This content is sponsored by Sluggers Hit.
In late February, Sluggers Hit launched its cannabis products exclusively in Curaleaf locations across the Valley. The California-based company is built by OG’s in the industry who know and love the plant and have now started to expand to the Valley of the Sun with Arizona-exclusive products.
The Arizona expansion comes with the help of partners Flow Arizona, a single-source, local producer, and Curaleaf, the company’s exclusive retail partner for this exciting debut.
As they launch in the Grand Canyon state, Sluggers is bringing two exclusive Juiced 5-pack strains – Road Runner and Cactus Breath – with the same high-quality ingredients for a smooth, potent pre-roll experience. The Road Runner pack crosses Limoncello and Black Haze for a robust flavor and peppy, social buzz. On the flip side, the Cactus Breath pack brings sweet, floral flavors with a cross of Cactus and Mendo Breath and a more relaxed high.
Sluggers products are single-source, meaning they grow what they roll. Unlike traditional methods that require grinders and rolling papers, their joints are ready to enjoy right out of the package.
The company received intensely positive feedback during its March launch party with its partner dispensaries at Walter Studios in Phoenix, where more than 300 cannabis enthusiasts and industry insiders seemed primed for something new.
“There’s a lot of culture,” said Josh Schmitt, Sluggers Hit vice president of business development. “A lot of people are very ready for a lot of good products.”
‘Meant to be sliced open’
Sluggers didn’t emerge with the intention of hitting the shelves. The company has spent decades cultivating cannabis in California, witnessing the industry evolve firsthand as they sent out their products throughout the state.“We watched a lot of brands do a lot of amazing things, a lot of horrible things,” said Schmitt. “But, at the end of the day, a lot of them were failing or failed. So we gained a lot of industry knowledge if you will, on top of what we had already.”
The team didn’t just take their audience’s word for it. They wanted to blend their knowledge with an experience that was approachable and full of rich, bold flavors.
“We basically wanted to create a pre-roll and an experience that was first of its kind and really appealed to the masses, wasn’t like a super niche product… It was made by smokers for smokers. Really meant to be sliced open.”
Schmitt credits the solventless ice hash for Sluggers’ distinction from the saturated pre-roll market. While other pre-rolls consist of flower or trim, mixed with terpenes and THC diamonds, the hash in Sluggers pre-rolls creates an incense-like smoothness.
Many people are using rosin hash, which endures a refinement process that, while purifying, also causes a loss of “full-spectrum, amazing” flavor qualities, according to Schmitt.
“I think solventless ice hash is one of the best conduits of cannabinoids,” he said.
Sports and nostalgia
Even those outside of Arizona will want to try the new state-exclusive Juiced 5-pack strains. Road Runner and Cactus Breath will flaunt their own twist on one of Sluggers’ biggest appeals: a chance for consumers to own a piece of cannabis culture history with every purchase.Sluggers Hit packs are enclosed in foil reminiscent of collectible cards from the ‘90s and even include Sluggers trading cards in line with the theme of the selected pack. Adam Stephens, vice president of marketing, said this is because the company was derived from nostalgia and a desire for happier times.
“Who doesn’t agree that the ‘90s was the best?” he asked.
Want to try them yourself? Visit sluggers.com/arizona to learn more about the innovative cannabis offerings, now in an Arizona dispensary near you.
