A Farm and a Dispensary Bloom in Sonoma

By Jonah Raskin

Mike Benziger has grown many things in his life, but not this. “We’re not growing placebos,” Benziger tells me at Glentucky Family Farm, where his pot patch looks and feels more like a jungle than a garden. It’s challenging to move around... read more

"SPARC is local, owns and operates a cannabis farm in Sonoma Valley, runs dispensaries in Santa Rosa, Sebastopol and San Francisco, and has a proven track record."

SPARC Awarded Sonoma's Exclusive Cannabis Retail License

Today SPARC announced that the City of Sonoma has awarded the company an exclusive cannabis retail license further enhancing its presence in Sonoma County, where it currently operates locations in Santa Rosa and Sebastopol, with its third... read more

"The city ran a very competitive process and we are deeply honored to have been selected. As a Glen Ellen resident, it has been my dream to operate a world-class facility in my own back yard."

"We look forward to expanding our existing footprint in this community, offering well-paying jobs to Valley residents, and continuing our excellence in providing access to safe legal cannabis to consumers and medical patients."

Sonoma dispensary license awarded to Sparc

By Jason Walsh

Sparc, a Santa Rosa-based cannabis company, will receive Sonoma’s lone business license to operate a storefront dispensary in the city limits. The Sonoma City Council voted 5-0 at its Aug. 17 council meeting, held via the Zoom online platform, to... read more

"As part of its proposal, Sparc promises to donate 5 percent of its profits to support various local nonprofits, including the Sonoma Valley Education Foundation and La Luz Center."

Erich Pearson: Founder and CEO of SPARC

By Kelsy Chauvin

Marijuana plants are finicky. They need the perfect amount of sun and water, plus mild temperatures. Their soil must be balanced with the right nutrients, and there shouldn’t be too much humidity. Then, even once the plants grow several feet tall,... read more

"Like any good farmer, Pearson keeps learning how to improve cultivation. He collaborates with cannabis breeders to curate prime phenotypes, improve strains, and maximize his crops. With plans to build a plant nursery and greenhouse on site, he says he’s excited to have proper infrastructure to be 'a first-class company that’s growing cannabis.'"

"I’ve got a vision with our farm in Glen Ellen. I want this place to be incredible, where someone can come in like they would a winery, and enjoy cannabis, and hang out on the lake, maybe listen to some music, and take a tour and learn about biodynamic farming, and the animals on the farm. We hope to have public access to our property, where folks can come and experience the cannabis plant and the nature that we produce it in. I’m pretty laser focused on that."

Amy Jenkins And Erich Pearson On Creating Cannabis Appellations

Pat talks to Amy Jenkins, California Cannabis Lobbyist, and Erich Pearson, SPARC Dispensary CEO, about SB 67 and the possibility of creating cannabis appellations throughout the state.

"A appellation, as the State [of California] is proposing it, would [require cannabis cultivators] to grow the plant in the soil and under the natural sunlight, much like with grapes... It looks like the State is heading in, what I feel, the right direction: a place on the Earth, where the plant grows in the natural environment."

Full Integration While Expanding Your Product Line

Learn more about full integration while expanding your product line with Michael Bostarr, Director of Strategy and Implementation of SPARC

Michael is a passionate organizer who produced Blunt Talks San Francisco, and helped bring to life Meadow’s first-ever camping retreat – Meadowlands. He is former Chief of Staff at Kin Slips and Michael is now the Director of Strategy and... read more

"Our goal is to grow; our goal is to have lots of locations. But it's also to do so in a way that preserves the history of California cannabis, focuses on community, and continues the model that's the foundation of what we built."

San Francisco Cannabis Pioneer SPARC Sees Opportunity in Wine Country

Exclusive Interview with SPARC Chairman and CEO Erich Pearson

By Carrie Pallardy

Vertically integrated cannabis company SPARC opened its first retail store in 2012, and it has continued to grow in the Bay Area. Chairman and CEO Erich Pearson spoke with New Cannabis Ventures about how the company farms in wine country, the... read more

"For right now, SPARC is really focused on growing in California’s wine country. The company has had success with the competitive application process in the area..."

SPARC Hires Out-of-Work Farmers for Its Sungrown Cannabis Operation in Glen Ellen, Calif.

The vertically integrated cannabis operator partnered with La Luz to employ 10 workers referred by the nonprofit organization

By Melissa Schiller

When SPARC CEO Erich Pearson saw the local Hispanic community in the Sonoma Valley suffering from the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic, he leveraged the company’s relationship with La Luz, a nonprofit organization that provides resources... read more

"Anybody who’s out of work deserves a job. I think [the Latin American] community in particular, the immigrant community, has had it worse off through COVID, and those are our neighbors. Those are our community members."

Pandemic Merges Pot and Latinx Farm Labor Support Effort in Wine Country

By Jimi Devine

One cannabis company, SPARC, is attempting to do its part helping the wine country Latinx community that’s seen much of its economic opportunity disappear with the pandemic. With many wine country farm laborers and restaurant employees out of a... read more

"SPARC was founded on medical cannabis patients support in San Francisco during the AIDS crisis. We have always been about supporting the community by cultivating and providing clean medical and recreational cannabis. Offering meaningful employment with help from La Luz reminds me of where we came from, and the multitude of positive impacts that come from running a legal cannabis business."

Five Questions With Erich Pearson, The Deeply Compassionate CEO Of SPARC

By Warren Bobrow

Years ago when I was working in the rum business I would rely upon the good nature of fellow bartenders who had their medical cannabis cards in California. One of the places that always was on my must-visit list is the formerly medical only... read more

"All of our cannabis is outdoor grown in the highly coveted Sonoma Valley. Much of which is grown biodynamically — all activity on the farm is guided by principles of caring for the soil and listening to the land. This high quality flower is the foundation for all of our other products produced in our manufacturing facility in Santa Rosa."

"Our goal is to make Sonoma County the most approachable jurisdiction to cultivate cannabis outdoors."