Women in Cannabis: Christina Wong
By Camelia Wong
A talk with writer and cannabis baker, Christina Wong, founder & CEO of Fruit +Flower Co.
When Christina Wong was young, she had a few bad experiences with cannabis that made her wary of using it again because she thought her body just didn’t agree with it. However, years later she was “properly” introduced to the plant through her first job in the industry at Papa & Barkley, a California-based cannabis wellness brand. “For the first time, I was educated on the plant; how it grows, its medicinal and wellness benefits, and most importantly how to consume it in a safe and fruitful way,” says Wong. “Once I had good experiences with cannabis and realized that cannabis can be used to help people feel better, and not just get fucked up, I was all in.”
Cannabis has opened up a creative avenue for Wong that she never could have imagined. After posting on her baking blog a recipe for basic cannabis-infused cookies, she received a lot of positive feedback and saw that there was a large interest in these special treats. “I started making beautiful cannabis-infused desserts that would inspire people to think beyond the pot brownie,” Wong shares. “I loved how a cannabis-infused dessert could look beautiful, taste delicious when paired with a terpene profile, and affect how people might feel.”
As she worked on developing recipes for cannabis-infused desserts, Wong felt confused and frustrated while conducting research because she couldn’t find definitive answers for the amount of flower to incorporate in order to determine how high a person would get. “I'd worry that I'd make something too potent and get fucked up. Or worse, give something to someone that was too potent for their tolerance,” Wong says. “The process of how people make potent cannabutter and then substitute into a recipe felt overly confusing and left me with more questions than answers. So I started writing recipes that do the cannamath to properly dose per serving, and teach home bakers how to cook and bake with cannabis.”
Today, Wong wears many hats as a baker, writer, and digital creator. She has over 20,000 followers on Instagram and launched her newsletter, Fruit+Flower Unfurled, late last year. Subscribers are given access to exclusive recipes, curated guides, and dessert drop alerts.
When asked what her hopes are for the future of cannabis, Wong expresses that she would like to see more people value and appreciate cannabis artisans and the craft nature of cannabis. She hopes for more willingness to support small farmers and appreciate outdoor sun-grown cannabis like is seen at farmer's markets. “I hope for more diverse BIPOC, minority, and woman-owned products and brands and a system that supports, promotes, and amplifies them,” says Wong. “More people breaking down the stigmas and letting go of any shame associated with consuming cannabis.”