Insights from Benzinga 2024: How Rx Green Technologies and Industry Leaders See Consumer Demand Shaping Cannabis Cultivation Trends

Over the years, the Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference has grown into one of North America’s most prominent cannabis investment and branding conferences. This year, Benzinga held the conference in the Windy City and featured our CEO Gary Santo. He appeared on a panel, “Farm to Shelf: Do Cultivation Trends Define Retail Demand or Vice Versa?” which had key industry leaders sharing their insights and nuanced perspectives on the cannabis market’s evolution.

For cultivators, these insights could prove useful for future planning and securing any needed cannabis cultivation supplies for upcoming harvests.

Santo was joined by Will Bowden, Founder and CEO of Grasshopper Farms, Jordan Ascanio, Creative Director of CLS Holdings USA, and Brett Novey, CEO of PharmaCann. Host Stella Morrison, the Founder and Content Strategist at CannaContent, opened by asking Santo about the influence of price and potency on what you put in the ground.

According to Gary, the cannabis industry’s emphasis on high THC percentage is starting to shift. Rather, he argued today’s consumers want a fuller, more refined experience, looking beyond THC to prioritize qualities like terpene profile and cannabinoid ratios. This progression is evident in markets where customers can assess cannabis by smell or appearance, such as “deli-style cannabars.” More customers are increasingly leaning toward aromatic, well-cultivated flower over high-THC strains.

As a provider of cannabis grow solutions, our team is best equipped to understand how this translates to the agricultural process. Santo said this trend guides growers to make intentional choices about soil nutrients for cannabis, growing environments, and genetics — reflecting that consumers are increasingly craving nuanced quality over sheer potency.

The conversation continued, more broadly looking at the ways cannabis businesses created feedback loops in their business ecosystem to serve their customers. Santo stressed the need to define a clear brand identity, a critical element for producers to create a consistent experience from seed to shelf consumers resonate with.

Gary then revealed the significant shift: While cultivators used to steer market trends, the increasingly informed approach of modern consumers is reshaping past practices. Today, commercial growers can take cues from consumer preferences for specific effects, cannabinoid ratios, and terpene profiles as we collectively enjoy more access to information about the plant.

Other panelists shared his sentiment and said a more collaborative approach could be effective. Quality cultivation, centering the best organic plant nutrients and care, would still affect consumer decisions while still adapting to their evolving tastes,

Consumer Demand & Cultivation: What’s The Story?

As Gary shared, the cannabis industry is maturing as consumer needs move beyond THC potency. Customers today want richer experiences with specific effects that fit their distinct needs and lives.

The cannabis industry is no stranger to change, and this emerging trend is another new challenge for cannabis businesses as new preferences push them to elevate their offerings.

This affirms our commitment to help cultivators grow clean flower from the ground up, providing the grow solutions that make it happen. By using superior products for commercial cannabis growing, you can adapt to consumer needs right from the very beginning of the cycle.

From cultivation to retail, success now requires meeting customers where they are and crafting cannabis grow supplies and experiences that reflect a deeper understanding of their preferences and values.

So do cultivation trends define retail demand – or vice versa? Based on the 2024 Benzinga panel discussion, it would seem there’s been a clear shift in the answer since the early days of the cannabis industry.

To listen to the full conversation, check out the panel recording on YouTube.