Mission Cannabis Club

Wunderful WorldWUNDER FOUNDER PHIL MCGARR KNOWS THE CANNABIS INDUSTRY ABOUT AS WELL AS ANYONE, AND HE BELIEVES PLANT-BASED DRINKS ARE THE FUTURE.

Phil McGarr was growing Cannabis before he’d ever even heard the term. Growing up in Palo Alto, the future cultivator, investor and business owner first became interested in the plant through his older brother. Following his sibling’s tragic death in 1989, McGarr was asked by some of his brother’s friends if he’d help them with their respective grows.

“I would help out with stuff like watering the plants,” McGarr told California Leaf during an interview in November. “Sometimes I’d even store plants on my parents’ roof.”

At the age of 15, on his family’s annual summer trip to Germany, McGarr booked a detour to Amsterdam – where he successfully arranged for a large crate of hydro equipment, seeds, books and other materials to be shipped back home to a friend.

From the moment that crate (somewhat miraculously) arrived safely in the U.S., McGarr’s fate as a lifelong student of Cannabis was sealed.

WHAT A SUNSET

What happens when a handful of extremely innovative cultivators all decide to rent houses in the (relatively) cheap Outer Sunset district of San Francisco at the same time? The Union.

This legendary grow collective, which formed in 1999, was another vital chapter in McGarr’s path. Further enticed by the Sunset’s ocean-adjacent grow conditions, McGarr calls the time he spent with legends like Cookies growfather Flux – tending to strains like J1 and Florida Kush – an “amazing time” for California Cannabis.

“That was when this breeding explosion took off,” he explained. “San Francisco really became CITRUS + well known across the country CANNABIS for its genetics and high quality indoor growing. We were all learning from each other and One of the elements they helping each other. There was a real sense of camaraderie, like were looking at was how to you were part of a crew that was really pushing the boundaries of create a Cannabis beverage what this plant could do.” Pushing boundaries has with sessionability, known subsequently become a major colloquially in the world focus for McGarr, whose resume includes overseeing grow houses of beer as something light in San Francisco and Oakland, buying the Los Angeles dispen- enough to be sipped alongside sary Higher Path in 2013, and helping Eaze launch its services snacks and conversation, in Southern California. Then, in 2019, a friend of but not at the expense of McGarr’s put him in a room with body or flavor.former Zynga Vice President Alexi Chialtas, and one-time Man Crates Senior Director Christian Peterson. “We spent months and months and months

Within a few months, Wunder was born. doing trials on that,” McGarr said. SOMETHING TO SIP how to create a Cannabis beverage with session-

When McGarr describes the concept behind ability, known colloquially in the world of beer as Wunder – his new Cannabis beverage compa- something light enough to be sipped alongside ny with Chialtas and Peterson – he refers to a snacks and conversation, but not at the expense moment early in the brainstorming process when of body or flavor. the three co-founders realized that alcohol was Ultimately, it was decided that Wunder’s drinks prime for disruption. would feature 2mg THC and 2mg CBD. However,

“We hit on this realization that alcohol had both would be complemented by a third, more been this big disrupter of health and wellness in unique ingredient: 2mg of Delta-8. each of our personal journeys,” McGarr exOne of the elements they were looking at was plained. “Basically, we’d all relied on it when we EIGHT IS GREAT were stressed. At that time, there were already While the THC we typically find in Cannabis some Cannabis drinks out there, but none of products is known as Delta-9 THC, a less psychothem were really aimed at novice consumers.” active, more mellow alternative also exists in the

Far from wanting to compete with seltzers or form of Delta-8. other drinks offering the maximum allowable Reputed for giving a comforting body high withdose of THC per serving (10mg in California), out as much cerebral psychoactivity, Delta-8 is a the Wunder team instead focused on how to rep- rarer cannabinoid, but one that’s proudly featured licate other aspects of the alcohol consumption in every can of Wunder. Before it was ready for experience. That made deciding on the dosing customers, the Wunder co-founders invited friends quite tricky. over for a series of “mock bars.”

The idea was to see if people, some strangers, gathering together after a workday would react to Wunder’s drinks like they might a brew or cocktail.

“We’d invite our friends to come over after work,” McGarr recalled. “But we’d tell them not to drink any alcohol or smoke anything first. Of course, not everybody listened to us, but most people did.”

Those in attendance were invited to drink as few or as many servings of Wunder as desired. Some had one drink, others five. Regardless, the result was unmistakable to McGarr: People were acting like they might at a bar.

“At one point,” he said, “I just remember walking up to Alexi and Christian and saying, ‘We’re onto something.’ I could see people engaging with each other. People were loose and laughing and engaged. It was a holy crap moment.”

A TOAST TO TOMORROW

It’s never easy to launch a new Cannabis company, but kicking one off during a pandemic? That, McGarr conceded, was the reality Wunder faced as a new business in 2020. Fortunately, he reported that the company has managed to weather all storms thus far.

For now, he said his focus remains chiefly on that undetermined day when Cannabis consumers will again be permitted to safely congregate and socialize.

“I give a ton of credit to everyone who has fought to survive this year, because it has been a doozy,” McGarr added. “But with this recent vaccine news, our fingers are crossed that people will soon start to be able to gather again. I mean, that’s what we’re building for.”

There may be some understandable hesitancy to share joints at first, even once the coast is clear from a health standpoint. That’s why options like Wunder are poised to serve as a bridge from the bitter taste of 2020 to the better days that lie ahead.

