On Sunday, May 4th, 2025 hundreds of cannabis connoisseurs and cultivators will converge at the Willits Grange in the heart of Mendocino County to celebrate the plant and the culture at its roots at the inaugural Mendo Cup.
The event is centered around a friendly flower competition open only to licensed cannabis farmers in Mendocino County who consciously cultivate full season, sungrown cannabis on a plot size of 10,000 sq.ft. or less.
Well aware of the strain that entering such a contest can have on a farmer when the costs – both in money and in marijuana – are seemingly always on the rise, the fee to enter The Mendo Cup is just $50 and an ounce of your best sungrown. All entrants are also asked to submit a branded 1/8th jar with an ideal bud representing their entry, all of which will be on display at The Cup.
The Mendo Cup is accepting qualified entries from regional farmers through April 15th.
Though space is limited, adults ages 21+ can get into the event for just $20, but there will be NO onsite ticket sales. Visit www.MendocinoProducersGuild.org for more information about entering the competition or attending the event.
At The Mendo Cup on May 4th, awards will be given for the Top 5 flowers, as well as for Best Breeder.
The Mendo Cup is being produced by Nikki Lastreto, co-founder of Swami Select and Club Swami, in collaboration with the Mendocino Producers Guild. Along with Swami Chaitanya, Nikki has been an official Emerald Cup Judge for that event’s entire 20-year run, dating back to 2004.
The lessons learned from that experience helped her conceive of a competition more reminiscent of those early days.
“The Mendo Cup is all about taking it back to the basics. Just one category – sungrown flowers, no covers, no lights. Compared to the hundreds of entries we judged every year for the Emerald Cup, this narrows it down to just Mendo and only the best. It’s time to focus on the excellent growers in our beloved Mendocino County,” Lastreto told Beard Bros Media.
Swami will join 12 other expert judges to blindly analyze dozens of anonymous entries to determine which farm will ultimately prevail. Those tastemakers include David Downs, Colleen King, Gabby Ahern, Halle Pennington, Jessica ‘Frosty’, Leah Cerri, Mean Gene From Mendocino, Luna Stower, Mark Greyshock, Sam Barriere, Shinah Cole-Williams, and a Mystery Judge.
Each brings a unique perspective to the table, but all will adhere to a pre-determined set of criteria that essentially takes us back to: Does it look good? Does it smell good? Does it taste good? Does it get me high? These, along with price and convenience, are the things that matter most to consumers.
The goal of the event is to spotlight the talented farmers still harvesting award-worthy sungrown cannabis in Mendocino County. Consumers should care about where their weed comes from and who is harvesting it. Sharing your favorite buds from your most recent crop with fellow farmers and cannabis lovers is at the root of the local culture in Mendocino, and throughout the Emerald Triangle. The Mendo Cup aims to capture that vibe and amplify it to the rest of California, and beyond, to remind consumers that Mendo bud always has been and always will be dank bud.
On Sunday, May 4th, The Mendo Cup will open the doors at 2:15pm – a cheeky homage to the good ol’ Prop 215 days – and the festivities will run until 8:00pm.
Besides the highly anticipated awards presentation, those who attend can expect delicious food and beverage options (bring some cash, we’re going old school!), cannabis-themed comedy and poetry performances, appearances from pillars of Mendo cannabis lore like Mickey the Clown and Mademoiselle Michelle, an outdoor smoking lounge including a hashy hookah activation provided by Lena Burns (one of Frenchy Cannoli’s protegés), booths featuring local arts and crafts, and of course the camaraderie that the cannabis community in Mendo is famous for.
Again, you can still enter the competition until April 15th, 2025 – MORE INFO HERE
You can also secure your entry as an attendee anytime between now and the day of the event, assuming tickets remain. They’re just $20 each and are moving fast, so get yours today – MORE INFO HERE
The Mendo Cup feels like a breath of fresh air and a great reason to spend a weekend in Willits.
We can’t wait to see who wins!
