Frenchy Cannoli is an interesting business given that it isn’t confined to just one vertical. It’s actually comprised of two parts, with the main being production and distribution of their hash.
Frenchy Cannoli are traditional hashmakers, and they proudly wear that badge. Their top-quality product is sold in some of the top dispensaries in California. They work hand in hand with some of the finest organic farmers, and believe it’s crucial for members of the cannabis community to work with each other. Through their product, they believe they’re reflecting their love and dedication to the plant. With the current boom, Frenchy Cannoli is in better shape than ever, and is excited to see the kind of progress that the legalization could bring them in the near future.
The second part of the business is much more interactive and dynamic. They have established the Lost Art of the Hashishin Workshops, through which they aim to educate a newer generation of hash-makers who have not had the opportunity to learn or travel to countries that produce hash. The workshops are immersive and full-day events. They are hands-on and walk the participants through the science behind the process and the art of making hash.
The process of making hash is not an easy one, but it also isn’t overly complicated. This is something that French Cannoli has been aiming to bring to the rest of the world through their workshops. It includes washing the biomass through a mini washer that’s especially made for the product. They sell these washers online for an affordable price of $50. There’s a very detailed and meticulous drying process in prepping the hash for further refining. Then there’s the pressing of the dried resin to decarboxylate it, which technically makes sure it is produced for the best smoking experience and consumption. The workshops that French Cannoli offers are not only educational, they are perfect for startups or budding entrepreneurs who would like to expand their skills and dip their toes in the waters so that they can get started and find a small place in the ever-expanding cannabis industry.
How the business was conceptualized was actually a transcendent and emotional experience. In a sense, it actually somewhat started roughly around 40 years ago when Frenchy and his wife met as young travellers in Nepal. They later made their way to the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, in the charming and tiny Himalayan valleys of Malana and Kula. There, Frenchy worked alongside the local villagers, gathering resin from the cannabis plant using a traditional and gentle hand-rubbing process to make a live resin product that is known locally known as “charas.” This experience of working so closely and intimately with the cannabis plant has cemented his lifelong love affair and passion for the pursuit of artfully creating high-quality hash product.
Frenchy and his wife Kimberly now solely own the business and have established their main location and headquarters at The Cohong cannabis complex in Oakland, CA.
Frenchy Cannoli is dedicated to working with the small organic and biodynamic permaculture farmers located in the Emerald Triangle. They strongly believe that small farmers are the key to the future of humanity because of their strong connection to nature and earth. It’s important to Frenchy Cannoli that they support these efforts due to the amount of work farmers put in to protect the planet and support the community. This support system allows the company to create a high-quality product that is filled with so much love, energy and devotion.
The biggest challenge that the business has faced so far has been prohibition. The War on Drugs was very effective in its propaganda about cannabis, and people who were honest about their cannabis consumption were to some degree treated like undesirables. It was a huge revelation when they came to the U.S. and witnessed the amazing work done by cannabis activists to bring patients the right to consume medicine. They feel that they owe a large debt of gratitude to AIDS activist Dennis Peron and the author of The Emperor Wears No Clothes, Jack Herer, along with others who fought and paved the way for medical and recreational use. They never imagined that cannabis consumption would be legal in their lifetimes, and feel blessed to do the work they love with the plant they honor.