WUNDER BEVERAGES in Blood Orange Bliss, Lemon Ginger Lift and Watermelon Wave varieties are available from select dispensaries in California. Learn more about the products and see a list of locations on their website, findwunder.com |@findwunder

MISSION

CANNABIS CLUB

SETTING & VIBE

Mission Cannabis Club is not the type of dispensary that blends into its surroundings. Featuring a vibrant mural by way of a marquee, this staple of San Francisco’s historic Mission District offers an aesthetic that managing partner AJ Prasaguet describes as “a sense of edginess, but also playfulness.” Once safe to do so, Mission Cannabis Club is also eager to unveil a new consumption lounge featuring a ventilation system designed by the City of San Francisco, lockers where members can store their stashes, and a level of customer care akin to bottle service at a club. As a store focused primarily on flower, stylish display shelves behind the counter feature Mission Cannabis Club’s current inventory.

MISSION CANNABIS CLUB

2441 MISSION STREET, SAN FRANCISCO, CA OPEN 9AM-9PM DAILY MISSIONCANNABISCLUB.COM @MISSIONCANNACLUB

HISTORY & VALUES

Before it was rebranded as Mission Cannabis Club, the store was known as the Shambhala Medical Cannabis Collective. Founded in 2010 by Khader “Al” Shawa, the Mission neighborhood Cannabis retailer faced cease-and-desist orders from then U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California, Melinda Haag. Shawa would close, only to reopen in 2012 and again be targeted by federal law enforcement agencies. Ultimately, in 2014, Shawa won his legal battle. One $400,000 renovation and a name change later, and Mission Cannabis Club was born. Naturally, the fight to protect patients’ rights has never left the business – which is revered for its legacy status and perseverance in the face of immense adversity.

PRODUCT SELECTION

Make no mistake: Mission Cannabis Club is all about flower. With an emphasis on locally-grown strains and arguably as varied an inventory of flower as you’ll find in the entire Bay Area, old-school patients continue to return to Mission Cannabis Club for their consistently excellent product menu. When the store’s lounge is allowed to open, patrons will also be offered the chance to rent one of four rolling kits, order products delivered to their table via iPad, and hopefully enjoy an experience akin to a nice night out at a bar – minus the alcohol. “Our level of service is what’s going to separate us from everybody else,” advertised Prasaguet.

BUDTENDERS

Have a question related to Cannabis flower? If there’s an answer for it, the budtenders at Mission Cannabis Club almost definitely have it. As knowledgeable as their inventory is expansive, the folks behind the counter at this dispensary have earned a reputation for offering an equal level of care to all manner of patients who walk through the door. A continuation of the Shambhala Medical Cannabis Collective spirit that first inspired the dispensary to open a decade ago, service and compassion are the twin pillars that guide this neighborhood staple in their daily mission.

QUICK HIT

From the eye-popping visuals to their incredible selection of flower, there’s little to Mission Cannabis Club that is not worthy of being highlighted. The dispensary’s devotion to customer service also sets it apart. That element will take on even greater importance when their lounge is at last safe to open. With no permissible public places to consume Cannabis in California, Mission Cannabis Club’s plan to cater to those who’d like a place to socialize while they smoke will represent yet another way in which this store puts people first.

FROM THE EYE-POPPING VISUALS TO THEIR INCREDIBLE SELECTION OF FLOWER, THERE’S LITTLE TO MISSION CANNABIS CLUB NOT WORTHY OF BEING HIGHLIGHTED.

BAKLAVA

BAKLAVA grown by ALIEN LABS SPACY & SPICY … LEAVING ME PINNED TO MY RECLINER AS MY MIND WENT SOARING. (Kosher Kush x Gelato 41) ONE OF THE LATEST OF THE DESSERT-THEMED STRAINS THAT HAVE BECOME SO POPULAR OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS, THE BAKLAVA IS AN INDICADOMINANT HYBRID THAT BEARS LITTLE IN COMMON WITH ITS NAMESAKE TREAT – OTHER THAN THE SWEET AND SAVORY SATISFACTION DERIVED FROM INGESTING IT.

A cross between the multiple-awardwinning classic Kosher Kush and their Gelato 41, the Baklava offers that gassy goodness we’ve come to expect from an OG – plus a sweet and spicy kick.

Baklava was developed by one of the better-known brands in the Los Angeles area, Alien Labs – a small-scale producer of premium indoor-grown flower. Founded in 2014 by old-school Sacramento grower (and former Golden State Wellness proprietor) Ted Lidie, Alien Labs rose to popularity after winning a few awards with their unique cut of Dosidos back in 2014-2015, and then again a year or two later with their take on The Jungle Boys’ sensation Wedding Cake.

Upon my initial probe of this Alien specimen, I observed some hefty dark green nugs with burnt orange hairs and a coating of crystalline stardust. A full autopsy of one of the buds reveals an incredibly dense inner structure and a musky aroma – no doubt due to its high levels of the terpenes caryophyllene and humulene (a traditional trait of the Cookies family, from which Gelato 41 is descended), which also gives it its spicy, forest-y flavor.

In addition, it’s also rich in linalool, contributing to its strong sedative and stressreducing effects. And with just over 27% THC, it delivers a heavy, heady high that’s out of this world; all it took was one big bong hit of the Baklava and I was blasting off like Major Tom. Within minutes, the couch-lock hit me like four Gs to the chest – pinning me back into my recliner while my mind went soaring into the stratosphere. That first rip was a bit harsh on my throat, but once the initial burn was over I found myself floating in a weed-induced weightless wonderland – the perfect mental and physical state to kick back, relax and space out on the latest episode of The Mandalorian.

So if you’re a heavyweight who’s looking for a stellar smoke with an earthy flavor – and can afford the “astronomical” price tag of $70-$90 an eighth – then why not treat yourself to some spacy, spicy Baklava.

ALIENLABS.CO | @ALIENLABS >27% THC / STRESS-REDUCING HIGH