Roots of Resilience
Alibi Cannabis is carving out a unique space within Oregon’s challenging cannabis market, a sector known for its high standards in quality and intense competition. Founded by Marianne Cursetjee in 2017, Alibi is rooted in Oregon’s deep cannabis culture and Cursetjee’s personal journey, which led her to explore cannabis after a battle with breast cancer. Alibi embodies a mission of wellness and quality, aiming to provide consumers with an experience reflective of Oregon’s pioneering approach to cannabis cultivation.
The Oregon Cannabis Market: Challenges and Opportunities
Oregon has a reputation as one of the most mature and competitive cannabis markets in the United States. Since legalizing recreational cannabis in 2014, Oregon has experienced rapid growth, with many small, independent cultivators entering the scene. However, the market has also faced a series of challenges, including price compression due to an oversupply of cannabis, resulting in slim profit margins for many businesses. Oregon’s unique regulatory landscape, coupled with the state’s reputation for top-tier cannabis, pushes producers like Alibi to stay innovative and consistent in quality to stand out in a crowded field.
“Operating in Oregon requires us to be lean and agile,” saiid Todd Meredith, Alibi’s head of sales and co-founder. “The market is really, really challenging. Oversupply and compressed prices lead many cannabis companies to go out of business each year.”
Despite these pressures, Alibi remains resilient, focusing on craftsmanship and consumer trust to stand out in the mature Oregon market.
Cultivation Excellence in Oregon
Operating out of a 10,000-square-foot indoor facility in the Portland area, Alibi has designed its cultivation process around a hands-on, craft approach. This scale allows Alibi to maintain control over every aspect of the growing process, from hand-trimming each bud to carefully curing every batch to perfection. Head grower Lacey Thomas, with her background in botany and plant pathology, brings a scientific rigor to Alibi’s operations that is uncommon even in Oregon’s technically advanced cultivation paradigm.
Growing up in Eugene, Oregon, Thomas was aware from a young age of the state’s cannabis culture and commitment to quality. She attributes much of her skill to a combination of commercial-scale training and her deep understanding of plant science.
“I spend a lot of time learning precision watering techniques, studying graphs, and dialing in the environment,” she said.
Thomas’s philosophy reflects Oregon’s overall approach to cannabis cultivation as both an art and a science, striving to deliver top-shelf flower that meets the increasingly high standards of Oregon consumers.
Meeting Consumer Demand and Navigating Market Pressures
Originally focused on a select few cultivars, Alibi has expanded its genetic library to keep up with the evolving Oregon market. Now, the company rotates through about 30 strains, aiming to harvest five unique varieties each month. This rotation provides Oregon consumers with diversity on dispensary shelves, balancing variety with the high costs of small-batch testing and packaging.
“Oregon consumers are well-informed and expect variety,” said Cursetjee. “We maintain about 30 different genetics in our mother room to offer a range that meets shifting preferences. It’s a challenge to balance the cost of testing and packaging small batches, but it’s worth it to ensure consumers have options.”
Expanding Beyond Oregon
While Alibi’s roots are firmly planted in Oregon, the brand is eyeing expansion opportunities as it builds its reputation for quality and craft. Currently, Alibi products are available in nearly 400 locations throughout Oregon, from coastal towns like Tillamook to border cities like Ontario. As demand for premium Oregon-grown cannabis rises in other states, Alibi is exploring potential growth beyond its home base, aiming to bring its hand-crafted, Oregon-grown cannabis to new markets.
The Significance of Branding in the Oregon Market
Alibi’s branding reflects a distinctive approach that resonates with Oregon’s cannabis culture. Their “Mariposa” icon—a woman with butterfly wings—is intended to symbolize transformation and wellness, echoing Oregon’s values around personal growth and natural healing.
“The ‘Mariposa’ represents what cannabis can bring to the world,” Cursetjee explained. “It’s about finding your best self and escaping to a better place, even if just momentarily.”
This concept ties into the company’s name, “Alibi,” which they chose for its connotation of providing an alternative reality—a moment of escape.
“You can say to yourself, ‘I’ve had a bad day, so I’m going to smoke a joint and be somewhere else, somewhere better, where there’s joy and calm,’” Cursetjee said.
Rather than being seen as merely a recreational substance, Alibi is focused on presenting cannabis as a means to enhance well-being and explore new states of consciousness.
Alibi’s Role in Oregon’s Cannabis Legacy
Oregon’s cannabis story is one of constant evolution. As the first state to decriminalize cannabis in the 1970s and a leader in legalization since, Oregon has built a culture rooted in high standards, innovation, and a fierce loyalty to craft. But today’s market presents new challenges: oversupply, falling prices, and mounting pressure for cultivators to stand out. In the thick of this, Alibi Cannabis reflects Oregon’s legacy of resilience, bringing together hands-on craft, scientific precision, and a touch of creativity to meet the moment.
As Oregon’s cannabis story continues to be written, Alibi—and others like it—are redefining what it means to thrive in this wild, ever-changing industry.
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