Shoogies | Cannabis Edibles
I first met Latham Woodward though the magic of the interwebs and at the Cannabis Drinks Expo. He is the founder and owner of the brand known as Shoogies, a most unique product that mimics the sweetness of sugar while adding a healthy dose of THC.
And I was immediately impressed. After all, I’d experimented with infusing simple syrups and other kinds of exotic sugars for my book, Cannabis Cocktails, Mocktails and Tonics but I could never get the dosing correct. There was always one batch that destroyed you, and then another that didn’t do anything at all. I always looked for products that make my job easier on the infusion front. And that product was Shoogies! When the label read 1000mg, I could be sure that my dosages would be perfect. Every single time.
But that was only part of the equation. Latham is also a distributor of high end craft cannabis products. His lineup is deep and the artisans whom he distributes are passionate about their craft. I recommend each of his products for their utterly mesmerizing effects and potent experiences. Latham wouldn’t recommend anything that he didn’t enjoy himself.
And that leads me directly into the Five Questions for Latham Woodward. He’s a kind man who you don’t know, yet. But read on and you’ll delight in his verve and humor. I am proud to call him my friend.
Thank you. WB
Please tell me who you are? How did you come to the cannabis business? Do you have a mentor? Who taught you to do your craft?
Latham Woodward. 5th generation Californian, fifth generation Nor Cal Resident. Grew up in Marin County, and learned to smoke and grow from my relatives. I was never truly a commercial grower in the “traditional” market, but grew for myself, friends and relatives. I came to the business side early on in High School slinging dollar doobies to my friends. Back in the early eighties decent jobs for teens were hard to come by, so this seemed like a great way to make a couple of bucks for the weekend. After college I went into construction and manufacturing for about 30 years, owning my own business in West Oakland. One day it all changed, when the zoning on my building went from light industrial manufacturing, to the GOLDEN TICKET of new zoning: ALL cannabis growing, manufacturing, delivery etcetera… One year later my partner and I sold the business, and building, and I was out of construction-manufacturing and into our flagship cannabis product, Shoogies, based out of Santa Rosa, CA
My mentor in cannabis has to be my Uncle, Dick Harrah, an alternative school teacher in Santa Cruz. He taught me about weed, philosophy, religion and so many other things. He unfortunately died several years ago, I was privileged to preside over the funeral as minister, with my ministerial credentials being granted by the back pages of Rolling Stone Magazine.
Please tell me about your company? What do you do? What are your six and twelve month goals?
The Shoogies brand is part of a bigger picture, with our parent company, Sense Distribution at the top. Not only do we make and distribute Shoogies, but also 14 other artisanal brands.
As CEO I view my job as a multifaceted one. Each facet is always backed by a love for the plant, and the miracles it bestows to the users. One of my biggest motivators is representation of artisanally produced brands and the makers behind those brands. I feel that without grass roots makers and creators in ANY business, the base-line ethos of that business will be lost. We are quickly traveling towards a day without makers, creators and artisans in the cannabis business, I feel it is my duty to represent, and promote these people and products.
My goals for the next six and twelve months are to continue to do my thing and get the word out about Shoogies, and ALL of the maker brands in the Sense Distribution family of brands. I owe it to the cannabis community.
What obstacles do you face? How do you anticipate removing them? What is your coverage area?
As I have said many times on my podcast, Dazed and Infused (on every major podcast network), retailers are so overwhelmed by brands that there is little room for the smaller artisan brands. This is due to the fact that money, and credit are not easy to come by in the retail arena. So when the big goliath brands come in and offer VERY generous payment terms to retailers, they jump at these brands, and I cannot really blame them. Hopefully banking reform will occur soon, and perhaps this may change the status quo a little. We currently cover the entire state of California.
What is your favorite cannabis right now? Grown by whom? Indoor? Outdoor? How old were you when you discovered cannabis?
In terms of my favorite strain of cannabis flower right now I would have to go with an old standby Forbidden Fruit, which is getting harder to come by. As for growers, I would have to go with Clade 9 out of Los Angeles (shout out to Anthony and the crew at Clade 9), and Brothers Mark Cannabis in NorCal. Brothers Mark is owned, and operated by US combat veterans, and I am down with their weed and ethos. As for indoor versus outdoor, I tend to stick with outdoor, but no doubt there is some amazing indoor being grown in this state. For me, being environmentally conscious in cannabis is super important, so outdoor has that edge.
I first smoked weed when I was 13 years old, and it was NOT GOOD! It came from an aunt, and it had been in a bag for 5 or six years… enough said.
I miss old strains, and I hope there are other people like me out there, on the grower side, who will resurrect some of these legacy strains in 2022. Shout out to the Chemistry Brand for bringing out the Acapulco Gold vape cart a few years ago!
What is your passion?
My passion is California. I love this state and every aspect of it. From the green wavy fields of cannabis in Humboldt, to the ocean-kissed shores of Mendo, to the ever-fun Sierras, to the beaches and people of Southern California and the Desert, and to the immigrants to our state that make this the most magical place on earth.
Warren Bobrow is the CEO of Klaus Apothicaire, a 6x Author, Chef, Barman, Cannabis Alchemist, Master Mixologist. Some of his cannabis awards include: SXSW Cannabis Disruptor 2018, Berlin Bar Convent-Cannabis, and Moscow Bar Show-Master Class-Rum. He is the author of Cannabis Cocktails, Mocktails, and Tonics, Available in Indie Bookstores, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Indigo Books. See his cannabis creations on instagram.
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