California was the first state to legalize medical marijuana in 1996 with the passage of the Compassionate Use Act, allowing patients to possess and cultivate medical cannabis with a doctor’s recommendation. In 2016, California voters passed Proposition 64, legalizing the recreational use and sale of marijuana for adults 21 and over.
Since then, California has seen massive growth in its cannabis industry, with thousands of cannabis businesses sprouting up across the state. This proliferation of the legal market has led to an explosion of cannabis brands seeking to differentiate themselves and build customer loyalty.
In this article, we’ll explore some of the most popular and recognizable cannabis brands that have emerged in California in recent years. From innovative edibles brands like Kiva Confections to sophisticated flower brands like Canndescent, California is home to diverse cannabis companies offering high-quality products targeted to all types of consumers. Read on to learn more about the top cannabis brands defining the California market.
Cookies
Cookies was founded in 2012 by Berner in San Francisco, California. The company has become known for producing some of the most sought-after strains and concentrates in the California cannabis market, focusing heavily on genetics and premium quality.
Some of Cookies’ most popular strains include Girl Scout Cookies, Gelato, Runtz, Gary Payton, and Cereal Milk. These exotic and unique strains command premium pricing due to their potency and flavor profiles. Cookies uses tissue culture propagation and top-tier cultivation techniques to ensure consistency and quality across all its offerings.
In addition to flower, Cookies provides a full line of cannabis products including pre-rolls, vape cartridges, edibles and concentrates. Their genetics have become the foundation for many other leading California brands.
Cookies has expanded rapidly since its inception. Today, the company has storefronts open across California, including Los Angeles, Oakland and Modesto. Cookies also has a licensing agreement with Curaleaf to produce Cookies products in other states where cannabis is legal. The company continues to grow through breeding projects and partnerships with major retailers and cultivators. Cookies’ market presence and brand power is unmatched in California cannabis.
Kiva Confections
Kiva Confections is a California-based company that specializes in cannabis-infused edibles. Founded in 2010, Kiva has become one of the most well-known and successful edibles brands in the state.
Kiva is best known for its chocolate bars, available in dark and milk chocolate varieties, which are infused with precise doses of THC. Each chocolate bar is divided into 5mg segments, allowing consumers to easily control their dosage. Kiva chocolate bars provide a tasty edible experience that sets in gradually over 1-2 hours.
In addition to chocolate bars, Kiva also offers a wide range of other edibles including mints, gummies, and chocolate-covered espresso beans. Most products are available in both THC and CBD varieties. Kiva products can be found at licensed cannabis retailers throughout California.
The brand has built a reputation for quality, consistency and delicious flavor. By focusing on artisanal, low-dose products, Kiva has become a go-to option for both new and experienced cannabis consumers looking for a pleasant, manageable edible experience.
Lowell Herb Co.
Lowell Herb Co. was founded in 2017 in California with a focus on producing high-quality cannabis pre-rolls and smoking products. The company aims to “cultivate cannabis correctly” through commitments to sustainability, social responsibility, and quality control at every stage.
Lowell sets itself apart by growing its own proprietary cannabis strains using organic, vegan, and gluten-free cultivation practices on their farm in California. They use flower-only pre-rolls with no shake or trim, and source from small boutique farms with similar growing standards.
Some of Lowell’s most popular products include:
- Smokes – Available in sativa, indica, and hybrid varieties, these are their signature pre-roll joints, thin like cigarettes for smooth draws.
- Packs – Pre-roll packs focused on specific effects or times of day, like Daytime, Nighttime, Herbal (CBD), and more.
- Lil’ Smokes – Same quality pre-rolls but smaller size, convenient for on-the-go.
- Flower Jars – Packaged eighths of top nug runs from their farms.
Lowell aims to be the premier lifestyle cannabis brand focused on the core values of community, sustainability, and craft quality. They are widely considered one of the best California cannabis companies creating consistently excellent flower products.
Papa & Barkley
Papa & Barkley was founded in 2016 in California with a focus on CBD and cannabis wellness. They offer a wide range of products including topicals, tinctures, capsules, and more designed to provide the medical benefits of cannabis.
Their first product was a CBD-rich cannabis oil made to help the founder’s ailing father find relief from pain and inflammation. Since then, they’ve continued to innovate new product formulations optimized for various conditions like pain, insomnia, anxiety, and more.
Many of Papa & Barkley’s products feature a proprietary whole-plant cannabis oil blend with active cannabinoids and terpenes for the “entourage effect.” Their rich CBD topical balm provides targeted relief for muscles and joints. The CBD tinctures can be taken sublingually or added to food and drinks.
All Papa & Barkley products are made in California from cannabis grown in the state using clean, chemical-free cultivation techniques. The company is dedicated to making high quality, consistent cannabis wellness products accessible to a wide consumer market. Their product development is science-based and focused on harnessing the natural benefits of the whole cannabis plant.
