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Dec. 2: Wake and Bake Yoga - "Chill out in this gentle yoga flow class that introduces you to ganja plant medicine." Hosted by the Neon Lotus. 10:30 a.m. Grounded Gardens, 263 W. 7th St., St Paul. Tickets.

Dec. 3: Concentrating on Concentrates - "Learn everything you need to know to turn your homegrown flower into professional-grade concentrates, all legally and at home!" Presented by Solventless Minnesota and Minnesota Cannabis College. 4 p.m. The Wilderness, 1010 W. Lake St., Minneapolis. More info and registration.

Talk to us! We want to hear what you think about Nuggets. Send feedback, questions, events, story tips or new feature ideas to nuggets@startribune.com.

Mic from Hennepin County submitted this several-week old plant grown from a random seed. "I don’t have the 'normal' grow set up yet but I wanted to try and see if my hydroponic mini garden would do the trick," Mic wrote. "It’s been working just fine." Thanks for sharing!

Homegrowers, show off your plants! Share your best photo with us by clicking the button below or tag us on Instagram with #stribnuggets and we'll publish one each week in Nuggets. By submitting a photo you affirm that you own the rights to it and you are granting permission to the Star Tribune to publish it on its platforms.

Co-founder, BLNCD Naturals

Managing partner, Global Organic

Recognizable by their minimalist packaging in bright pastel colors (“that your mom would feel comfortable buying,” as Vaillancourt described it), BLNCD products are marketed to women as an alternative to the louder, more in-your-face branding of cannabis products you might find in a head shop or gas station. They are currently distributed across Minnesota, Wisconsin, and as far as Georgia and Rhode Island. We spoke with Allison and Beecher Vaillancourt at their facility, which is currently undergoing a major expansion. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

What is BLNCD?

Allison Vaillancourt: We’re a women-owned cannabis brand based in Minnesota. We control our formulas from seed to bottle. We visited the farms and we used to do the processing here, but now we do it with a partner of ours. Then we manufacture almost everything here in our facility. Everything is handcrafted with a focus on natural and organic ingredients and processes. [We have] a wide range of products to meet the customer where they’re at — whether they need something for pain or something for sleep or, recreationally, they want a beverage as an alcohol alternative. We have all of those available.

You’re currently expanding your facility. What are your plans for the future?

AV: The expansion is just to support the growth we’re having within this low-dose space. We’re opening up in new markets with our beverage distributors. Our business has quadrupled in the last year and a half. 

Beecher Vaillancourt: This is us really showing our commitment to the low-dose, hemp-derived space. We’re trying to show this team that has doubled in size in the last year and a half that we’re here to stay and we invest back into the business, whatever they need to make sure that everyone can be efficient and comfortable and happy where they work.

Would you like to get into the adult-use cannabis market?

AV: We would welcome it. We would love to be able to use all the different parts of the plant. Right now, the way the laws are, you have to choose which space to be in — if you’re going to be in the hemp, low-dose market or not. You can’t also have an adult-use license. We’re hopeful that will get figured out during this legislative session. Our goal would be to manufacture those products and be able to sell them in dispensaries. 

Workers packaged BLNCD Naturals hemp-derived THC gummies. - Amanda Anderson, Star Tribune

You’re not concerned about adult-use cannabis pushing out the hemp-derived market?

BV: Your average-age consumer, from where we see it, is around 40 to 45 years old. People want to purchase products in a space that they’re comfortable in. There are a lot of people that absolutely desire higher potency products, and they’ll have the dispensary for those options. I think there’s a world where both exist very well with each other.

AV: I see the dispensaries being a really big place for flower and cartridges and some of those products that aren’t on the low-dose market, at least in Minnesota.

How has your experience been as a parent working in the cannabis industry? 

AV: I think people are generally really interested in the industry. I don’t feel like we’ve had too many issues. We have a 12-year-old and a 10-year-old and there have been a lot of conversations that come up. It’s been interesting figuring out how we talk about this. When we grew up there was D.A.R.E. [Drug Abuse Resistance Education] and marijuana was a drug. From our perspective, we’re teaching our children that it’s medicine. It’s not medicine for children. But that’s really how we talk about it. 

As someone who makes hemp-derived products, what do you look for when purchasing them from other brands? Are there any red flags or green flags that consumers should pay attention to?

AV: Unfortunately, there are not a ton of standards in this industry. It can be a confusing place for the consumer. Purchasing from a trusted brand, or a trusted retailer where you can ask questions and understand what’s in the products is really important. It’s not a one-size solution, there are so many formulations for really targeted benefits, depending on what the customer is looking for. Obviously, make sure that there is a COA [Certificate of Authenticity, or lab report] and [the manufacturer] is doing all their testing is really important. For me personally, I look for products that are made with natural ingredients and don’t have a ton of sugar and artificial ingredients in there. It’s really easy for someone to put CBD or cannabis into anything, so understanding what those ingredients are in the product is important. 

BV: Look for products that seem transparent. They should have a QR code or a link to be able to look at lab reports. Even if you don’t know how to read it, you can at least know that there was some third-party testing done on the products that you are going to purchase. [Ed. note: A previous edition of Nuggets discussed how to read cannabis lab reports.]

What advice or cautions would you give to somebody who wants to get into the cannabis industry?

BV: I’d tell them to get involved, join some groups and get active. There are a lot of opportunities to learn pretty quickly what’s happening in the industry. There’s the [Minnesota Cannabis Growers Cooperative], there are other groups around cannabis beverages, there are a lot of meetups and other things. Get out there and network and get yourself comfortable with the industry before diving in. Make sure you have a way to sell what you’re going to produce, before you just start producing it and hoping that you can sell it. 

AV: It’s not for the faint of heart. I think entrepreneurship in general isn’t, but a lot of people come in and they’re like, we’re going to make all this money and it’s going to happen right away. We’ve been doing this for a long time. I would say that if your heart is in it and you’re doing it for the right reason — you’re not just coming in to make a quick buck and you’re really trying to create good products and change people’s lives — then I think you’ll be in an OK place.

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Answers to questions from readers

Q: Will I be able to sell homegrown cannabis in very limited quantities at my summer vegetable stand?

A: Not legally. Under Minnesota law, selling cannabis flower or other products without a license remains a crime, ranging from a petty misdemeanor to a felony. Some advocates have argued that an amendment to the state Constitution allowing “any person to sell or peddle the products of the farm or garden occupied or cultivated by him without obtaining a license” also applies to homegrown marijuana. However, a 1998 ruling by the Minnesota Court of Appeals said the provision does not protect marijuana sales from regulation, according to David Schultz, a political science and legal studies professor at Hamline University. Schultz also cited a 2005 Minnesota Supreme Court opinion stating that farm-raised meat sales could be regulated to protect public health.

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