Or, excavation round two. Call it whatever you want, but things are really moving at Black Fin! With the walls now up, our facility was really starting to come together – next thing to do was to get ready for our second portable to arrive.
Filling in a ditch is one thing, taking out a stump – yeah, that’s a whole other challenge. We did it though, and once we had it out, then it was back to the filling in a ditch thing.
Once everything was filled in, and our helper Zola got out of the way….
We were able to finally get in all the gravel and “set the scene” for our portable delivery, which… was quite an adventure.
With the stump out, the ditches filled and the land leveled, the Black Fin Extracts facility looks more and more like our dream come true.
They always say it’s “one step at a time,” and while in almost every case, one step can have a few sub steps included in it. Not when you are building a new room. It is one wall at a time – literally.
And not just one wall, but one section. And then the next. And then – oh wait, yup… another section and wouldya look at that? ONLY HALFWAY THERE. It’s a lot of measuring twice and cutting once (or only sometimes as our contractor says… jokingly)
And a lot of, “Hey Steve, you stand there and hold this up and I will nail it into place. Arms a little tired buddy? Too bad.” Also a few moments of “I don’t think this is the right way, gotta flip it.”
But in the end, section after section came together, to create the Black Fin entrance and packaging room.
Now to get our next portable delivered – ’cause building one room, wall by wall, was enough.
Our dream big attitude has never been a hurdle for us, in fact, it’s a lot of the reason we are where we are. That doesn’t mean we haven’t faced our fair share of hurdles, like having a property that was a little overgrown and a little uneven for our facility…
With a little help from our friends, [😉] we were able to turn this:
Into this:
After removing quite a few trees from the property, trees that we will be replanting when our final footprint is in – don’t worry, filling in surrounding ditches, removing hills and generally leveling the land with LOADS of gravel, we were able to remove our storage bin and wait for our second portable to arrive.
Of course, setting up shop in the Cowichan Valley and building over the fall/winter months always means that there is the chance of snow… stopping everything for a few weeks.
But you know what, our dream big attitude got us through all these challenges and we were able to turn a small, seemingly challenging piece of land into the future of Black Fin Extracts.
It feels like forever ago that our three original founders sat around a table brainstorming ideas for what they envisioned Black Fin to be. And a lifetime ago that we submitted our initial application to Health Canada. Didn’t the land survey happen a decade ago? And the drone photos, when did that happen? Our journey up to this point has been a blur, so what better way to spend Thursday than with a little throwback?
Before we even got our hands dirty, we had to bring in a land surveyor to appease Health Canada, and get a general blueprint of the land and the borders. Then we had our drone guy come in and take some aerial shots. And this was all before we had really even pressed go…
It’s weird to think that before we even broke any sort of ground, we thought that the land survey and drone photos, combined with our completed facility sketches and the dejunking of old and unnecessary walls and items, felt like getting through the process. Oh how far we have come.
For Black Fin Extracts, 2019 felt like our warm up year. It was the year we got all our ducks in a row and made a game plan. It was the year we got organized and prepped for the future. And now that that year has come to a close and we are geared up, we are ready for what’s instore for 2020. So what exactly does being “geared up” for 2020 look like? Well, it looks a hell of a lot like this:
It looks like preparing to submit our evidence package to Health Canada, which means that we are in the final stages of the application process and are building our facility and our lab. In other words – we’re in the final stretch!
We’re midway through our construction at BFE. We’ve got our mechanical room all set up for the pumps and compressors for the lab, we have the concrete for the cold storage room poured, our Class A fire rated wall coverings have been ordered, and the walls and floors of one packaging room are complete. From what it was
To what it is
We sure have come a long way. And yes, we still have a long way to go, but each finished task makes us one step closer to being your go to company for that craft cannabis concentrate you have been waiting for.
With all the talk about the 4/20 celebrations happening post-legalization, we thought we would take a walk down stoner lane and look at the origin of 4/20.
For a lot of people 4/20 is a holiday of sorts, for those who aren’t 24/7 stoners it’s a day to indulge. For those who do partake daily it’s a day to celebrate a wonderful plant that has brought so much joy and relief to our lives. But where did it all start? How did it all begin?
Legend says that it all started because of a rumor that the code for a marijuana bust was 420. Over the radio, police would call in “code 420. Reports of marijuana use in progress.” So stoners decided to defy this code by using 4/20 as a national day to do exactly what the cops were trying to stop; smoke weed openly, freely and in public. However, once you look into it, you will find that this is not the case. In fact, if you dig a little deeper, to date there is actually no police code associated with 420. The only government association with 420 is a California Senate Bill, Bill 420, which pertains to medical marijuana but wasn’t introduced until the early 2000s. So if these are just rumors, where does the true story stem from? Why do we even come together on this day to celebrate?
