19TH ANNUAL EMERALD CUP AWARDS NAMES OCB® ROLLING PAPERS AS PRESENTING SPONSOR, HONORING A SHARED COMMITMENT TO COMMUNITY, QUALITY, AND SUSTAINABILITY

While the world awaits the results of the 2023 Emerald Cup, for hundreds of competitors, the stakes are higher than ever before. OCB® products provide Emerald Cup Judges and connoisseurs from coast to coast with a clean, smooth burn from plant to puff and adds to the authenticity that the Emerald Cup has earned over its 19-year history.

RICHMOND, Calif., April 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Emerald Cup (www.theemeraldcup.com) is proud to announce that OCB® Rolling Papers (www.ocbusa.com) has become a presenting sponsor for the 19th Emerald Cup Awards. Since 2004, the Emerald Cup has preserved and propagated a grassroots culture bred in the hills of the Emerald Triangle in Northern California that has spread its roots worldwide.

The organization celebrates the plant and recognizes the very best California has to offer. It has come to stand for community, quality, sustainability, and variety. The 2023 Emerald Cup presenting sponsor, OCB Rolling Papers, shares these values through a diverse collection of high-quality, sustainably made rolling papers and cones for today's consumer seeking the ideal rolling experience.

The OCB name pays homage to the century-long history of the brand. The "O" flows from the Odet River in Western France, where the founding family built the original paper mill in 1822. In 1918, they moved to a more modern mill in Cascadec, lending the "C" to the brand they introduced that same year. The "B" represents the founder, Rene Bolloré.

Aligning with the eco-conscious ethos of The Emerald Cup, OCB has elevated the standard for sustainable rolling papers. Inspired by nature, OCB uses fresh water from the French Alps, sustainably harvested natural fibers, and always-sticks natural Acacia gum to craft the world's finest rolling papers. OCB is committed to stewardship of the natural resources needed to sustain Earth, including investments in biomass boilers and water treatment facilities at our paper mill, which respectively save over 11,500 metric tons of CO2 annually and return water to Lake Léman that is 70% cleaner than regulations require.  The paper then goes to our booklet facility in Perpignan that is both carbon neutral and ISO 14001 certified.

"The partnership with Emerald Cup is the perfect marriage between two family-owned companies with deep roots in the community and a commitment to sustainability," says Becky Roll, Chief Revenue (Rolling) Officer at Republic Brands. "Our company started as a single head-shop on the north side of Chicago in 1969, grew into Adam's Apple distribution company, and supported legalization and normalization alongside the founders of NORML and High Times in the 1970s. Today, we're proud to lead the world in sustainability and innovation in rolling papers, still milled and made in France, just as they've always been for more than 200 years."

In March, over one hundred expert Emerald Cup Judges received their Judge's Kits that included over 700 top-shelf entries spanning over four dozen unique categories. Along with entries ranging from Sungrown Flower and Solventless Rosin, to Therapeutic Topical and the most Innovative Product, The Emerald Cup has continued to honor and acknowledge the evolution of the community.

The 19th Annual Emerald Cup Awards presented by OCB will be held on Saturday, May 13th, 2023, at the majestic Craneway Pavilion (www.craneway.com) on the waterfront in Richmond, California, with a private event guest list representing the most influential farms, brands, and businesspeople in California. That night over 150 winners will be presented with their awards live in front of their respected peers.

For nearly two decades, the Emerald Cup has introduced tens of thousands of attendees to the most potent and flavorful cultivars on the planet. Similarly, OCB has been crafting the finest paper on the planet in France, where rolling paper booklets were born in 1838. What a perfect pair.

With a mutual mission to preserve the plant's flavor and culture, the Emerald Cup and OCB recognize that tradition makes the community better and stronger. This partnership is a testament to our shared values.

Emerald Cup Judges each received a curated OCB tin stash box fully packed with the brand's full product line. These expert judges are raving about the full spectrum of OCB papers and cones as the slow burn of deliberation and in-depth judging continues throughout April until the winners are determined and announced at the 19th Annual Emerald Cup Awards presented by OCB.

"This community and this culture of ours all starts with a seed and a farmer. Then several months of hard work culminate in a bountiful harvest, and for all of the farmers we know, with a pack of rolling papers.  OCB Organic Hemp rolling papers also start with a seed on a farm in an organic co-op in Champagne, France," says Tim Blake, founder and producer of the Emerald Cup. "These same farmers, whether in the US or France, recognize that we are all just stewards of the land that we live, work, and play upon, and that regenerative and sustainable practices today ensure a better future. Since 2004, this has been our ethos at the Emerald Cup and perhaps never before has a brand partner matched that spirit quite like OCB Rolling Papers and Republic Brands. We truly feel that we have sparked up something special with this relationship."

(Emerald Cup Flower Judges roll up hundreds of fatties over the course of the competition and with OCB rolling papers at the final judges' table, the Cup adds to 19 years of earned authenticity.)

ABOUT THE EMERALD CUP:
Landing in the iconic Bay Area for the first time ever in 2023, the Emerald Cup is the world's premier cannabis competition and producer of the unrivaled live events. While advancing the concept of sustainable, sungrown farming, the 19-year-old organization's reputation is firmly rooted as the largest, most-respected cannabis competition in the world. As a group, the Emerald Cup prides itself in bringing together the leading experts in the cannabis industry to educate and inspire our fellow farmers, patients, and patrons each year. A community celebration that has grown to become a global movement honoring the year's finest consciously-grown cannabis harvests as well as the finest cannabis products available, the Cup stands as a beacon of excellence as it looks ahead to its 20th anniversary in 2024. (www.theemeraldcup.com)

ABOUT OCB:
The OCB Brand was born in 1918. We're imagined, invented, grown, harvested, milled, and manufactured in France. Our name pays homage to the Odet River, the Cascadec Mill, and the Bolloré family who started it all. Today, our family-owned paper mill sits on Lake Léman (Lake Geneva) in the foothills of the French Alps, and our rolling paper booklets are made in Perpignan, where Jean Bardou invented them in 1838. The lighthouse watermark on each of our papers is our beacon of excellence and represents OCB's commitment to quality, craft, and innovation.

For Emerald Cup press inquiries:
Marylyn Simpson
Kip Morrison and Associates
[email protected] 

For OCB press inquiries:
Leland Radovanovic
Trailblaze
[email protected]

SOURCE The Emerald Cup