Delta 9 Cannabis Specialist, Assistant Manager, Finish 1-2 in Manitoba in Canada’s Top Budmaster™ Competition
Bob Hanson Vaults into Top-10 in Canada
Bob Hanson, Delta 9 Cannabis Specialist
Delta 9 Cannabis Specialist Bob Hanson and Delta 9 Osborne store Assistant Manager Donnie Smith were ranked 1-2 in Manitoba after the first round of Canada’s Top Budmaster™ competition sponsored by Aurora Cannabis, and Hanson also cracked the top 10 in Canada!
Both Hanson and Smith will now join 98 fellow budmasters for the Secret Shopper portion of the contest. In the first round of the competition, contestants were tested on their cannabis knowledge through a series of online questions about plant anatomy, growing techniques, cannabis accessories, culture and history, cooking with cannabis, and Aurora’s portfolio of products.
In the second round, the top 100 contestants will be visited by a secret shopper, who will rank them based on their product knowledge, customer service skills, and how well they match the needs of customers with the cannabis products best suited for them.
The top 10 finishers in the Secret Shopper round will move on to the final Mystery Box round of the competition. Aurora will work with the cannabis stores where the top 10 are employed and provide an in-store Mystery Box Challenge that will put each budtender’s skills to the test with a series of eight mini-challenges. The contestant who completes the mini-challenges in the fastest and most accurate fashion will be crowned Canada’s Top Budmaster.
“I’m really hoping to get one of the mystery boxes,” said Hanson, whose background should help him excel in the second round of the competition.
Hanson has been a cannabis advocate for over 20 years and has worked as a Cannabis Specialist at Delta 9 for 1½ years. He was also a judge at the Canadian Cannabis Awards, a black tie affair held at the Royal York Hotel in Toronto on November 8. Sponsored by Lift & Co. the Canadian Cannabis Awards (CCAs) recognize excellence and innovation in Canada’s cannabis industry, highlighting the best people, products and companies in Canadian cannabis.
“I was honoured to be chosen as a judge,” said Hanson. “I’ve always been an ambassador for Lift and I do a lot of reviews for them on cannabis companies, strains, Licensed Producers etc. I also rate all the cannabis that I try.”
Bob Hanson helps Delta 9 customers make informed decisions.
Hanson recently completed the first of three courses in The Science of Cannabis program at McMaster University in Hamilton, and said it was a combination of decades of practical experience, Delta 9 and Lift & Co. training, and The Science of Cannabis program that helped him do well in the first round of the competition.
“Everything helped,” said Hanson. “Lift and Delta 9 offer excellent training and I’ve read just about every grow book out there. I also have quite a few personal contacts who know genetics and breeding.”
The 47-year-old Winnipegger loved the pomp and pageantry of the Canadian Cannabis Awards but enjoyed the company of his peers even more.
“We did the red carpet and everything that goes with it,” said Hanson. “It was an incredible event. I sat at a table with some of the brightest cannabis minds in Canada, judges, growers and budmasters. And I got to meet Kevin Anderson from Broken Coast, one of Canada’s top growers. That was the highlight of the trip for me. The team from Broken Coast is amazing and Delta 9 sells a number of their products.”
Hanson is already looking forward to the Secret Shopper round of the competition.
“We won't know when they're coming,” said Hanson. “But we’re ready. Everyone at Delta 9 treats customers based on their unique preferences. We show them where the sativas, indicas and hybrids are, let them look at all the strains up close and smell them, guide them through the different options, and answer any questions they might have. We help them make informed and educated decisions.”
Will that be good enough to get Hanson and Smith through to the final round of Canada’s Top Budmaster?
We think it will!
