This article by Alex Halperin was originally published on WeedWeek, and appears here with permission. At Hey Emjay, a Los Angeles delivery service, eighths start at $16 and top out at $70. Almost all of the $70 offerings are indoor-grown flower from two brands, Connected and Alien Labs. On Friday afternoon, with hundreds of more affordable options available, several of the two brands’ SKUs had sold out. We’ve all heard 2020 was the year of the value brand. But no one seems to have told Connected, which acquired Alien Labs in 2017. According to data firm BDSA, between January and September 2020, Connected/Alien Labs generated more retail revenue selling branded flower — nearly $50M — than any other company in California. (Value brand Pacific Stone was a distant second.)