.

Sorry, Okay, where were we at?

We're talking about discovery kind of yeah, So.

So for us, we have a certain checklist that we have to hit. And so that's why it's so important that if we are going to try out a brand, we'll run through our super long R and D process. We won't crop out a whole room or a whole table and then try to push it under our brand. That's not gonna be us. We're going to flower it out.

It's not you.

I mean, it doesn't work for you. And I think I think you find those strains that work out for you naturally, like through the growing process. Are there any strains that you found out throughout the years that you like, didn't like to grow personally?

Yeah, I'm just curious. Man. We had a lemon sit tron a while ago. It smelled, smelled amazing, It made it made our whole place smell like lemon farm. It was awesome, sounds, smelling, it loves, but we couldn't get it to bulk out. We couldn't get it to look nice. It was a very very low tester. But that's when we first started. So we bought all these cuts and flowered it out, and so that was disappointing like that. I yeah, yeah, man, that's good.

Yeah, both both strains, but really good. I didn't even finish that. The cherry bombs like that a lot. If you like a super booth strain like that is something you want to try. And I'm about to cut us off of the favorite strain, but I do want to say, where can people find lots of flower?

Yeah we're talking about about were smoking, like, yeah, you might as well, yeah place push them.

Now. The cherry bombs, well, we tried ifyone's listening wants to try somewhere. It was like the best bouty like Saint Metro, Detroit or the west side of the state.

Okay, yeah, King of Bud's Ferndale had us in there. I believe they may still have some. We're dropping with six or seven of the gauges. I'm just not sure which locations. That'll be December thirteen. If you're on the west side of the state, you can find us over at the gas station in Wayland. You can find us that dose are Lake Effect in the Kalamazoo area. We have people in northern Michigan. If you're all over, I'm not. I'm not I'm not in the up. I'm trying to get into the up.

So any crazy market up there, like it is there's like you go to these like you're you know, you see no talents for half an hour and then all of a sudden, it's a little town. It's got eight dispose.

Yeah.

I love that. Everyone loves weed up here. I love it up North.

Yeah.

I would love to get get up there right now, though I feel like we're pretty maxed out as far as like how many more people we can service, But I would love to get into the up just because we're not even in one store. There choices in Jackson. We have twenty past four. They have four locations. They're in Jackson, Sturges. Mount Morris is right outside.

Of That's a good problem to have.

Yeah.

Not enough supply, Yeah, and that's why we're looking now. It's been about a year of that a little over, so now it's time to expand. So so we sit on three acres only using about a sixth of it. But it's much more expensive right now to build than to purchase some property trying to find something that fits how we grow and be close.

So you have to get another license or how much how much can you grow.

With your license? Yeah, I'm not so sure how all of that would pay. Our play out I think we could transfer some of our license, but we would have to still go through I'm sure some type of process.

Yea, that makes sense. Yeah, yeah, so you do the flower that's but can people get your product and concentrate form or you did any infuse pre rolls you come out with any concentrates.

So Element runs some of their product with our fresh frozen So there they're hash infused pre rolls. Scottie over at Canopy, we send them some partners. Shout out to the scott.

Right, so for uh you say at the lower.

Thing that was that was perfect creepy.

So he we just sent him sixty pounds of our cherry bombs so that he can make a really awesome product with that. I'm sure that's gonna go great.

I'm gonna have to grab it because'll probably do some batter with that.

Yeah, please do. But so we just said okay, so we yeah, we just said do do what you think this this will do well at you know, and we just really trust him after after meeting with him.

Yeah, he's he's awesome. He's what he does is phenomenal work. All this stuff is really good. He does.

Yeah, the Cloudy Dad with Tyler was great.

Yeah, the Kies.

Yes, and also actually is.

That over here one of them right here I'm doing and shout out to n with Tyler.

Yeah, and so we uh everybody in there. Yeah. So then we also sent some stuff out to Roslyn who has some products coming out. They've done our ice cush and our cherry bombs.

Okay, we'll have to follow up with you when.

Roslin two is what they're called Rhysen from waters or products, but it had I don't think it's dropped yet their company. Okay, other product isn't out yet. So yeah, so those are the other forms, and then we're gonna be launching mid probably mid December, late December, our full Flower pre rolls, so we're really excited about that, and those will be constructed of mainly our smalls. We'll get away from using

I don't, Hey, man, it's better than me.

Yeah, yeah right, yeah.

Yeah.

Sometimes we've been given samples and sometimes you're like, oh.

Thanks, Yeah, that's a lot of people's favorite right now, just because you know, I like.

The cherry bomb too. I just mean, like, you know, yeah, that's what I mean, Like, yeah, almost drew the type of you know.

I like it as well.

They both smoke all the way down and they still have a good time.

It was propping out because they're both have been good and sometimes like when we try strange, you know, we always try to be.

You know, as nice as we can, because not every strains can be perfect. Sometimes you're gonna have a bad badger. It's gonna sit on the shelf for too long, right, But at the end of the day, like keeping that consistency is tough between strains because it's their different growth.

