Better Know A Canasmith - Crystal “Chewie” Gleixner
At our farm, there’s one person who embodies the heart and soul of our operation: Crystal “Chewie” Gleixner. As the head gardener and mastermind behind all things green, Chewie is the glue that holds our team together. Her dedication and expertise ensure that out plants thrive and our mission stays on track. I recently had the pleasure to sit down with Chewie to delve into what drives her passion for cannabis. Get to know the woman behind our flourishing farm.
Michelle Smyth: Can you tell me a little about yourself, your background and how you got involved in the cannabis industry?
Chewie Gleixner: I am originally from a small farming community outside of Boise, Idaho. I am a maker and crafter who loves to create and build things. I became part of the cannabis culture fairly early in my adult life, and it has been a catalyst for making amazing lifelong friends and has given me so much inspiration to create art. I found myself learning about the ins and outs of the industry before it was legalized and always wanted to learn how to cultivate it.
MS: What inspired you to become a gardener at a cannabis farm?
CG: I went to college at U of I and double majored in food/ nutrition, and environmental science, which evolved into plant/soil science. I’m kind of a science nerd and wanted to explore the complex relationship of growing/production and preparation of food. I had worked in the food service industry for my entire adult life to that point and while cooking was my passion, when I had an opportunity to come work for the farm part time to help with the first harvest, I fell in love! It didn’t take long for me to move to the farm full time. Growing cannabis is such a beautiful process, it’s challenging and fun and the people are amazing!
MS: What do you think sets our cannabis apart from others in the industry?
CG: Passion, 100%! Growing good cannabis is love! It's science! Everyone on our team cares so much about making our product the best it can be and continue to evolve and level up as we go. Every step of the process is a labor of love.
MS: What do you think are the biggest misconceptions about legal cannabis in WA?
CG: I think the stigma attached to cannabis will always be an obstacle for the acceptance of the industry as a whole. We are not a bunch of degenerates in a backroom making shady business deals, which a lot more conservative type of person or those who grew up in the DARE/war on drugs era might believe we are. It is a regulated legal industry with some very smart people spearheading some really cool stuff and diving deep on the science behind the plant and its potential for personal, industrial and medical applications. I have offered opportunities to a handful of people over the years to come see the farm and what we do here and so many of them are astonished and impressed. It is not at all what they expected it to be in their mind.
MS: Can you share your proudest moment or achievement so far in cannabis?
CG: I think instead of a proudest moment, it is more an ongoing feeling of pride and achievement in the team I have worked with through the years to become what we are today. Growing great cannabis and finding a space for our product through the best and the worst of times has made me so proud to be a part of this team, as we have only been able to do what we do because we are a team.
MS: Are there any specific strains or products that you are particularly excited about?
CG: Over the last couple years, we have been experimenting with new strains and having some fun pheno hunting new potentials. Some of these are reflected in our flagship Cannasmith strains, and that is super exciting, with more to come! I am a huge fan of one of our up and comers, Super Lemon Haze, and am stoked to see that eventually hit the shelves!
MS: How does our farm contribute to the local cannabis community and culture?
CG: We are from a small area, but also a revolving college community. We ship all over the state, but it’s important to us that the local stores and consumers really like what we’re putting out and that we are connecting with them as a local business. We like to grow strains that our peers would like to see out there in the world; a combo of some heady OG strains and some fire new genetics.
MS: What do you see for the future of cannabis, both culturally and economically?
CG: I really do hope to see federal legalization, and normalization of cannabis like you see with things like alcohol. That takes away a lot of the stigma surrounding the industry and opens it up to better research, both industrially and medically. There’s always the fear of “big cannabis” coming in and squashing the little guys and ultimately changing the quality and culture surrounding the industry, but I’d like to hope that those of us who really care about what we do will continue to thrive and get better at what we do, and the market will reflect that.
MS: What do you want people to know about Canasmith?
CG: We are all here because we really care about what we do. Growing cannabis isn’t easy, but it is fun and we all want to be here growing good weed and continuing to get better at it! We have such an awesome team, from sales to store!
MS: What is your favorite way to enjoy the plant?
CG: I used to be a big dabber, but I’ve chilled out a bit as i get older and love my vape pen with high terp carts.
MS: What is your favorite stoner movie?
CG: Up in Smoke for sure, but Half Baked and Friday are also classics!
Thanks to Chewie for taking time to chat today and thanks for supporting our little farm! We will continue to chat with our incredible crew so you can better know a Canasmith!