It’s time to take you back, all the way to the ‘70s to be exact. When a group of five high school students started what would become today’s biggest marijuana movement. It’s time to welcome The Waldos.
It’s fall 1971 in Marin County, California. Five San Rafael High School kids are hanging out against the schools wall. Steve Capper, Dave Reddix, Jeffery Noel and Mark Gravich, or ‘the Waldos’ as they referred to themselves as, are looking to follow a treasure map to search for an abandoned cannabis crop on the Point Reyes Peninsula. A friend of the Waldos who had a brother in the U.S. coast guard and was growing pot at the time gave the had given the map to Steve. The coast guardsman, being paranoid that he was going to get busted, granted permission for The Waldos to harvest his crop – if they could find it.
To make sure that their search didn’t interfere with their schooling, The Waldos decided to meet at the statue of chemist Louis Pasteur that was on the campus of San Rafael High at 4:20, a term they later coined “420 Louis.” Despite the portrayal of stoners in today’s pop culture, the Waldos were motivated, creative, active, driven, involved, aware, intellectual, fit and educated. Which meant that this wild goose chase they were about to endure on would entice all their skills. After indulging in some of California’s finest, the boys would set out to search for the pot patch.
In the following days the boys would remind each other of their after school quest with “420 Louie,” eventually after several failed attempts at finding the golden ticket the “Louie” was dropped and the boys referred to their hunt as just “420”. What started out as just a secret slang used between friends, a private joke of sorts, grew like wildfire and was soon picked up by others and spread across the country and down from generation to generation as the perfect pot smoking time.
The Waldos had no idea that they were creating history, at the time they were just goofing around with friends. But what they started impacted the world of weed and created a marijuana movement that we still celebrate to this day. Of course, since it’s beginning, it has morphed into so much more than just the perfect time to smoke up, now it has become a stand to legalize pot, and an event that brings together stoners from all walks of life. Wherever The Waldos are now, we thank you for starting what has become such an impactful event for the cannabis culture.
March 3rd, 11:59 PM Black Fin Extracts pressed the ‘submit’ button on the Health Canada website, officially putting our name in the running to become a federally legal cannabis company. But what does it really mean for us to have hit ‘go’? What does it mean for us to ‘Press the Button’?
Simply put, it means that we have put the wheels in motion with the government to receive our Standard Processing License (which basically means we will produce cannabis products as well as sell and distribute cannabis products from our facility). But what EXACTLY does putting the wheels in motion mean? It means that we have sent the government a business proposal that lays out our proposed facility, our production operations and well, basically how we plan on running Black Fin. We’ve included the specific requirements the government wanted, such as our security plan and our standard operating procedures, to name a few, as well as undergoing the necessary security hoops – sorry – checks, Health Canada demanded.
The road that lead to this checkpoint was a long one for the BFE team. There were many brainstorming sessions around a whiteboard, continuous meetings discussing specific application details, and constantly questioning the material we wrote for our application. We have spent hundreds (not a joke) of hours reading legislation, doing research online and staying up to date with the constant changes to the proposed Cannabis Act. Then hundreds more hours typing our proposal, formatting our proposal and, of course, fighting with technology.
We’ve come to be quite well acquainted with the automated services of government phone lines and probably know what numbers to press before they can read the directory out. We’ve even put Health Canada in our speed dial to make things easier! Okay, okay, not actually, but we might as well. And after all this?
Health Canada has said that they will respond to our initial application within 30 days to ensure that we have not missed anything significant. Once we have cleared this screening process, we will be added to the queue to have our application gone through with a fine-tooth comb. At this point, it’s a waiting game and crossing our fingers that the government streamlines this process. The Craft Cannabis Community is eager and (for now) patiently waiting.
Bet you didn’t know that every human and animal have an internal system that cannabis effects as perfect as a key fitting into a lock. It’s called the Endocannabinoid System (or the ECS) and it plays a vital role in helping the body to maintain harmony and balance. The ECS helps us to sustain homeostasis – the protection of a stable internal environment despite fluctuations in the external environment. In other words, the ECS, and all its complex actions with the immune system, nervous system and most of our body’s organs, is the bridge between body and mind. This knowledge explains why certain states of consciousness promote health or disease and why the ability to alter ones state of mind can help to maintain human health.
There are three key pieces to the ECS, the cannabinoid receptors, the endocannabinoids, and the metabolic enzymes. The cannabinoid receptors are found on the surface of the cells, they are essentially the lock in this system. There are two major receptors that have been researched: CB1 and CB2. CB1 receptors are present mainly in the brain; they are the receptors that interact with THC to get people high. CB2 receptors on the other hand are located outside the nervous system in places such as the immune system.