So I just want to say, yeah, well I appreciate that. Yeah, I'm super thankful to be able to keep stuff fresh that's sitting in our vaal. If it's in there, it's it's not in there more than a week. Nothing is that I said. That was part that's part of the decision of me being able to leave my other career job after twenty two years. I had to be really really sure that we were going to be okay. And still the day after turning in my letter of resignation, it was still scary as hell, you know.

I we still have that. Yeah, yeah, that's like the deep down dream. Yeah obviously, you know, of course you're doing what you love.

You know, it's also that sphere of like believing yourself. We talked about the Little Prior show, but imposter syndrome is real. Yeah, and we all were like, oh, yeah, for sure, for sure, for sure, it's so common, but some people don't feel that, and yeah it's no.

I watched my dad, my dad. My dad started his own taxa during business back in nineteen ninety seven and had to grow that real slow and then transition out, so I got to see it up close and personal. But I just knew APEX wasn't going to continue to grow unless I was able to be there full time. So, you know, many of us get pulled in so many directions. We're doing everything at like average pace rather than really honing in and giving it everything. We have to see

Yeah. APEX means like what apex predator, you know what I mean?

Like, yeah, it means the highest point change. Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, So so that's been no so so for us. It was a good move for me and my family and the company. And I've really enjoyed just hitting the road, meeting people like you guys and Scottie and Tyler and just all these really cool people that are in it for the right reasons. And you get that vibe immediately. You know, it doesn't take too long to figure out who's in it for what reason, and who's in it and thinks that they're there's.

God, you know, and who's oh yeah. I mean it's so funny too. It's the people that come in they're like, oh, yeah, I got the best ship. I got the best ship, and you just like, yeah, I never forget. I no remember what event it was. But someone was like screaming out good there we was at event. I think this was a long time ago. This might have been like high times Cliode. But he like letting this weed in his hand.

He literally, I'm putting weed in this man's hand.

But you don't remember that.

I remember that garbage.

It was garbage.

You liked it, yeah, yeah, And that's why I appreciate, you know, and like hearing your story too. It like shows you know, you don't just putting your heart into something unless you have something where that brought you there, you know.

Yeah, like I said, you have soul where a lot of some of these comes don't.

Yeah. Yeah, And that's that's something that is important to all ownership in our in our group and our employees, like they really really care when people come and walk through or talk to them. We did a little promo video like that shows our grow.

You know.

But even when like Sasha, who's our floor lead, came with me from like I said, basement caregiver, grow, you know, even when she's talking about it, she really takes pride and how it looks, how the harvest process goes, the rate that everybody's numbers are on trimming, like, she takes her job very serious and it's been great and so as the rest of the team because of her leadership.

That it's good. It's good to see that because then you can see a team it does and you see it come out in the final product. Yeah, I see, And you're seeing the passion, the care, the love for the plant, and then that's you see it in the final product, and you know, you smoke it, you taste the terps. It's like you said, it's not dry. It's not like you break it up and it's like dust. It's it's got a little moisture in it. The butt has tons of trichombs on it. Flavor fall the way through.

So strong as your weak is linked. So like, especially if a team of eight, you got to have everyone to be that apex mindset, you know what I mean. Otherwise you're just gonna have struggle, you know, because you got to be on the same planet. Like, like I said, one person out of eight, that's whatever, like twelve and a half percent. That's a big chunk of your company, you know. That is what I'm trying to say.

Yeah, yeah, you definitely. I mean for all the all the boxes that have to be checked to have a good product day in and day out, something's gonna fall off if somebody's not giving it. They're all and.

Actually I mean, do we want to shout out the team? I mean we shouted out some of them, but just anyone else you.

Oh yeah, yeah, we have help Sasha, Rachel, Caring, Connor, Brad. Those are that's our crew. That's every way that I love that a lot. Yeah, they did great. Brad is in Brad is in the garden. Connor goes back and forth. He does kind of a little bit of everything, and then Karen Sash and Rachel they're constantly trimming. Rachel came with me to meet connect Puff did a great job. Actually closed on two deals while I was grabbing.

I gotta give to you. I gotta give to you now.

Okay, okay, okay, all right, those are good.

I mean we were there at the same event and we didn't even get the run into that busy how busy it is and how great the networking can be for everybody out there.

Yeah. Yeah, our company has taken off since then. Shout out to Harry on that. But Harry, Harry is one And I made a Facebook post Harry's when I didn't know anything about the commercial nothing. Harry is one of the people that withou take my call first ring boom and talk to me for like forty minutes, and you know,

Of keyboard killers out there, and whenever you're succeeding, there's always going to be people hating on you, whether it's from envy or.

Just pure they actually have beef with you. So it's like that's the problem with me, Like like reading the things online and be like, oh, that must be true. It's the Internet.

Yeah, yeah, I mean you got to kind of sin through and like you said, you got to treat people how they treat like.

