Industry Innovators

Beard Bros Pharms: Taking Over the Cannabis World One Step at a Time

Published

2 years ago

December 7, 2024

You could say that Bill and Jeff Levers aka Beard Bros Pharms have created their own cannabis standard. Not only are the brothers master cultivators, consulting for the likes of Kulture and other well-known brands, they are also fierce advocates for social reform, tireless cannabis prisoner campaigners, and savvy businessmen.

Cannabis Aficionado caught up with the Beard Bros to talk about their recent morphing into a full-blown media company, the social impact of legalization, the disruption of Prop 64, and the Small Farms Initiative they’ve been collaborating on with Tim Blake and the Emerald Cup.

CA: Tell me about your journey through entrepreneurship and how you found your way to cannabis?

Beard Bros Pharms: Both of us have been proponents of cannabis from a very young age. We never saw it the way the media portrayed it. Reefer Madness and prohibitionist talking points just never made much sense to either of us. We had always known it was medicinal, non-toxic, and non-lethal. We sometimes feel like we’ve been waiting for the “majority” of society to catch up.

Cultivation of the plant started for us in our teens and has carried through to this day. We have always had an entrepreneurial spirit and the cannabis industry, in general, is all about that. It’s always been a place where people could pursue their dreams and passions, even before it was legal and regulated like it is today. The people who have been in it for decades have had to adapt and improvise to keep up with the changing times as we have, as a community and industry, gone from the shadows to Main Street. To us, this adaptability and drive are some of the very definitions of being an entrepreneur.

What sets Beard Bros Pharms apart from other cultivators?

Initially, it was just our striving to produce the best and cleanest product possible for patients. It was about patients and consumers, not profits. This was no different than any other cultivators out there, but with the commercialization of this plant, it seems we are now among the few, not the many.

What has set us apart since then is our unique perspective and desire to see those less fortunate helped through cannabis and its culture. We’ve managed to stick to our roots and never compromise, even as that has made it harder to compete. We still have a lot of work to do, but we believe in this plant and the culture around it.

Something we realized early on was that this perspective wasn’t necessarily unique, but it wasn’t something people were talking about openly. What started as a way for us to build our product offerings has now morphed into a full-blown media company. A lot of media companies have moved into offering products, but as far as we know we are the only one to do it the other way around: move from products to media.

Tell me more about this product-to-press pivot?

Primarily it was the passing of Prop 64 here in California. We realized that Prop 64 made expanding our product offerings much more difficult than it had been previously, so like any good entrepreneur we pivoted.

We also realize that being known for good products in Southern California is certainly a good thing but being known worldwide as a leading source of cannabis news from within the industry is invaluable. We felt we had a good ear to the ground for what was happening in the cannabis world, and really wanted to give a voice to the voiceless by starting the conversations so many wanted to have but were afraid to get started.

So we dove headfirst into telling the story of the culture of cannabis and the people that brought it to fruition as what we see today. Over forty states with medical legislation and nearly twenty with adult-use legislation, each with their own unique challenges, provide us a lot of opportunities to spread our message and thoughts to the world.

Tell us about your product line?

Without getting into too much detail we have scaled our product line down currently. Prior to 2018, we had anywhere from sixty to eighty different products. Starting in 2018 with Prop 64’s over-regulation and over-taxation it has made it extremely difficult and risky to have a product line that is too expansive. So we have gone back to our roots as medical providers. We are currently carrying a high-THC full spectrum cannabis oil and a high-CBD full spectrum cannabis oil that is available throughout California. We also have a full host of low or no THC wellness-based products available nationwide.

We are also currently working on getting a new line of flower products to market under the Beard Bros name as well as under a new name that we aren’t quite ready to announce just yet.

Can you tell me more about the Small Farms Initiative that you’ve been collaborating on with the Emerald Cup?

We are honored to be working once again this year with the team over at the Emerald Cup as so many of our own ideals align with theirs. Among those is the need to support the small, craft cannabis farmers who were immediately and negatively impacted by the passage of Prop 64 here in Cali. These farmers were told that they would have a five-year head start, 2018-2023, before farms larger than one acre would be able to operate. That stipulation was smeared before the ink even dried on the new law and loopholes like license stacking has led to an influx of corporate cannabis operations that can afford to legally grow weed, they just don’t know how and don’t care to learn.

The legacy farmers from places like the infamous Emerald Triangle are quite literally at the root of cannabis culture, which we work every day to preserve and propagate. So, the organic relationship with the Emerald Cup is dear to our hearts at Beard Bros Pharms and we have been loudly promoting their Small Farms Initiative that they launched leading up to the Emerald Cup Harvest Ball in December. The Cup has invited all licensed farms who are under one acre and who use regenerative and responsible standards to apply for one of 27 free booths on the Marketplace floor at the Harvest Ball. These farms will also be promoted by the Cup at the event, along with other benefits that will help raise awareness of these legacy brands.

People look to us as honest purveyors of media and as, let’s just say, “above average” indoor growers from LA. This is another reason why we love the Emerald Cup. Their efforts in recent years, and ahead in 2022, to unify the California cannabis market are admirable and smart. The whole LA vs The Bay or NorCal vs SoCal memes are played out. Anyone in this game who is more worried about promoting their city or zip code instead of their brand and this culture will likely soon have plenty of time to do just that.

What do you see as the social impact of legalization?

That’s an interesting question. We see legalization as a double-edged sword. On one hand, people are not being prosecuted as highly as they were previously. On the other hand, the over-regulation, over-taxation, and the barriers to entry have left so many who have sacrificed so much out of the industry that they helped build. This is an industry built on advocacy and created through activism, and in many ways, it has lost its way.

Just like anything in life, it has its pros and cons. We would like to see the cons minimized as much as possible. We would like to see an industry that allows for the very heart of what we grew up understanding as to the American way: small businesses, craft producers, and the ability for anyone who wants to try to participate to have the ability to do so.

You are advocates of advocating for the freedom of cannabis prisoners. How can people reading this help get behind this movement?

Yes, we are. Let’s just call it like it is… no one should be in prison for weed. Period. At this point, we have been advocates for cannabis prisoners for nearly a decade. We supported it before that but got involved physically about a decade ago.

In our opinion, the best thing people can do is to continue to raise awareness that there are people who are spending tens of years (if not life sentences) for non-violent cannabis charges. It is certainly one of the most egregious errors in our current criminal justice system.

On a more local level find a group that advocates for cannabis prison reform and support them fully. Speak up at every opportunity. Make sure their stories are told. Make sure those still participating in the War on Drugs understand the impacts they are having on lives, families, and more.

What’s the most important thing that needs to be addressed when people are talking about legalization?

First and foremost the main thing to understand is that “legal” can mean different things. “Legal” in Florida is not the same thing in California or Colorado. The distinction isn’t just for consumers and patients either, it is also for businesses.

On the business side, it’s fairly straightforward. What are the barriers to entry? What’s the license structure? Some places, like Oklahoma, are as simple as filling out a form and paying $2500, whereas in others it’s an intense lottery process that can cost tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars just for the ability to try — and potentially fail. Other states fall on a pretty broad scale between these two extremes. Understanding how this impacts businesses, and in turn, consumers is paramount. At Beard Bros, we are against regulatory capture, forced vertical integration, and other protectionist rules that make participating in the market only available for well-funded corporate operations.

On the consumer and patient side the most important issue in our minds is home grow. To us, home growing of cannabis should be a fundamental right included in any legalization method. Home grow allows for those interested to take full control of their cannabis intake. It’s also the key to true entrepreneurship and equality. Home grow allows for experimentation, which leads to innovation, which is the backbone of any successful industry.

Mickey Martin. PHOTO | Beard Bros Pharms

Time to give some props — who do you think deserves respect in the industry?

We’re always going to go back to being inspired by Mickey Martin, an activist and friend of ours that passed a few years ago. The word ‘mentor’ simply means “an experienced or trusted advisor”, and although Mickey certainly served that role for us when we arrived in California, he was so much more than that. A friend, a father, a husband, and without a doubt the most outspoken advocate for cannabis that we have ever met, Mickey was also as business-savvy as they come. We worked with him directly with his Compassion Edibles brand and saw firsthand how he would cut right through the BS that could bog down a good deal. But, in hindsight, our biggest takeaway from our time with Mickey was an appreciation for his razor-sharp truth-telling. When Mickey passed, a massive gap was left in grassroots cannabis journalism and we have been trying our best to honor his legacy and fill that gap ever since.

How do you think the cannabis industry can be better?

That’s a fairly loaded question. There are a ton of problems in our industry. Enough that it could probably be its own article. With that being said we will try to hit a few of the major pieces that we already touched on: Homegrow; lower barriers to entry; legal banking and insurance, and better and more thorough testing

What’s your favorite thing about your job?

Free weed! Ok, so that’s a bit of a joke, but also a very real fringe benefit.

On a more real note, the best part of our job are the messages of support and love from all of our followers, friends, clients, and more. We started cultivating to help people, and we continue to do what we do now for the people.

What do you wish you knew when you started out in cannabis?

Honestly? How hard but also rewarding it was going to be. Both of us have had an entrepreneurial streak for as long as we can remember, but nothing has been as simultaneously challenging and rewarding as the cannabis industry. If we were to go back in time and give ourselves then some advice from us now it would be simple: Focus on the plant and the people. You can’t and won’t ever be able to buy authenticity, but you sure as heck can build it.

What are the three qualities you need to be a successful entrepreneur?

Passion, adaptability, and grit.

Sometimes life in cannabis is hard, and the only thing that will get you through is a true passion for this plant and the community around it. Cannabis is fast-paced, and things change every day, so that’s where adaptability comes in. Grit to us is really a combination of the two, but with a slightly different spin. It’s the internal piece that ensures the first two are always top of mind.

Any advice for anyone that’s thinking about getting into cannabis?

Don’t do it unless you truly care. There are a ton of people here to make money, and it only goes one of two ways: They either sell out entirely, or they fail miserably. This isn’t an industry that many will get rich quick from, and it isn’t an industry where you can just become an overnight success. This is an industry built on the backs of advocates and activists. It’s an industry that has a culture that has been here decades longer than anyone had “weed” on their resume. If you’re not truly passionate about the plant and the people this industry will chew you up and spit you out. It all sort of goes back to the three qualities we listed above.

What’s next for Beard Bros Pharms?

So many things. On the product side of the house, we are going to continue to expand our current offerings throughout California with some exciting deals that we aren’t quite ready to announce yet. We are also working on a new flower brand that should turn some heads once it’s out in the open.

Additionally, we are also in the works of expanding our hemp-derived wellness products from coast to coast. On the media side, we are expanding our original content offerings, growing the team, and focusing heavily on partnerships and events where we are already partnered. Basically… we are setting ourselves up to take over the cannabis world, and doing it one step at a time.

Where can we follow you?

The best and most obvious place is Instagram. @beardbros_pharms is our main page, with a backup at @beardbrospharms just in case the IG police finally catch us. You can also find both of us on LinkedIn under our full names: Bill Levers and Jeff Levers. Signing up for our Friday Sesh Newsletter and checking out our upcoming news show on Social Club TV are also solid ways to keep up with all things Beard Bros Pharms.

Related Topics:Beard Bros Beard Bros Pharms.Bill Levers Featured Jeff Levers keep-evergreen Prop 64 The Emerald Cup Small Farms Initiative

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Israel’s Cannabis Trade Probe Moves Toward a Four-Producer Review

Israel’s latest procedural step puts four Canadian producers in focus, while the distinction between an investigation and an imposed trade duty remains essential.

Published

8 hours ago

October 26, 2026

Cannabis Aficionado Staff

Shipping containers and cranes at a commercial port

Israel’s investigation of Canadian medical cannabis imports has reached another procedural stage, with four producers identified for closer examination, according to reporting on an October 22 notice. The development concerns how investigators will assess exporters. It does not, by itself, establish that dumping occurred or impose a new import duty.

Israel’s Cannabis Magazine reported that the trade-levies commissioner selected Koots Canna, 2323414 Alberta and Cielo Verde Quebec as a sample, with GrowCo to be examined separately. The outlet said it obtained the commissioner’s document. Cannabis Aficionado has reviewed the published reporting, rather than independently obtained that notice.

