It’s a brand new enterprise, but the vision behind Sugar Cane Cannabis is clear.
Williams Lake First Nation wants to sell the “freshest” cannabis in the province and provide a sensory experience that visitors will remember, according to chief operating officer Daniel Penny.
“They’ll be able to come in, they’ll be able to see the product, they’ll be able to smell it, and ultimately, they’ll be able to hold the cannabis in their hand … less than a month after it’s been processed.”
It will be similar to visiting a winery, he told Global News, sitting in the front-facing boutique portion of the 7,000-sq. ft. facility, which contains five growing rooms for micro-cultivation.
Sugar Cane Cannabis officially opened in Williams Lake First Nation last month and is about one month away from bringing its first plants to market. It’s the first farm-to-gate cannabis facility in B.C. and the first of its kind on Indigenous land in Canada, according to the community.
“Everyone thinks this is the gold rush, but it’s not the gold rush,” said Chief Willie Sellars. “It’s a nice, niche little business that is successful, provides a revenue stream and job opportunities.”
Early sales projections are between $2 million and $6 million annually, he added, depending how much of the product is sold wholesale to the province and how much is sold directly from their stores.
Revenues from the business flow back into Williams Lake First Nation, Sellars explained, funding university tuition, trades programs, the recreation department, elders’ supports and more.
The province first introduced the “farm-gate” concept to B.C. in 2020, but Williams Lake First Nation was the first to obtain the license and infrastructure.
It was all made possible through agreements with the provincial and federal governments that allow the nation to cultivate and sell its own product, and the insured business was certified by Health Canada after more than two years of trail-blazing negotiations.
“Just imagine how proud we are of that, how proud we are of this journey we’ve been on, and how much more room that we have to go to improve and be better,” said Sellars.
“I just look at the industry and how slowly it’s involving … we have a seat at the table and we continue to give advice and feedback on how it could be better.”
Williams Lake First Nation is no stranger to the cannabis industry. Its Unity Cannabis brand already has outlets in Williams Lake, Merritt, Lac la Hache and Penticton.
Sugar Cane cannabis will be sold at those locations in addition to the facility on-reserve. Right now, it ships its product to a processor, which returns it to them for sale.
Soon the company will process its own product at the facility, but that’s the next step in the licensing framework, Penny explained. Its freshness will give it an edge — most other cannabis purchased from a shop is between six and seven months old, he added.
“We’re really trying to break through people’s boundaries, break through the cannabis stigma, and show people that cannabis has been used for thousands of years by First Nations individuals,” he said. “It’s time to get rid of the stigma and show people the amazing experience that cannabis can bring.”
Cannabis has long been used by Indigenous peoples as medicine and in ceremony, said Sellars.
He said he hopes Williams Lake First Nation’s success provides a roadmap for other communities hoping to enter the cannabis industry. All levels of government, communities and non-Indigenous entrepreneurs can also learn something from their experience, he added.
“We’re making them believers. We want them to jump on the bandwagon and support what we’re doing as local community champions, territorial champions,” he said. “The more successful we are in business, the more eyes we’re turning in the industry, and the more eyes we’re turning in the economy in general.”
It all adds up to more support, more success, and a healthier community and province, he added.
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