In partnership with Luke Lintz
As the country’s frontline in cannabis legalization, California’s cannabis industry has grown to become the world’s largest legal cannabis market not only in the United States, but the entire world. Despite challenges related to the pandemic and continuing federal prohibition, cannabis sales in California hit $4.4 billion in 2020 and are on-track to reach almost $6.6 billion by 2025.
Among those who have proven up to the challenge is San Diego County’s Left Coast Extracts LLC. After starting as medicinal cannabis retailer in 2014, the company has grown to become a household name, with more and more of their products finding their way to stores in California and even around the US.
Life partners Alexandria and Coltin Barody, the founders of Left Coast Extracts, founded the company shortly after the latter’s distinguished career in the US Navy. The couple was initially inspired to delve into retailing for medical use after Coltin’s positive experiences with the use of cannabis for his overall health and wellness. The two quickly found themselves in love not only with cannabis but also an industry that was then composed of helpful, like-minded entrepreneurs.
The legalization of marijuana for recreational adult-use through the passage of Proposition 64, however, ended up being a double-edged sword for the Cali’s bustling craft cannabis industry.
The challenge of new and well-funded competition, combined with increasing regulation, forced Alexandria and Coltin rethink their entire business model.
“We’re going to change, we’re going to adapt, and we’re going to modify in order to survive in the industry,” Alexandria vowed. Thankfully, her management experience as a licensed real estate agent turned out to be invaluable in navigating the new regulatory environment and surviving competition.
Today, Left Coast Extracts has grown to become one of the top suppliers of cannabis for both medicinal and recreational adult-use in California. Their drive to grow, adapt, and expand while maintaining integrity can be seen in all aspects of their business. The company’s efforts have ensured that their place as one of the select few with licenses for manufacture and distribution in the San Diego area. Recently, they have become the very first to obtain licensing in Oceanside, California.
These licensed, high-class facilities allow Left Coast Extracts to offer a diverse line of quality products which are handled entirely by the company.
“Our facilities are top notch,” says Coltin. “Everything is brand new, and we do everything here. We manufacture, market, package, and ship cannabis for medical use. We sell vapes, cartridges, pods, syringes, and extracts, all from Southern California. It’s a really efficient, smooth operation.”
Left Coast Extracts’ drive to expand continues beyond its product line, recently getting into the growing Nevada cannabis market. Although the market is nowhere near the size of California’s, with sales that hit short of $700 million for 2019-2020, Sin City’s well-known tourism industry makes it a unique market with high potential for cannabis sales. Beyond this, the company also has plans to grow quickly into buzzing markets in Arizona and Michigan.
In spite of the challenges of competition and constantly-shifting industry, Left Coast Extracts was able to find their footing in their core values of expansion, growth, product diversity, and integrity, and by remaining rooted in a sense of Californian community. Today, the company is well on their path to becoming household names from humble beginnings. Looking back on this journey, founder Coltin Barody shares “It hasn’t been the easiest, but it has been so worth it, and continues to be worth it,”
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