The Marketing Challenges Eric Kratz faces at Western Cannabis
Eric Kratz
Last week we had the opportunity to sit down and talk to Eric Kratz, the Head of Marketing and Sales at Western Cannabis in Regina, Saskatchewan.
Eric’s cannabis cultivating journey started at the brink of legalization in Canada. His Brother, Alex Kratz stumbled across a Google ad calling for cannabis producers to apply here. Following filling out an application, a year and a half later the Kratz family earned their license to start cultivating and growing cannabis.
The Kratz family has some major green thumbs 💚👍
During our time visiting the cultivator space, we learned a lot from Eric about what it’s like being in the cannabis cultivation business and his point of view on the industry. Here is what we learned.
The future of the cannabis industry
Eric believes the future is bright for the cannabis industry. He recognizes there is an upward trend of access to cannabis education and overall awareness of the plant. As a result of cannabis education becoming more widespread, he thinks this will help diminish the stigma around cannabis, as people are starting to view the plant as helpful rather than harmful.
As a grower, Eric is excited to see the progression in cannabis education as it may lead to more opportunities to make more products and develop new strains. It will also allow for some room to experiment on the plant.
Freshly harvested 🤤
Challenges in the cannabis industry
Though the future of the industry looks very positive, running a cannabis cultivation business also comes with many challenges. For Eric, the most challenging thing about being in the cannabis industry is managing sales - especially when it comes to getting products into the chain stores. When Canada legalized cannabis, there were many licenses given to meet the demand for the new too market product. These cultivator licenses were approved faster than the cannabis retail operating licenses, which resulted in supply exceeding demand. As a cultivator, it was a challenge completing for market share against all of the competition.
Hold on to what’s important 🌿
Marketing challenges in the cannabis industry
As a grower, there are minimal opportunities to market directly to the consumer. The care, effort, and thought that go into each plant are not communicated to the customer. Currently, the marketing initiatives are all in the hands of the dispensaries and out of the control of the cultivators. This additional step that connects the plant to the end consumer acts as a major barricade when influencing purchasing decisions.
Saskatchewan grown and family run 🌾
Not only did we learn a lot about what it takes to operate a cultivator, the challenges cultivators face, and the opportunities that lay ahead, it was also great to meet the faces of the people producing such great products. We can’t wait to see what happens next for the Western Cannabis family.
We hope you enjoyed our cultivator feature blog post.
If you’re looking for help with taking your menus from good to great contact us any time. We are happy to brainstorm ideas with you. Curious about pricing? Check it out on our pricing page. But don’t be a stranger, we are flexible in our offering. Make sure to reach out to us and help us understand your specific needs. We’re here to help.
