Pubdate: Tue, 03 May 2016 Source: Ukiah Daily Journal, The (CA) Copyright: 2016 The Ukiah Daily Journal Contact: http://www.ukiahdailyjournal.com/feedback Website: http://www.ukiahdailyjournal.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/581 Author: Kate Maxwell CANNABIS APPELLATIONS PROJECT: BRANDING LOCAL CROPS The Mendocino Appellations Project's current map of the ten proposed regional appellations for cannabis cultivation within Mendocino County. The Project is seeking input from local farmers in order to finalize the boundaries of the smaller regions. Since new state laws redefined cannabis cultivation as agriculture, many farmers are looking for ways to distinguish their products from the ever-expanding array of goods available to marijuana patients. Some farmers in the Emerald Triangle, seeking to preserve the name recognition the crop has brought to the region for decades, are turning towards establishing regional appellations to protect the unique culture and branding of their cannabis. Currently, appellations are established throughout the wine growing industry, including within Mendocino County, as a way to protect a specific geographical region and the naming and labelling of what is grown there. Many times, these regions are established by designating smaller bioregions within a county or country that are consistent in climate, soil type, elevation, and other characteristics that impact the crops grown there. For example, champagne can only be legally produced in the champagne region of France using a specific variety of grapes; this ensures that farmers growing in the famed region are the only ones able to market their products using that designation. In Mendocino County, there are currently ten appellations for grape growers, and several more in the application process, which involves state approval of the designated appellation. The Mendocino Appellations Project is seeking to do the same for Mendocino's cannabis growers. Under new state laws, only cannabis products grown in Mendocino can only be labelled with the county name, a regulation meant to protect the use of geographical names as brands for cannabis businesses. For local cannabis farmers, many of whom may want to use the name "Mendocino" in their product labels or strain names, these legal protections will prevent larger corporations, who may use cannabis from around the state, from employing the names of Emerald Triangle counties in their branding. The group began conducting a survey of local farmers last fall, and have created a rough map of different micro-regions within Mendocino County, based both on ecological characteristics of that area, such as the watershed and microclimate, and other information from local farmers participating in the project. "Everywhere we go with this map, people are so excited to connect themselves to these smaller micro-regions within agriculture," said Justin Calvino of the Appellations Project. "We specifically picked regions where people cultivating have community pride," in part because the strength of the appellation designation in the greater marketplace will only be as effective as the efforts of the farmers involved. Currently, there are ten regions proposed: Spyrock-Bell Springs, Covelo-Dos Rios, Long Valley-Branscomb-Leggett, Willits, Comptche, Ukiah Valley, North Mendocino Coast, South Mendocino Coast-Greenwood Ridge, Anderson Valley-South Mendocino, and Potter Valley. The group is continuing to collect surveys and invite participants to help map out the proposed regions before submitting them for state approval, which Calvino hopes to see by the end of the year. He said the Appellations Project is also collaborating with county grape growers and vintner associations to designate appellations and potential branding that work for both industries, and have also been in discussions with representatives of the county's tourism board. Calvino said he'd like to see the county establish a certification such as "Mendocino Made," which will allow local farmers to brand their products under a larger regional umbrella, as well as work in smaller groups to establish branding for the appellations and their associated characteristics. He emphasized he believed this kind of organization and focus on the county's cannabis cultivation heritage was essential to "our ability as a community to really embrace where this industry is going in the future," particularly in connecting the county's cannabis farmers to local food movements and regional cooperation. Calvino also noted there are many farmers working with "heritage" strains in the county that could benefit from such appellations. Calvino said the Appellations Project has been in discussions with some who worked to establich Napa County's appellations, and he believes that Mendocino "could be the Napa of cannabis," if locals are able to work together to protect their long-established culture and name recognition to remain competitive in the new commercial market. "It's time-we've already been doing this for 40 years, it's time to legitimize it," he said. Calvino said the group has also been contacted by cannabis farmers in other Emerald Triangle counties seeking to establish similar appellations for their farming regions. Both the county's Agricultural Commissioner Chuck Morse and several of the supervisors have expressed support for establishing county branding in the cannabis industry. Morse has stated that one possibility is for the county to establish a local version of organic certification standards, which could establish a precedent for other cannabis cultivation regulations and bring more value to a Mendocino certified brand. The Appellations Project plans to finalize the regions by this December, and Calvino said they are seeking more farmers and participants as the appellations boundaries are finalized. More information, including surveys and how to participate, can be found by contacting the Mendocino Appellations Project at --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom