Camping season might be over but that doesn’t mean it’s out of season to indulge The Hazy Camper. In fact, if I’m being honest, The Hazy Camper should be a staple for any cannabis consumer. From their careful ingredients to the melt-in-your mouth richness of their chocolate, you’re bound to be amazed, even if dark chocolate isn’t your jam. I had the pleasure of trying The Hazy Camper chocolates a few weeks ago following an epic mountain bike crash that resulted in a broken collarbone. Not one to rely solely on prescriptions, naturally I sought out some edibles to ease my recovery. It was love at first bite. Second bite… Third bite… It was all love. The chocolate was decadent. It melted perfectly on my tongue, it was flavourful, and when I was done eating it, I felt great. Wanting to give credit where credit was due, I reached out toThe Hazy Camper and was fortunate enough to connect with Andrea Hoy, one half of the sister-duo behind the brand.

It’s in their genes

Every brand has a story and The Hazy Camper is no different.But not often do I have the serendipitous pleasure of hearing an origin story that makes me feel the full spectrum of feelings like I did when I spoke with Andrea. If there is one thing that I want you to take away from my conversation, it’s that perseverance, hard work, and drive are only a small part of what moves The Hazy Camper brand. Because when it comes down to it, the story behind this micro-producer from northern British Columbia is about family, love, and sharing their passion with the cannabis community.

Yes, I admit that sounds a little over the top, but hear me out because this isn’t a story

you’ve heard before.

Before they were The Hazy Camper, Andrea and her sister Lisa were two women navigating a difficult situation: cancer.

“We have a genetic mutation in our family which gives us very high rates of cancer.” Andrea recounted, “After the loss of many uncles and my father, my sister, Lisa, was diagnosed with breast cancer.”

In an effort to help Lisa manage her symptoms and the effects of chemo, Andrea started formulating and creating and soon realized that her “homemade” edibles actually made a difference. And thus, with the confidence in their homemade chocolates and their desire to share what they’d experienced with others, the footprint for The Hazy Camper was laid.

“The chocolates helped so much that we knew we needed to do it properly, dose it properly and bring something to market that isn’t an overly sugary, not-so-health-centred product.”

And I can’t blame them. If you’re looking to take edibles medicinally - or like me and are picking about aftertaste, sugar content and weird ingredient bloat- there aren’t really many options - especially not in the early days of 2.0 legalization.

So in 2020, the sisters stepped out of their comfort zones, and learned to jump, dance, and navigate the ins-and-outs of becoming a licensed producer.

Their journey wasn’t easy.

From self-funding their licensing, DIYing the retrofit of their facility, to writing all their procedures, the sister-duo had their hands full. Which of course, meant that life was about to throw them another curveball: Andrea was diagnosed with cancer.

“Our build out was done, but we were still going through other licensing hurdles when I was going through my own cancer journey.” she noted, “And we were grateful that we had this wealth of knowledge behind us to help me out so we could stay on track despite everything.”