Why four producers are in focus

According to Cannabis Magazine, the three sampled growers represent about 22 percent of exports among the 16 indoor and hybrid growers that supplied data. GrowCo was singled out because of its greenhouse production and export volume. The report says the four together cover approximately 70 percent of Canadian cannabis imports into Israel during the relevant investigation period.

Those are descriptions of the proposed examination, not market-share figures that should automatically be applied to current retail sales. The reporting also describes a five-business-day response period for parties to comment. A reader should not mistake that opportunity to respond for a final ruling.

StratCann’s October 23 report adds that 22 Canadian companies supplied initial responses and 17 had exported during the investigation period. Its account says the commissioner considered individual calculations for every cooperating exporter impractical within the available time. Sampling is therefore central to this stage of the dispute.

What “dumping” means in this context

The World Trade Organization’s explanation of anti-dumping rules describes dumping as exports sold below their normal value, generally assessed against the exporting market. It is a trade-law pricing question. It is not an allegation that cannabis was contaminated, illegally cultivated or unsuitable for patients.

The comparison is more involved than placing two advertised prices side by side. The WTO describes adjustments that can be needed for differences in sale conditions, quantities, taxation and product characteristics. Its framework also requires consideration of material injury to a domestic industry and a causal link between that injury and dumped imports.

That makes production methods and comparable pricing relevant without making either conclusive. A greenhouse producer can have different costs from an indoor grower, but a cost difference alone does not settle all the questions required for an anti-dumping measure. The investigation has to establish the relevant facts through its process.

A dispute with several procedural turns

The latest review follows an earlier investigation that was closed in July. In a July 28 notice, Israel’s Ministry of Economy and Industry said the closure was for procedural reasons: advance notification had not been provided to the exporting country’s competent authority because of human error.

The ministry explicitly said that closure was not a substantive determination on the complaint. It also preserved the possibility of a further complaint or a new investigation. The distinction matters in both directions: closure did not establish that the allegations were correct, and it did not establish that they were disproven.

Cronos Group’s securities filing records a new complaint dated July 30, notification to Canada on August 2 and notice to the company on August 5 that a new investigation had begun. The company says it cannot predict the outcome or whether provisional or final duties will ultimately be imposed.

The filing also traces the earlier case to January 2024 and describes the finance minister’s opposition to the proposed duty in April 2025. It records subsequent court challenges as well. That history helps explain why earlier proposed tariff percentages should not be presented as the rate established by the October 2026 sample-selection step.

What changes for readers and businesses now

For businesses, the immediate development is a more specific picture of which exporters may receive detailed scrutiny. It is not enough information to calculate a new landed cost, predict a supplier’s future prices or announce an interruption to patient supply. Those claims would require additional evidence.

For patients and other readers, an investigation headline should remain separate from a product-safety headline. Nothing in this procedural selection establishes a health finding about a named producer’s cannabis. Nor does it establish a new prescription rule.

The next substantive items to watch are the commissioner’s treatment of responses to the sample, any published preliminary determination and any resulting measure. Reports available for this article describe sample selection, with no preliminary duty decision reported at that stage. Until a later document changes that position, the appropriate description is an unresolved trade investigation.

Illustrative stock trade photograph; not a documented cannabis shipment or an Israeli port. Photo: Andrea Musto / Pexels.

Cannabis

Rubicon’s $3 Million Raise Puts Greenhouse Lighting at the Center of Expansion

The Canadian producer plans to expand output from existing facilities, with a lighting project bringing its combined capacity target forward to June 2027.

Published

8 hours ago

October 26, 2026

Cannabis Aficionado Staff

Potted plants beneath the glass roof of a greenhouse

Rubicon Organics is putting new capital into the lights above an existing crop rather than announcing another cultivation site. The Canadian producer’s October 19 financing announcement outlines a roughly $3 million private placement intended to support lighting and related greenhouse infrastructure at its Pacifica facility in Delta, British Columbia.

