All Nations Cannabis is ready to step out on the world stage.

Indigenous-grown All Nations Cannabis just sent its first-ever shipment of product to Israel from its growing facility on Shxwh谩:y First Nation, near Chilliwack.

鈥淎ll Nations has grown substantially over the last year,鈥� said Darwin Douglas, CEO of All Nations Cannabis.

They鈥檒l be talking about that achievement when they get to the 2023 BC Cannabis Summit in Kelowna, starting Friday (April 21).

It took All Nations Cannabis, in partnership with Shxwh谩:y Village, several years of planning to become a licensed federal producer, and provincial distributor under section 119 of the B.C. Cannabis Control and Licensing Act. That鈥檚 what makes them wholly unique in their status as 鈥渁 vertically integrated鈥� Indigenous cannabis company, not only federally licensed to grow in a 30,000-square-foot facility, but provincially approved to sell in the retail store just down the road.

They opened the first retail store on Nov. 2 last year under their Section 119 licence, issued by the province in July 2022.

鈥淲e鈥檝e continued to grow high-quality cannabis and we鈥檝e put that cannabis into two brands that we鈥檝e launched, our All Nations premium brand, and Uncle Bob, our secondary brand, and we are selling through the provincial distribution system throughout Canada.鈥�

The BC Cannabis Summit they鈥檙e heading to in the Okanagan this week will bring together craft producers and other players to share challenges and successes.

鈥淲e are super excited to be participating in this upcoming Summit and really grateful for the organizers to include us as a participant and as a partner,鈥� Douglas said. 鈥淥ur role there will be to help create as much Indigenous participation in the summit as we can, and organizers have asked All Nations to work with them on that goal.鈥�

Part of what we they鈥檒l address at the conference is the success of their first export. The clients were suitably impressed with the product quality, and were keen to be working with an Indigenous group.

鈥淚 think it鈥檚 a huge accomplishment as a licensed producer operating not only on First Nations land, but also just as a licensed producer in the Fraser Valley to be making these big moves on the export front.

鈥淪o we are really, really proud of our team, and all the hard work that鈥檚 gone into this, and excited for what the future holds on the export markets.鈥�

It bodes well for building more international relationships. They鈥檙e working on completing a shipment to Germany later this summer.

鈥淗aving those export markets, and having success in the domestic market here in Canada, allows us to be looking at our growth strategy,鈥� Douglas said.

That means building out more cultivation sites down the line, and production square footage, bringing in more Indigenous partners, more retail distribution, more international trade, and ultimately more Indigenous participation overall in the industry.

鈥淚 think All Nations is set up to be a major player,鈥� Douglas said.

All Nations Cannabis can legally distribute its cannabis products under All Nations Mestiyexw Holdings, a holding company, in partnership with Shxwh谩:y Village (Skway First Nation), stemming from the provincial licensing deal made directly with the First Nation, on a 鈥済overnment to government鈥� basis.

From the global perspective to the hyper local, All Nations has put Indigenous cannabis on the map, as well as the Chilliwack region, and Shxwh谩:y Village, for cannabis production.

Part of that is the traction they鈥檝e gained locally.

鈥淎nd I think that鈥檚 a combination of our high quality cannabis and our Indigenous brand which I think resonates with people,鈥� he said.

According to their marketing, All Nations is 鈥渁n Indigenous collective on St贸:l艒 Traditional Territory weaving traditional Indigenous values with industry-leading cultivation methods鈥� to grow craft cannabis.

The goals going forward will be on building relationships, and growing partnerships.

鈥淲e鈥檙e also focused on building strong, healthy communities,鈥� Douglas added. 鈥淲e want to create positive social impact, positive social change through jobs and careers and, and building good economics, prosperity with the nation.鈥�

Gaining recognition in the industry is part of how they鈥檒l get there.

鈥淲e hear a lot of people talk about reconciliation but you know to have an Indigenous cannabis company like ours being accepted in the industry overall, being recognized and supported, is a good sign that there鈥檚 economic reconciliation starting to happen.鈥�

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