Our Story
Cannabis consciousness
Swami Select mindfully cultivates craft cannabis in native Mendocino soil under the full sun, moon, and stars in the heart of Northern California’s famed Emerald Triangle.
Through our commitment to regenerative, responsible farming methods, we provide conscious connoisseurs with premium cannabis flowers for inspirational use.
Follow Swami Chaitanya on an insider’s journey through California’s craft cannabis community including insights into thoughtful cannabis cultivation and consumption, updates from the front lines of the global cannabis reform movement, and insider tips from experienced farmers, producers, and industry leaders.
Nikki & Swami:
The Cannabis
Couple
Co-founders of Swami Select, Nikki Lastreto and Swami Chaitanya each have their own roots deeply planted in cannabis culture, history, and knowledge. Always advocating for their fellow craft cannabis farmers, they both participate actively in political forums that shape legislation affecting local Emerald Triangle, and California-wide, small-batch cannabis cultivators.
Our Team
Nikki Lastreto
Nikki Lastreto was born in the right place at the right time to be a flower child in San Francisco in the Sixties. After years of being the Ultimate City Girl, working at The San Francisco Chronicle and KRON-TV, Nikki dropped out and traveled the world, living primarily in India. After several years, she returned to San Francisco, soon making her way north to the hills of Mendocino County. Now, as founder of Swami Select, she fosters the growth of sustainable, lab-tested craft cannabis that is cultivated in living soil using regenerative, organic methods.
Swami Chaitanya
Called “The Swami of Pot” by Rolling Stone Magazine, Swami Chaitanya is a radical human being. Having started life as an East Coast academic and now an Emerald Triangle homesteader in his seventies, Swami has helped shape both cannabis culture and policy over the years, making the transition himself from a rebellious outlaw to a respected thought leader in a multibillion dollar industry. A self-described “original hippie,” Swami moved to San Francisco in 1967. From there, he traveled the world, living in South America, Europe and India for many years before settling in Northern California’s Mendocino County in the heart of the Emerald Triangle. Also a well-known figure in the music festival scene, Swami speaks and teaches publicly on meditation, spirituality, and more.
Our Allies
Clean Green Certified
Certifies cannabis grown using international sustainable and organic practices.
Dragonfly Earth Medicine Pure
Recognizes the highest growing practices for healthy, clean medicine.
The Emerald Cup
A celebration of the cannabis plant, the culture surrounding it, and the farmers who bring it to harvest each year.
Mendocino Cannabis Alliance
Represents the heritage of Mendocino County as a globally renowned cannabis-producing region.
Mendocino Producers Guild
Crafting the world we want through a commitment to the integrity of our products and passion for the land and water.
Sweetleaf Collective Compassion
California’s oldest compassion program with over 25 years of providing free cannabis to those in need.