The company expects the project to help bring combined annual capacity at Pacifica and its Cascadia facility to 20,000 kilograms by June 2027, about a year earlier than previously anticipated. That is a production target. Whether additional capacity becomes profitable, saleable flower will depend on execution, operating costs and demand.

What the financing is intended to fund

According to Rubicon’s announcement, Siwash Rock Investments subscribed for 6,666,667 common shares at $0.45 each. Proceeds are intended for the lighting project, with the balance going to working capital.

Rubicon says Pacifica’s annual capacity could reach 15,500 kilograms after the upgrade, a 40 percent increase at that facility. The 20,000-kilogram figure refers to both sites together. Those two numbers describe different scopes and should not be added together. Final TSX Venture Exchange acceptance remained outstanding in the announcement.

The operating background behind the project

Rubicon’s second-quarter results, released in August, provide context for the expansion. The company reported net revenue of C$18.5 million, up 23 percent year over year, while adjusted EBITDA fell 18 percent to C$1.1 million. Adjusted EBITDA is the company’s nonstandard earnings measure, not net profit.

Management attributed pressure on profitability to the ramp-up of Cascadia even as revenue grew. It also reported that Pacifica’s per-crop yield metrics had increased approximately 20 percent in the first half of 2026 compared with a year earlier.

Those disclosures show why output and earnings need to be examined separately. A business can sell more while still absorbing the expense of bringing a facility to its intended performance. The lighting investment adds another operational milestone to watch alongside the company’s reported financial results.

The August report put combined capacity at 15,500 kilograms before the planned lighting expansion. That earlier baseline helps clarify the October target: the same figure later describes Pacifica alone, while the combined target rises to 20,000 kilograms.

Why growers pay attention to lighting

There is a research basis for studying how additional light affects cannabis production. A 2022 study in Frontiers in Plant Science tested the THC-dominant cultivar Meridian under different light intensities in an indoor environment. Dry flower weight was higher under the strongest tested photosynthetically active light treatment than under the lowest.

However, the study found no corresponding effect of those intensity treatments on cannabinoid concentrations in the flower. Its ultraviolet treatments also provided no commercially relevant benefit under the tested conditions. More flower and stronger flower were separate questions.

The researchers cautioned that responses vary with genotype and production environment. Their findings explain why light is a serious cultivation variable; they do not independently verify Rubicon’s projected 40 percent increase. A controlled indoor experiment is not a performance test of Pacifica’s greenhouse or its proposed equipment.

The experiment also illustrates why a lighting announcement should identify what success means. In this case, increased dry flower weight did not demonstrate increased flower cannabinoid concentration, even though both measures could matter commercially.

The energy bill belongs in the calculation

A 2021 PLOS ONE study by Utah State University researchers makes another useful distinction. In experiments with medical hemp, the team compared lighting spectra and fixture efficiency. A tested white-and-red LED treatment produced slightly less flower per unit of growing area than a high-pressure sodium treatment, but more flower per dollar of electricity.

The authors concluded that fixture efficacy and upfront cost could matter more to investment returns than spectral distribution at high light levels. Their study also found no effect of spectral quality on CBD or THC concentration under its conditions.

For readers following a greenhouse upgrade, the practical implication is that kilograms alone cannot describe the result. Equipment cost, electricity use and the amount of usable production obtained from that energy all belong in the evaluation. Those research findings are background, not a specification for Rubicon’s project.

For broader demand context, our coverage of Canada’s August retail sales explains why national spending and an individual producer’s performance answer different questions. A market record does not validate a particular expansion forecast.

What will show whether the expansion works

The most useful follow-up will connect construction progress with actual operating results: whether the equipment is installed on time, whether yields improve consistently and whether the additional flower supports sales without eroding margins. Those are checkpoints, rather than outcomes established by the financing.

For cultivators, Rubicon’s plan offers a concrete example of pursuing more output within existing infrastructure. For consumers, the announcement does not guarantee a change in potency, availability or shelf price. The capital has been raised; the production and commercial results still have to follow.

Illustrative stock greenhouse photograph; not Rubicon’s Pacifica facility or a cannabis crop. Photo: Albina White / Pexels.