You got to make your own judgments on people, you know, And Harry's been good to.

Us, and like, you know, we we were the first one, you know, we saw meet Puff when it was like twenty people.

Yeah, twenty vendors and now yeah yeah for me, yeah, I want to be cool with everybody. If somebody does me wrong, I just distance myself, you know, happening in front of me to somebody else, you know what I mean. So, yeah, I don't. I don't fall into the tribalism of you know, so and so hates them, So I hate them, you know I did when I was much younger.

Followers man, Yeah, not a sheef my own d yeah, facts.

Yeah, yeah, so he's really helped me out.

That's good. Do you have anything else I've come in with Ax? You drove into concentrates he's talking about expanding. I mean, is there anything we missed on.

That before we get out of here? Yeah, we're towards the end.

We have like another funny question that.

Okay, yeah, we definitely yeah. I mean I would say, I would say, you know, one thing I want people to know is that things that we put our money in support behind are the ladies in order to kind of honor AVA, the ladies who belonged to the PS society. Society yeah squat out there. Yeah, so we do things to promote some of their events. We our partnership is kind of new, but this is the first year, Like

So I mean, we got in, we got real before the cameras and everything got recorded. But that that's such a big thing as mental health. And I mean it's like, you know, men struggle to with their own things, you know. I mean, you know, everyone struggles with their own things, and it's it's not right to sit there and compare.

Everyone's got their own things, you know.

Yeah, yeah, it's I think, you know, it's just kind of been crammed down our throat to not verbalize it, which is like one of the healthiest ways.

You said generational. You're not supposed to talk about it as yeah, it makes you less of a man, like about how my dad was, you know.

Yeah, but if you look at the rate of specifically in men who experience sudden death extreme trauma, the rate of suicide is off the charts when compared to other demographics. So so I want to make sure I do my part use my experience of going through losing a child to help other people. It gives me purpose, you know, and I do have faith that I'll see her again, so I just keep on keeping on until that day.

Hey man, that's a blessing because like you said, you can become bitter or you can be better, right, And just a blessing that you can pay it forward, especially with you know, medicine.

Yeah. Yeah, I'm gonna do my part in any way I can. Awesome.

I love hearing that. Man. I respect everything you've been doing for the Flower, for men's mental health and respecting your daughter able and progressing that way. I mean, I think it's huge what you're doing, and I appreciate you coming on sharing your story and everything with us. Do you want to ask you one last question?

Do you want to ask you a question?

So imagine if you're grinding smoke. We didn't even ask you what's your favorite way to smoke? Yeah?

I was a flower guy, Flower guy Flower.

Maybe we should keep mark of this, like we should have like an open every single episode.

Hundreds of people.

Hired intern to do that because I really like that idea because we could do it. But okay, so imagine you're grinding up some ice cuss, you're breaking up and gone. Jeanie pops out and he grants you one wish to change anything within the cannabis industry. What would you wish for?

M tough one. Yeah, that's why we have we ask if I've got I've gotta it's got to be one one wish. I'm trying to kill birds with one stone. And however this, yeah, its sentence five paragraphs really.

English teacher.

Well, I would say if I could get rid of anything, it would be get rid of egos. Just have people come in and beat be about their effort. Let that define them and how they treat people.

I love that one. I haven't heard that.

Let me get let me get the little clapp.

Yeah, he's like, yeah, I feel I feel Yeah, I feel here.

Yeah.

But I mean.

I think, I think the I think the biggest thing, you know, like we talked about before, is not you know, too many people identify with like the result. You know, like if you become really wealthy all of a sudden, you believe you're better. If you are a good grower, you're better. But really, I mean, we're all on the same level. We all struggle with the same stuff. And if your flower is good, you don't need to. You don't need to do certain things. You don't need to

Of some of the worst of the loudest. You know where you get that ego from, I don't know.

Yeah, just different, I don't know.

Yeah, So that's what that's what I would change. Give the smaller people who are who are doing it for the right reasons a shot, test their product out. If the product doesn't fit, be cool about it, but let them know the truth and keep it moving.

Oh yeah, love that. Love that.

I don't know how to appreciate it, man, No, understand that. No, Eddie, thank you for coming on.

And what was the handle again?

It said it's Apex Land, Apex Lanc. Yes, I just want to say that because you know, first I want to say, if so, you go check them out. Check out the ice Cush that's my recommendation for sure. Check out the cherry Bomb. You know, We're gonna check out the Purple Dreams right after. So yes, shout out to all our partner shout out Lost Coast Plant Therapy. We're so excited to have them board Old school Organics.

Okay, I was gonna Kinship Cannabis and UH nine boom. I was going to use the chromo codes though. For Lost Coast, I can my can of twenty save twenty percent off, and then for uh high nine it's just my can of cast now, which is I believe twenty percent off.

Yeah, purpose, and.

That note thank again that if coming on appreciate you will definitely come out to Land check out the girl not great me cut you off, and that's always your advocate. Educate and inspire the next time you