Endocannabinoids are what our body produces naturally; they are the “THC of the body”. The two main molecules of endocannabinoids are anandamide and 2-AG. Anandamide plays a role in regulation of appetite, pleasure and reward. Simply put, it is the “bliss molecule”. 2-Arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) also plays a role in the regulation of appetite, immune system functions and pain management. It is also believed that 2-AG plays a role in the inhibition of cancer cell increase. These two molecules are made from fat-like molecules and are synthesized on demand. Both molecules have a phytocannabinoid that is also found in the cannabis plant that will stimulate the receptors when the body does not produce Anandamide or 2-AG. CBD, CBN and THC are the phytocannabinoid keys that fit into the locks to help the body stabilize harmony and balance.
Lastly we have the metabolic enzymes that help to quickly break down endocannabinoids making sure that they get used when they are needed, but not for longer than necessary. They are very effective at breaking down our natural endocannabinoids, however they are not as powerful against phytocannabinoid molecules, which is why the half-life of the THC, CBD and CBN in marijuana is much higher than our natural THC.
With these three pieces in place, the ECS brings our body back to a balance of harmony and bliss. Understanding how the ECS relates to homeostasis at a cellular level helps us to appreciate how various cannabis-therapies can help to improve stability in our body and mind.
When it comes to the world of natural oils there are two big ones that have been taking center stage – hemp oil and CBD oil. While many think that just like hemp and marijuana are interchangable, hemp oil and CBD oil are the same products, when they are in fact two different products with very different benefits.
Cannabidiol, or better known to the general public as CBD, is one of the main compounds of the cannabis plant. It’s best known for its anti inflammatory properties as well as its ability to help relieve symptoms of anxiety, and it’s what you are seeing in everything from skin-care products to high-vibe tinctures. For centuries it has been successfully proven to provide pain relief to achey muscles, arthritis, joint pain, neuropathic conditions, headaches and also aids skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, rosacea, and can provide relief from bug bites and sunburns when used topically. The oil is extracted from the leaves, flowers and stalks of the cannabis plant and is then added into a variety of products, sometimes labelled CBD hemp which is where the confusion comes from.
On the other hand, hemp seed oil is more relative to other oils such as sunflower oil and jojoba oil due to the fact that it is a cold-pressed extract from the seeds. It’s a perfectly good seed oil that is high in antioxidants, omega-3 and -6 fatty acids but does not contain any CBD. It’s been available in health food stores for decades and is generally viewed as a superfood and is great for adding nutritional value to your diet. As for skin care, it works as a powerful moisturizer and skin softener that won’t clog your pores and doesn’t contribute to oily skin.
While both oils are considered wellness ingredients, you won’t be in any danger if you interchange the two. However, if you are looking for the medical benefits that you get from CBD, using hemp oil will not deliver the same results. While yes, they do come from the same plant (in a sense), they are two totally different compounds with different makeups, and different benefits. Be sure that when you are buying a CBD or Hemp oil product that you are double checking the label and ingredients, and of course if you are ever unsure about whether or not you are about to pick up hemp oil or CBD oil, be sure to ask for help! Even if that means reaching out to us with any questions you might have.
Cannabis, marijuana, weed, hemp. Four words that, over the years, have been confused with one another and wrongly been used interchangeably. While marijuana, weed and hemp are all pants of the Cannabis family, they are definitely not the same thing.
The Cannabis family is divided into two main species – hemp and marijuana. While marijuana can be considered either a Cannabis Sativa or a Cannabis Indica, hemp is only a member of the Cannabis Sativa. We know what you’re thinking, “sativas still get you high though, so how is it that hemp is not weed if it’s still a sativa?”
Just because hemp and marijuana share similarities, the biological structure of the plant has several distinct and crucial differences. It’s like how some wild mushrooms in the forest will send you down the rabbit hole and others will, well… They may look the same and have similarities, but you do not want to confuse them. Thankfully confusing hemp with marijuana won’t have such drastic effects, and visually is actually much easier than comparing mushrooms to mushrooms… Phew.
Marijuana features broad leaves with dense buds and is short and bushy in its appearance. On the other hand, hemp is quite skinny and grows quite tall with its leaves concentrated at the top of the plant and very few branches growing beneath the top. The anatomy of the plants also have crucial differences in their chemical compounds. While the Cannabis family contains many compounds the two main ones are tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). Hemp contains a very very low percentage of THC (think under 0.3%, not worth trying to smoke it) in contrast to marijuana which can have anywhere from 15%-40% THC levels.
The high levels of THC make marijuana the perfect crop to grow for recreational and medical purposes because of psychoactive properties of the plant. Hemps low percent of THC make it less valuable in the “pot” market but highly sought after as a renewable raw material. The seeds and flowers are used in health foods, organic body care, and other nutraceuticals, while it’s fibers and stalks are used in hemp clothing, construction materials, paper, bio-fuel, plastic composites, and more.
So while these two plants might, to the uninformed, be seen as the same, us cannabis connoisseurs (which now includes you) know that they are drastically different!