Compiled through an interview with Phil Seda, CEO
The Sky High Gardens logo first appeared on a cure jar in a grimy warehouse on Harbor Island in Seattle, 2014. The garden had recently graduated to this larger medical facility from a residential grow in the Greenwood neighborhood. It would be nice to be able to say that Sky High enjoyed a smooth transition into the legal market, but it was anything but. In reality, the company was plagued with issues from both internal and external forces during the “early days” of I-502. Company “leadership” was bitter and careless. Finances weren’t kept in check. The building suffered a costly power failure negating all infrastructure advances. In layman’s terms, it was a shitshow.
The power failure (which was caused by an illegal grow next door, by the way) caused embarrassing loss of electricity to common areas, offices, grow rooms and even the bathroom. We fittingly coined this period the “Dark Ages.” Upon the brink of total collapse in 2016, I bought out my bosses equity stake and led the operation to our current home in Sodo. The move was transformational, providing more space for cultivation and offering a renewed sense of pride. We’ll call this chapter the “Renaissance,” a generous term considering we were not out of the woods just yet.
The excitement of our new home was quickly subdued by a 3+ month LCB location approval delay, compounded by a failed site inspection (due to lack of camera footage – we had 76 cameras live at the time). Led by an overzealous young CEO with a bit too much to prove (that’s me!), we began to turn the tides of despair and cement a foothold in our production.
Needless to say, our path has been riddled with pot-holes and puddles. We have faced many failures yet continue to progress. If it had not been for our undying love and attention towards our amazing cannabis plants, Sky High Gardens would be no more. Throughout our trials, we remained proud of our craft and are pleased to share with you.
Today there are 13 of us and a couple dogs that make up the team at Sky High Gardens. We are a close-knit bunch working hard towards making Sky High known in Seattle as the central craft cannabis brand.We’re a young group, lots of us are about 30 years old and thus, we have a really vibrant energy about us. We’re passionate, hard working, committed to building long-term success, and all have the common ground of doing right by the company. We still have a lot to prove, and are also so proud of the product we grow for you to enjoy.
In a market focused on money and THC numbers, Sky High Gardens emphasises flavor and effect above all. We celebrate the uniqueness of each and every cultivar we offer, as every terpene provides for a distinguished smoking experience.
In a market focused on money and THC numbers, Sky High Gardens emphasises flavor and effect above all. We celebrate the uniqueness of each and every cultivar we offer, as every terpene provides for a distinguished smoking experience. Sky High Gardens stands out as a Seattle staple, providing craft cannabis to cannaisseurs who are otherwise difficult to impress. Unlike most of our competition, we only grow and sell Sky High flower – never white labeling – to maintain quality and integrity of each batch. Our focus is true to our craft, and isn’t clouded by other products such as edibles, vape carts, or bath bombs. While there isn’t anything wrong with these products, we simply enjoy the experience of smoking flower above all and curate our cultivation methods accordingly.
In our garden, variety truly is the spice of life. Over the years we have grown over 160 unique varieties - but who’s counting? For VOLUME 2, we tapped into a couple newcomers we recently brought to market in Tropicanna Punch, Petrol Rainbows and Glassworks OG. Together this blend of fruity, citrus varieties offer a soothing effect on the exhale and invigorate the senses. Last week I had the joy of tasting this new blend while skiing and appreciated the lively effects. A perfect fit for people on the move! As our new favorites come and go, the one thing that remains is our commitment to quality. We are elated to have had the opportunity to collaborate with Heylo on this project as they share our commitment to quality and serving our cannabis community with care.
Complimenting our diversity of flavors is our attention to detail. We filter water twice, care for each plant individually, prune extensively,and work diligently to ensure each plant thrives in her environment. Prior to harvest, our extensive 12-day flush ensures each plant purges excessive nutrients so you only taste the wonderful terpenes offered by each cultivar. While we certainly utilize proprietary techniques, 90% of what we do isn’t secret. What helps us achieve superior quality is our process and science oriented approach which allows us to cultivate thousands of plants of incredible diversity to the minute detail. These (and many more) small details add up to happier plants and happier customers. At the end of the day, the goal is having each strain shine to their fullest potential.
What helps us achieve superior quality is our process and science oriented approach which allows us to cultivate thousands of plants of incredible diversity to the minute detail.
Once harvested, each bud still has a long journey before reaching your grinder or bong at home. Curing is vital to our process, it’s something we learned early in our medical days and is central to our brand. First of all, the cure doesn’t happen unless it’s in air-tight jars.It still amazes me companies claim they “cure” their bud and post photos of buds in plastic bags on social media! Product cures for a month before going on the menu. ‘The perfect cure’ to us is a balance of time and humidity in our temperature controlled vault. In this sweet spot of temperature, light and humidity control, chlorophyll is able to break down and thus, encourages flavor and more smooth smoke (since chlorophyll is what gives flower its grassy-hay aroma). The final product we get to enjoy is just the organic plant matter in its tastiest form. Try for yourself and taste the difference.
We’re passionate and proud that we grow in the heart of Seattle and get to work with a company that is in our neighborhood but also, echoes the similar values we hold so dear to our company. That’s why VOLUME 2 is so exciting for us--because together we magnify our shared values of transparency, education and genuine love for what we do. In turn, this creates even more trust in our processes and final product. We are ecstatic to be showcasing something as awesome as VOLUME 2 and be in collaboration with local artist Leo Shallat! Since we already pair each strain with artwork and feel this makes the experience more interactive, it’s awesome to be able to do this with VOLUME 2 as well. Thank you for supporting our collaboration with Heylo and supporting our craft. In a market seemingly dominated by huge farms, we will continue to curate craft cannabis that is truly a cloud above.