Cannabis

Calyx Launches packOS With Label Quotes First and More Tools to Follow

Calyx’s new packOS platform starts with label quoting. Its launch raises practical questions about artwork, production scope and the compliance work that remains with brands.

Published

13 hours ago

October 26, 2026

Cannabis Aficionado Staff

An industrial printing machine processing sheets of paper

Calyx has introduced packOS, a packaging procurement platform that begins with a practical task: turning existing artwork into a quote. The October 20 launch brings the company’s cannabis packaging experience into software, with an initial Quick Quote offering and additional approval and order-management tools on its roadmap.

For cannabis brands, the useful question is what can be ordered now. The current product page identifies label quoting as live and flexible packaging as coming soon. That makes the first release more specific than the phrase “operating system” might suggest, particularly for buyers expecting a complete replacement for their existing packaging workflow.

What Calyx announced

In its company release distributed by Cannabis Business Times, Calyx describes a platform intended to move procurement beyond email chains, spreadsheets and manual quotes. It says buyers can upload packaging artwork and compare production options, prices and corresponding lead times.

The release presents Quick Quote as the first major component, with Artwork Approval and Order Management to follow. It also describes artificial intelligence and automation in estimating, artwork preparation and prepress. Those are Calyx’s descriptions of its technology, rather than results from independent testing by Cannabis Aficionado.

The distinction matters when comparing a launch announcement with a purchasing decision. A platform may describe an ambitious direction while delivering a narrower first service. Buyers need a clear understanding of which steps are available today, which require additional coordination and which remain future capabilities.

The current scope starts with labels

The product homepage says users can submit a PDF or Adobe Illustrator file. It describes extracting specifications from that artwork, producing a visual proof and pricing quantities. Labels are listed as available, while pouch quoting is marked as a future addition. Artwork Intelligence and Order Management appear in preview on the current roadmap.

For a buyer preparing a launch, those labels are more useful than assuming everything mentioned in an announcement is fully available. A proof, a quotation and an accepted production order are separate milestones. Establishing which one the platform has delivered helps prevent a team from treating preliminary information as a finished manufacturing commitment.

Printing does not replace compliance review

The cannabis-specific product page covers several label uses, including jars, lids, pre-rolls, boxes and batch information. It also answers an essential question directly: state compliance review stays with the customer’s team and counsel. The software is not presented there as a service that approves labels against state cannabis rules.

That boundary is significant for a brand operating across markets. An artwork file can be ready to print while still needing a jurisdiction-specific review. The company says customers provide approved versions for each state; it also says label orders do not require buying containers from Calyx.

Its described workflow separates preprinted brand and strain information from batch details added by customers using their own thermal printers. That is a production option, not proof that a particular finished label contains every required disclosure. The final artwork and data still need attention before a product reaches a shelf.

Questions to settle before uploading artwork

Packaging files may contain unreleased product names or designs, making information handling part of vendor selection. Calyx’s published security page says files travel over encrypted connections, are held in private storage and can be deleted on request. It describes using submitted files for quotes, proofs and production.

These are the provider’s stated practices, not an independent security assessment. A brand considering the service should compare those commitments with its own approval process and any obligations attached to an unreleased design. A convenient upload workflow does not itself decide who within a business is authorized to share artwork.

Similarly, any sourcing comparison should identify what is included in the quoted job. Quantity, material, finish, delivery expectations and the approved artwork version are practical points to settle before authorizing production. A lower displayed number is only meaningful when the underlying specification matches the buyer’s needs.

The security page also says access links expire and that an unverified internal access check is denied. Buyers can ask the provider how these stated controls apply to their particular project and who can request deletion.

A software launch with a manufacturing context

The consumer-facing side of packaging is visible in 710 Labs’ new Close Friends presentation. The packOS announcement addresses an earlier stage: how packaging teams organize artwork, evaluate options and move toward production.

For now, the clearest takeaway is a new quoting tool with a stated initial scope. Brands can assess the label service on that basis while tracking whether the planned approval and order-management features become available. Adoption, actual time savings and customer outcomes will require evidence beyond the launch announcement.

Illustrative stock printing equipment; not a Calyx facility or packOS demonstration. Photo: Criiv India / Pexels.