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Cannabis Business Insights: Specials Magazine
What agricultural practices enable Ruby Farms to achieve consistent cannabis quality and market performance? Ruby Farms has emerged as one of New York’s leading cannabis cultivators by operating first as a working farm, where cannabis is treated as one crop within a broader agricultural system. Currently, it distributes to hundreds of dispensaries across the state and ranks as New York’s number-one selling pre-roll brand. Such an impressive market performance is rooted in an agricultural model built over more than a decade in the Hudson Valley. The farm produces roses, vegetables, and livestock alongside cannabis, generating the organic material that feeds Ruby Farms’ compost systems and regenerative soil program. “For us, it’s quality in, quality out,” says Rustin Kluge, Founder. “The more we invest in the soil, the better the cannabis we harvest.” Ruby Farms doesn’t rely on short-term inputs; it continuously returns organic matter to the land, strengthening the soil’s biological ecosystem. Over time, that living soil regulates the availability of essential nutrients, particularly nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, supporting steady plant growth throughout the cycle. It’s this long-cycle agricultural approach that places Ruby Farms among a small minority of outdoor cultivators capable of achieving indoor-level quality, a standard that only roughly two percent of sun-grown producers consistently reach.
Top Alcohol Free THC Infused Cocktails Producer 2026
What market trends are driving demands for THC beverages as alcohol alternatives today? The THC beverage boom has ushered in a wave of alternatives to alcohol in social settings. Young consumers are moving away from alcohol, while many in the 30-to-50 demographic are seeking alternatives that allow them to maintain the social ritual without the aftereffects. Hangovers and unpredictability are being traded for moderation, clarity, and wellness. Yet for all its momentum, much of the category still follows a predictable formula: water, sugar, and THC, leaving little room for differentiation or depth. Gigli, a THC beverage company, is breaking that mold with a fundamentally different approach, placing formulation depth and flavor precision at the center of the drinking experience. “We're not a typical water, sugar, and artificially flavored THC drink. The way we choose our ingredients and craft each beverage truly sets us apart,” says Jared Day, co-founder. How does Gigli differentiate its beverages through formulation complexity and ingredient selection strategies? The distinction begins with the ingredient level and flavor complexity. Each beverage contains anywhere from 18 to 25 ingredients working together to shape the final profile, alongside functional additions like ashwagandha and ginseng. All natural, real juice, and low calorie define Gigli beverages. The goal is to create a more controlled, feel-good experience for consumers, positioning the drink as a curated alternative rather than just a THC delivery format. For Gigli, taste isn’t one priority among many, it is the strategy.
Handheld-Based RFID Seed-To-Sale Software Of The Year 2026
What challenges are associated with manual inventory management in cannabis operations today? Outlaw Technology has been named Handheld-Based RFID Seed-to-Sale Software of the Year 2026 – and here’s why. Cannabis is scaling. Manual inventory won’t. In cannabis, compliance is not just about having data. It is about proving that what is physically on-site matches what is reported to the state. This is not just about compliance. Every business needs to know what it has in inventory and the ability to count it efficiently. Most industries have already adopted RFID for this reason. Cannabis is catching up. Most operators are still doing this the hard way. Spreadsheets. Printed reports. Teams walking rooms for hours tracking down tags and reconciling numbers. It works. But it is slow, expensive, and full of opportunity for error. Outlaw Technology eliminates that problem, delivering RFID-driven inventory and compliance systems from seed to sale, and is widely recognized as best-in-breed in cannabis. Outlaw is the only company delivering RFID-driven inventory and compliance from seed to sale. Their Desperado and Maverick handheld solutions, combined with OG Harvest, allow operators to verify physical inventory instantly against both Metrc and leading point-of-sale platforms such as Dutchie, Treez, Cova, Blaze, and others. The result is simple. Less labor. Faster counts. More accurate results. Operators using Outlaw routinely cut inventory time and labor by 70 to 80 percent.
Top Cannabis Handrolls Product 2026
Tip Top Crop cultivates small-batch cannabis and produces premium hand-rolled joints designed for consistency, flavor and smooth burn. The company emphasizes careful cultivation, controlled preparation and traditional rolling craftsmanship to deliver a refined cannabis smoking experience.
CXO INSIGHTS
Technology - Agriculture's Most Powerful Tool
Cesar Rosero, Vice President of Production, B&W Quality Growers
A Glimpse into the Future of Rare Diseases Drug Development: The Latest Advances and Innovations
Safwan Kezbor, M.D., Global Medical Lead (Senior Medical Director), Clinical Development, Shionogi Inc.
From Molecule to Medicine, the Science behind Formulation
Jack Xiang, Formulation Scientist, Abbvie
Crafting Cannabis, The Boston Beer Way
Paul Weaver, Director, Head of Cannabis, The Boston Beer Company [NYSE: SAM]
Preparing Seed R&D for a Decade of AI, Automation, and Accelerated Genetic Gain
Judith Rivera, Global Applied Technology Optimization Manager, Syngenta
IN FOCUS
Cannabis Cultivators: Scaling Controlled Agriculture in a Highly Regulated and Quality-Driven Market
Cannabis cultivators focus on quality, efficiency, compliance, and differentiation while adopting technology to ensure consistent, scalable production in evolving markets.
Revolutionizing Supply Chains: The Impact of Handheld RFID Seed-to-Sale Software
Handheld RFID seed-to-sale platforms enable compliance accuracy, real-time visibility, operational efficiency, and scalable growth in regulated industries.
EDITORIAL
Operational Control in a Complex Regulatory Landscape
The cannabis industry continues to evolve under a dual pressure of regulatory complexity and operational scale, where compliance, consistency and product integrity define competitive advantage. This edition examines how disciplined execution across cultivation, technology and policy is shaping a more structured and accountable market.
Our cover story, Ruby Farms, recognized as the Cannabis Cultivator of the Year 2026, reflects a cultivation model grounded in agricultural discipline rather than short-cycle production. Operating as a working farm, the company integrates regenerative soil systems, controlled post-harvest processes and a proprietary genetic library to deliver consistent, high-quality cannabis at scale. Its ability to produce indoor-level quality through sun-grown methods, while maintaining reliability across hundreds of dispensaries, underscores a model where long-term investment in soil, process control and genetics directly translates into commercial performance.
Outlaw Technology, named Handheld-Based RFID Seed-to-Sale Software of the Year 2026, addresses one of the industry’s most persistent operational gaps in inventory accuracy and compliance verification. By replacing manual processes with RFID-driven, real-time data capture, the company enables operators to reconcile physical inventory instantly against regulatory systems. This edition also recognizes Gigli as the Top Alcohol Free THC Infused Cocktails Producer 2026. Rather than approaching the category as a conventional cannabis beverage business, Gigli has differentiated itself through formulation complexity, ingredient quality and flavor precision. Its rapid expansion across 24 states reflects growing demand for alternatives that balance social consumption with moderation and consistency.
From a policy perspective, Lauren Niehaus, Executive Director of Government Relations at Trulieve, highlights the structural complexity of operating in a state-permitted yet federally restricted environment, where incremental regulatory progress continues to shape market access and financial normalization. In parallel, Jack Xiang, Formulation Scientist at AbbVie, emphasizes the importance of formulation science in ensuring stability, scalability and delivery of complex products, reinforcing the role of precision and adaptability in product development.
Together, these perspectives point to a clear industry direction where operational discipline, regulatory navigation and technological integration are no longer differentiators but requirements. We invite you to explore this edition for deeper insights into the systems and strategies defining cannabis at scale.
