Fairwinds tries to set industry bar for quality, variety

When I first tried cannabis tinctures a few years ago, I wrote them off as being ineffective.

Then last fall, I used Fairwinds Deep Sleep after a friend recommended it. I was skeptical – until I was sawing logs about 30 minutes later.

This tincture was the first I’d ever tried that delivered what it promised. Even though it contained a considerable amount of THC, it didn’t make me high – it just made me feel relaxed and, yes, very sleepy.

Then I tried another Fairwinds product because of its quirkiness – Sriracha THC Tincture. The little tincture container is a hoot, looking like a mini version of the ubiquitous hot chili sauce bottles that feature a strutting rooster on the label.

Again, I was skeptical, until about 15 minutes after placing a couple of droppers full of the fiery-hot tincture under my tongue. All I can say is – wow! Not only was I pleasantly warm from the tincture’s spice – I was stoned, quickly and efficiently.

OK, Fairwinds was two-for-two. Clearly, this company knew what it was doing when it came to cannabis tinctures.

“We’re always very focused on making the most effective products out there,” said Logan Alden, director of sales for Fairwinds, which is based in Vancouver, Wash.

Fairwinds is known for quality, Alden said, with its own indoor-grown cannabis used to create full-spectrum oils “rich in terpenes and completely free of residual solvents,” according to the company website. All of the grow and science takes place at the Fairwinds facility, an example of the company’s commitment to controlling its processes from plant to finished product.

“Washington doesn’t allow vertical integration in its cannabis business, but we are as vertically integrated as we can be,” Alden said.

Part of the Fairwinds difference goes beyond cannabis. Each tincture offers other ingredients that help create its powerful effects.

For example, the Fairwinds Deep Sleep Tincture contains herbal extracts that assist in producing drowsiness.

And the Sriracha THC Tincture has a secret ingredient that helps it deliver its intoxicating punch: “Capsaicin (the component of peppers that provide heat/spice) dilates the blood vessels, thereby allowing the THC in each serving to enter the bloodstream more quickly,” the Fairwinds website states.

Most of Fairwinds’ tinctures also use avocado oil, which helps the body absorb it. Fairwinds was the first to use avocado oil, and now competitors “are copying us,” Alden said.

The Fairwinds tincture line is vast, including products that help with digestion, anxiety and energy level. The company also has the popular CBD Ratio line, with tinctures of varying potency of CBD to THC, from 20:1 to 1:1, for people who don’t really want the intoxicating effects of cannabis.

Tinctures aren’t the only thing Fairwinds does. The company also produces topicals – its Flow gels and creams are among their best-sellers – capsules, coffee, vape cartridges, and now Fairwinds has a potential game-changer on the cannabis market.

That would be their new line of inhalers, which Alden said has been wildly popular. The inhaler looks like any other medical inhaler, delivering its product without heat “which preserves the terpene and cannabinoid content in its purest form,” according to Fairwinds.

“It will bring you a quick high and you don’t get any exhale,” Alden said. “As far as discreteness goes, it can’t be beaten.”

Fairwinds continues to innovate and grow, Alden said, and plans are in the works for potential expansion into Oregon and Michigan.

And while Fairwinds offers a number of recreational products, it remains focused on “cannabis as medicine,” Alden said. “We are primarily a wellness company.”

Besides its state-regulated cannabis products with THC, the company also offers a line of CBD-only products.