A Better Budtender Bash: Blazin’ Better Lunch NorCal 2025 Recap

Written By NorCal Coastal Sun Merchandiser, Rebecca Olmos

What’s Blazin’

Blazin’ Better has become the event I hear about most all year long. I’m often asked, “When’s the next one?!”

This collaborative budtender-focused party, created in partnership with our friends at Jetty, Blazin’ Better, has grown into something that our community eagerly looks forward to.

It’s a carefully curated experience designed specifically for some of the industry’s most influential members: budtenders.

How We Pulled It Off

When we created the first Blazin’ Better in 2024, the Coastal Sun team had a mission. Every brand invited had to align with our values of clean, quality California cannabis. Jetty was the first choice since we’ve partnered with them to use our flower in their solventless line. Together, our teams slowly built a roster of like-minded partners.

While we knew the sponsors mattered, the vibe mattered just as much. A plain warehouse wouldn’t do the vision justice. We wanted an Instagram-worthy space, the kind of background where people take those “wish you were here” type photos.

We were lucky to have landed in Oakland at a private venue that had the best backdrop and vibes for our event.

The space inspired us to feature sought-after brands, engaging activations, local food vendors, and a community-first atmosphere.

When the Magic Happened

This August marked NorCal’s second round at Blazin’ Better, following the pre-420 Blazin’ Better we hosted in SoCal, and the original one thrown in April of 2024.

Blazin’ Better Lunch NorCal 2025 featured infused St. Ides and Pabst beverages in fresh juices by Keep It Simple Juices, while Jetty showcased their solventless rosin, and Storz & Bickel showed folks how to smoke Coastal Sun organic flower on their Hybrid Volcanos. Hash holes were rolled by Carlos (NorCal Canna Bear), while Papa & Barkley gave budtenders a chance to fully unwind with their sponsored massages.

We love giving the crowd something to do, so we made sure to have a creative station with custom iron-on merch done by AtMe Designs. While folks waited, there were branded coloring pages, sensory experiences, and henna done by Lex Designs.

We elevated the food this time with a gorgeous lunch spread by The World’s Finest Budtender (sponsored by Dablicator), featuring a generous assortment of organic produce, an array of cheeses, meats, and breads, accented by honey-filled Dablicators and Coastal Sun’s organic blueberry jam. Since everyone loves a little sweet treat, Wyld capped it off with a dessert station featuring fresh fruit cups.

To round it all out, memories were captured at the 360° photobooth from NorCal Selfies, CCell sponsored goodie bags, and we raffled off prizes filled with vendor swag.

A special thank you to our incredible photographers and videographers, Lukas Peterson and Lo Nunez, for ensuring that everything was documented as the event unfolded.

What We Learned

The highlight of Blazin’ Better is always our “Ted Talk”–style conversations. This year, we decided to hold more in-depth discussions in a panel-style format.

Topics included:

• Growing Better with ECCO’s Ishaq Ali, Coastal Sun’s Phil Engfer, and Haze Valley Nursery’s Eva Erickson.

• Consuming Better with Jetty’s Devon Ferrucci, Storz & Bickel’s Leah Cerri, Wyld’s Hilary O’Brien, and Papa & Barkley’s Alyssa Hall.

The conversations, guided by Coastal Sun’s Director of Sales and Marketing, Dayna Zimmermann, were insightful, sparking the kind of dialogue we always hope to be having in this industry: what makes a cannabis product better, and why consumers should actually care.

At these Blazin’ Better events, we have the time, space, and platform to hold space for these meaningful discussions.

Overall, the turnout this year was incredible. We saw our community members representing more than 47 dispensaries across Northern California. It was a combination of consumption, connection, learning, and a whole lot of fun with people who keep this industry moving.

Where We’re Headed

A huge thank you to the budtenders who took time out of their day to join us, and to the amazing partners who helped make the event magical.

Blazin’ Better has become a space for budtenders to be hosted with careful thought and consideration of their expertise. It’s also an invitation to our community to rethink what it means to celebrate the people who make this industry thrive.

We had a blast at the 2025 NorCal Blazin’ Better Lunch and can’t wait to smoke better together with you again soon!