As cannabis is becoming legal in more states, companies are looking to further their ventures by entering other markets while remaining tied to their roots. One company making a successful transition is Oregrown Industries, a vertically-integrated canna-company based out of Bend, Oregon, that’s launched into the sports and fashion industries.
Oregrown, co-founded by Aviv Hadar and Christina Hadar, is known locally for their premier cannabis products and dispensaries that earned them the “Best of Bend” honors the last four years. But the evolution of Oregrown is proving to be more than just cannabis– they’re a brand that represents Oregon’s outdoor lifestyle.
“We pour our hearts and souls into our community outreach and the way we interact with our hometown,” says Aviv, Oregrown’s CEO. “Oregrown is uniquely positioned within the entire global cannabis landscape in that we have branded an entire state. Being in Oregon we obviously have a big draw to the outdoors… So as opposed to just trying to brand some flower, oil, or dabs… we branded a lifestyle. All we had to do is switch two letters from Oregon to Oregrown and now we’re all of a sudden involved with surfing, snowboarding, skating, and anything you do in Oregon.”
Oregrown’s apparel line–which started back in 2013 with a simple logo t-shirt– has thus morphed into one of the Beaver State’s most popular clothing lines for hats, hoodies, and jackets. The brand has nurtured several partnerships, too, allowing them to make and sell other lifestyle products.
“We decided to start branding ourselves and making clothes, apparel, and gear while partnering with all the really cool local companies around us,” Aviv tells High Times.
Following the success of their clothing brand, Oregrown was then able to transition into extreme sports by starting an athlete sponsorship program. The company currently sponsors professional athletes, such as mountain bikers, climbers, and snowboarders, with hopes to show a positive correlation to the plant. As of now, this is the first sponsorship project of its kind.
“A year ago, I had an idea to begin an athletes team, and the idea is just like how Nike sponsors athletes… I wanted to do the same thing,” Aviv says. “Then the next move was showing people that cannabis doesn’t mean that you’re an unmotivated, lazy, or an unathletic person.”
Enter Low Pressure, a first-ever all-Oregon backcountry snowboarding film that follows Oregrown’s sponsored athletes. The footage captures them rising at dawn to jump, flip, and grind from powdery snow-covered mountains, ultimately demonstrating what it is to live the Orgrown-lifestyle.
“This is the first step in many many films, where we show people what our goal is and what we do, and how fit our athletes are,” says Aviv.
On top of highlighting their sponsored riders, Oregrown also wanted to showcase Oregon’s unparalled mountainous beauty.
“We wanted to show people this side of [Oregon] that they didn’t know existed,” Aviv says.
Pete Alport, the film’s director, also captured the struggles and sacrifices each athlete endured in order to do what they love. As the only cameraman on the project, Alport often separated himself from the crew to film the riders from a distance to capture their finesse, as they zoomed down slopes.
According to Aviv, most of the athletes showcased in the feature use cannabis. But the way in which they use the plant is far healthier than the stereotypical, negative “stoner” illusion. Rather, the athletes use marijuana to relieve the pain and soreness caused from a day of riding.
“You can’t always have a painkiller after a hard day on the mountains,” says Aviv.
Even though cannabis did not play a big part in the making of the film, Oregrown’s main goal of the film was to promote a healthy lifestyle that includes the herb.
“We need to show people that fitness and an active and healthy lifestyle goes hand-in-hand with cannabis,” Aviv says. “So, when people watch this film and see who produced it, they can look it up and be amazed.”
With a thriving sports team, the launch of Low Pressure, and a fashion line, Oregrown is making a statement that they’re more than just a successful cannabis company.
“When people think of Oregon, they think of a particular lifestyle,” says Aviv. “It’s connected to the environment, to the outdoors, to a more organic way of living, and that is what the Oregrown brand represents. Our customers, whether or not they consume cannabis, are active and motivated. They are out there snowboarding, surfing, skiing, climbing, hiking and mountain biking with their friends. They are creative and curious about the world. Oregrown is an authentic and compelling expression of our values, as people and as a company. Being ‘oregrown’ doesn’t mean being high, being Oregrown means you love the outdoors.”
Low Pressure is now available on, iTunes, Amazon Video, Vimeo On Demand and the Google Play Store.