Papa & Barkley offers a diverse line of THC-free and THC-containing products to suit different consumer needs and preferences. Their emphasis on high CBD content provides many of the therapeutic effects of cannabis without an intoxicating high. As a California cannabis brand founded on a mission to provide relief through cannabis, Papa & Barkley continues to be an innovative leader in the wellness space.
Caliva
Caliva is a leading cannabis brand founded in San Jose, California in 2015. As a vertically integrated company, Caliva handles its entire supply chain from cultivation to retail.
Caliva operates their own state-of-the-art cultivation facility where they grow premium cannabis flower. Their product line includes flowers, pre-rolls, vapes, tinctures, topicals, edibles, and Caliva’s own Driftless, a CBD brand. Caliva has a robust retail presence with storefronts across California in cities like San Jose, Bellflower, San Diego, and San Francisco.
In addition to their own products, Caliva has partnered with other top brands like Dosist, Kiva, and Papa & Barkley. Their products are also distributed to over 200 retail stores in California.
Caliva has received investments from notable sources like former Yahoo! CEO Carol Bartz and TV host and entrepreneur Jay Leno. In 2019, Caliva was acquired by a Canadian company in a deal valuing Caliva over $1 billion dollars. With its diverse product offering and dispensary network, Caliva has established itself as a major California cannabis brand.
Dosist
Dosist, founded in 2016 in Santa Monica, California, has become a major player in the cannabis industry for their innovative dose-controlled vape pens. Their technology allows users to control the exact dose of THC or CBD they are consuming, taking the guesswork out of cannabis use.
Dosist’s vape pens deliver doses in increments of 2.25mg, activated by simply inhaling. Their proprietary formulas use terpene blends to create targeted “formulations” aimed to provide certain experiences like bliss, sleep, calm, relief, passion, and more. This precision dosing gives users full control over their cannabis experience.
Beyond accurate dosing, Dosist aims to provide a safe, consistent, and effective alternative to smoking cannabis. Their vape pens contain no additives like propylene glycol or vegetable glycerin. The pure cannabis extracts and terpenes are vaporized at relatively low temperatures to avoid any combustion or irritation. This “gentle” vaporization activates cannabinoids and terpenes without creating smoke.
Since their launch, Dosist has experienced tremendous growth and popularity. They are now available in over 1,000 stores across California, Nevada, Florida and Canada. Dosist continues to innovate with new formulas and products while making cannabis approachable for both new users and connoisseurs. Their dose-controlled, smoke-free vape pens have carved out a unique niche in the cannabis industry.
Canndescent
Canndescent is a California-based cannabis brand founded in 2015 with a focus on effects-based strains and a commitment to quality and sustainability.
The company offers a range of products designed to produce specific desired effects like calm, sleep, create, connect, charge, and cruise. Their proprietary cultivation processes allow them to draw out and enhance the targeted effects of each strain.
Canndescent aims to set a new standard for cannabis with their state-of-the-art facilities utilizing sustainable practices like solar power and recycling 90% of water used for cultivation. They control the full process from seed to sale to ensure quality and consistency.
The Canndescent product line includes flower, pre-rolls, gummies, and vapes available in over 350 retail locations across California. They offer CBD and THC products ranging from beginner to advanced strength levels.
Canndescent has earned praise as a top-shelf cannabis brand in California and continues to innovate with a focus on the customer experience. Their effects-based products allow consumers to choose strains tailored to their desired mood and activity.
Conclusion
California has emerged as a global leader in the cannabis industry, home to some of the most well-known and respected brands. This blog covered some of the top cannabis brands that originated in California and have found success in the state’s dynamic market.
The diverse mix of brands offers an array of high quality cannabis products, from Cookies’ premium flower strains to Lowell Herb Co.’s sophisticated pre-roll joints to Caliva’s welcoming dispensary experience. The innovative brands show the breadth of possibilities in the cannabis space, from Kiva Confections’ gourmet edibles to Papa & Barkley’s targeted wellness offerings. As consumer demand grows, companies like Canndescent and Dosist have even unveiled new product categories and unique consumption methods.
The cannabis industry in California will continue evolving as regulations mature and more states legalize recreational use. The brands originating in California are poised to leverage their early experience in a legal market to expand and lead nationally. Looking ahead, investors and entrepreneurs are excited by California’s promising cannabis industry and the opportunities still to be realized. While some market challenges remain, California has the expertise, innovation, and consumer base for cannabis brands to thrive in the years to come.
This overview of leading California cannabis brands provided a snapshot of the diverse, dynamic companies driving growth in this fast-moving market. The continued success of these innovative brands confirms California’s influential position in shaping the future of the global cannabis industry.
References
Industry reports
- Cannabis industry market size and revenue statistics from New Frontier Data
Brand websites
- Cookies product and brand information from cookies.co
- Kiva Confections product details from madebykiva.com
- Lowell Herb Co. brand background from lowellsmokes.com
- Papa & Barkley products listed on papaandbarkley.com
- Caliva products and mission from caliva.com
- Dosist pen and dose information from dosist.com
- Canndescent brand story and products from canndescent.com