Grower Stories #93: David Saulina

Tia Moskalenko, author of the AskGrowers blog, brings a unique blend of content to her readers. She is known for conducting insightful interviews with key figures in the cannabis industry, including brand representatives, manufacturers, and experts. In addition to her interview skills, Tia has a keen focus on CBD. She expertly curates product selections and reviews, offering her readers detailed insights into the various effects and benefits of CBD. Tia's ability to combine in-depth interviews with comprehensive CBD analysis makes her a valuable asset to the cannabis community, offering a well-rounded perspective on the industry.

Published

Jun 04 2021

Updated

Sep 28 2023

Interviews

477

5 min

Ventanilla Única Para El Cannabis: An Interview With Alchimiaweb, Spain’s Most Popular Cannabis Growshop

While many might just associate the U.S. or tiny segments of Europe with legal cannabis, the reality is that the global cannabis industry has exploded over the last twenty years or so. That’s why AskGrowers sits down with David, founder and co-owner of Spanish cannabis growshop Alchimiaweb, to chat about their origins, their business, and the future of the global cannabis industry. #growerstories

My name is David and I am the co-owner of Alchimiaweb, a growshop with more than eight thousand references located near Barcelona (Spain). This year we are 20 years old and we hope to celebrate many more growing happiness.

Tia (AskGrowers) : What or who inspired you to get into the cannabis industry?

David Saulina : We were both cannabis users and growers, and after the opening of the first grow shops and a visit to l’Interior (BCN) we agreed that we wanted to work on that. So in 2001 we opened our grow shop in Figueres.

Tia : How did you start your brand? Tell us your origin story.

David : Well, it all started about five years before starting our company. We founded Cànem Club Empordà, a research group about cannabis, after several trips to the Netherlands, which allowed us to organize cups and meet lots of local growers. All of this made us think that we were ready to open the shop and make a living, like going from activism to legal business.

Tia : What sets your brand apart from your competition? What makes your product special?

David : Alchimia is a one-stop grow shop, in the sense that we have a vast catalogue with thousands of different products. We also have our blog, where we create reliable information about cannabis cultivation and the properties of the plant, and of course our foundation, which supports several projects related to medicinal cannabis. As stated, we’re actually activists who try to run a serious, socially responsible company.

Tia : What’s your best selling product? Why do you think that one stands out so much?

David : Without a doubt, our top-seller products are seeds, especially feminised seeds. Barney’s Farm is our top-selling seed company.

Tia : Do you personally grow your cannabis? If so, what’s your favourite strain to grow and why?

David : Yes, I grow my own cannabis, for personal use. I also make my own extracts. There’s no chance that I’ll go to the black market to get cannabis for myself. Alchimia has always supported home-growing. We advise new growers and try to help people to grow their own bud. I just love sativas and since I’m an old-school grower I love classics like Haze, mainly because of the high. Among the new strains coming from the USA, I like Blue Sherbet, Gelato, Mimosa...

Tia : In your opinion, what’s the best way to consume cannabis? Why?

David : No doubts here for me. Vaping or, at least, a water pipe. But always without any tobacco.

Tia : What’s your personal consumption routine? What are the top three products that you’re using?

David : I always only consume with a vaporizer or dub, two or three times a day. I try to differentiate the work from the leisure moments as well. My three go-to products for me are the vaporizers, the whole line of organic fertilizers, and sativa plant seeds.

Tia : What are some of your top strains to smoke?

David : As I said before I love Haze varieties like Kalimist, our Easy Haze...there are so many of them! I also like Diesel strains, Sativa landraces. When it comes to our new genetics, which are full of really complex, creamy flavours we can find today in strains. In my opinion, Gelato or Cookies are amazing.

Tia : If you could smoke with anyone in this world, who would that be and why?

David : I’d enjoy vaping with [tooltip title="Barack Hussein Obama II" content="The 44th president of the United States."]Barack Obama[/tooltip]. It would be really interesting to enjoy a good sativa while listening first-hand about how “high global politics” works.

Tia : Are there any cannabis brands in Spain you appreciate and follow? If so, now is the time to give them a shout-out!

David : Well, until recently, my favourite Spanish brand was Dinafem. Sadly they had to close due to legal issues. Right now, and while being a much smaller company, I believe the guys at Ripper Seeds are doing a very creative and professional job, at least from the ones I know and follow here in Spain.

Tia : What’s your prediction about the cannabis industry for the next ten to fifteen years?

David : I believe that the seed of freedom that is sprouting in the U.S. will spread around the world and cannabis will be one of the top businesses at global level, for both for its medicinal and recreational uses.

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Thank you so much, Alchimia Web team, for taking the time to do the interview. To learn more about them, head on over to their website.