Activism, cannabis, and the queer culture are at the heart of NYC's Flamer pre-roll brand. Co-founders Wyatt, Matias, and Khalil met through NYC's gay community and discovered they shared a passion for activism during their involvement with the Black Lives Matter movement during COVID-19. Flamer is a brand built out of authenticity and influenced by the trio's experience in the NYC queer community. When marketers talk about the benefits of branding from authenticity, this is what they mean. http...
Nov 28, 2023•51 min•Ep. 87
Our latest guest is Paul Weaver, who is head of R&D for Boston Beer's cannabis division based in Toronto. They are the creators of TeaPot, a THC-infused iced tea brand they are testing and perfecting in Canada with plans to launch in the US when the time is right. So far, they are accruing accolades and awards for Teapot. Great name. Innovating Cannabis is produced and hosted by Pam Chmiel, a journalist, freelance writer, and marketing and PR specialist in the cannabis industry. Get in touch...
Nov 16, 2023•40 min•Ep. 86
Christian Chavez, CEO and co-founder of Statis Cannabis Co. , is the first dispensary to open in the Bronx just a few months ago. Christian tells us how he went from running a successful construction and real estate business to being a dispensary owner with plans to open more around the city. Statis represents urban luxury and plans to elevate the culture in the Bronx. Find out how things are going for Christian and his team so far. https://statiscannabis.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/christia...
Nov 09, 2023•28 min•Ep. 85
Colin Decker was born and raised in Upstate NY and has been growing cannabis since he was about 13 when his mother gifted him with a tin of seeds a Dutch friend gave her. Colin went from legacy to legal and launched his preroll brand, 7 Seaz. He is determined to be a dominant brand in the state and is innovating with a triple-infused preroll called the Tsunami. Colin is giving back to the community with a non-profit he started that will eventually help to subsidize cannabis farmers in need of fu...
Oct 30, 2023•45 min•Ep. 83
Today I speak with Hirsh Jain , founder of Ananda Strategy . Hirsh is a cannabis industry consultant and expert in government policy. He helps guide a company's competitive licensing efforts, expansion strategy, regulatory compliance, M&A activity, and venture capital funds across North America and Western Europe. Hirsh shares current policy developments happening state-by-state and how they can affect a cannabis business strategy. https://www.linkedin.com/in/hirsh-jain/ https://anandastrate...
Oct 23, 2023•1 hr•Ep. 82
Adrian Adams, Ed. D. is the NY Director for Minorities For Medical Marijuana and has spent years working as an advocate for the social equity community in many ways. And once again, he is looking for innovative ways to uplift those who deserve a chance to thrive in the cannabis industry. Adrian is brokering deals to bring together successful business owners and license holders who need their expertise to attract investor capital. It's a solution that will give investors the confidence to invest ...
Oct 19, 2023•30 min•Ep. 81
When entrepreneurs decide they want to start a cannabis-based business, most likely they get distracted with the arduous process of applying for a license. However not getting the layout and design of their facility right can cost more to fix in the long run due to the legal complexities of the industry. Today we meet Brian Anderson , co-founder of Massachusetts-based architectural firm, Anderson Porter. In addition to designing dispensaries, they have experience building pharmaceutical-grade an...
Oct 12, 2023•49 min•Ep. 80
Many know Nikki Lawley in the cannabis industry for sharing her true story about how she used cannabis to help her heal from a brain trauma injury. Nikki is on a mission to help bridge the gap between the medical and recreational communities and get both sides communicating instead of the hateful rant toward corporate cannabis. Nikki is shining a light on both entities hoping they will find a way to work together to build the cannabis industry. Nikki and I take a deep dive into NY's medical prog...
Oct 09, 2023•45 min•Ep. 79
Thank you to our SHOW SPONSOR -- WWW.ARVANNA.COM A well-known cattle rancher and craft lettuce farmer in the tiny town of Millerton, NY, teamed up to join the cannabis industry and launched the brand, Alchemy Pure. I spoke to Chris Regan, Alchemy Pure's head grower and co-founder. We talk about what makes them stand out, their plans for launching a line of tinctures and gummies into the marketplace, and how they plan to establish their brand and compete with West Coast cultivators once the borde...
Sep 25, 2023•33 min•Ep. 78
Thank you to our show sponsor --- ARVANNA This Cannabis Franchise Is Making Inroads In The North East Partnering with a franchise is a great way to fast-track a business, and get a built-in team of professionals, especially in the highly regulated cannabis industry. Sweet Spot Farms , a franchise in the NE has been quietly building cultivation facilities and dispensaries to support its franchise operations. They have licenses in Vermont, Rhode Island, NJ, Maine, and Maryland. Franchise veteran E...
Sep 21, 2023•27 min•Ep. 77
Thank you to this show's sponsor: ARVANNA ( https://arvanna.com/ ) Ruben Lindo is well known as someone working hard to make sure that everyone gets a fair shake in the cannabis industry. He started down the path of medical school and ended up developing a CBD-based product to help his daughter battle a disease that was causing her hair to fall out. It worked and that's when he launched Phoenix Nutraceutical. He went on to start a THC brand in Michigan called Balk Mar Farms and is eyeing his hom...
Sep 07, 2023•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 76
Interview with Gary George, CEO of The Real Canna Consulting From a long career in the music industry as a recording rap artist, audio engineer, and marketing agency owner, Gary George stepped into the cannabis industry when his son asked him for help applying for a NJ dispensary license. He ended up consulting and writing applications for other social equity entrepreneurs and launched a yearly conference to support their business growth called The Real Cannabis Entrepreneur. It's a two-day busi...
Aug 29, 2023•46 min•Ep. 75
Jaime Gorman and Laurel Mason. Two great women from Upstate NY that love making bubble hash and have jumped into the gummy game by launching hash rosin gummies in NY (Soccer mom alert!). They are self-taught and inspired by the late Frenchy & Madame Cannoli, Mila the Hash Queen, among others. Solventless extraction products have been very popular on the West Coast for years, and NY is about to catch up thanks to these ladies from Highland Goat. https://www.linkedin.com/company/highland-goat/...
Aug 16, 2023•38 min•Ep. 74
Today we meet Robert Beasley, the CEO of Fluent, a Florida-based vertically integrated cannabis company with operations also in Pennsylvania and Texas, and more on the way. He felt his company missed out on opportunities the last two years when the rest of the industry was flying high, and MSOs were scooping up licenses in a state-by-state expansion frenzy. But, actually, Fluent may have dodged the bullet. While companies were on a spending spree, Robert was brought in to restructure Fluent and ...
Aug 04, 2023•44 min•Ep. 73
Today we meet Hayley Dineen and Lana Van Brunt, the ladies behind the cannabis lifestyle brand and design company Sackville & Co. They both have years of experience in luxury product design and brand development. They stepped into the cannabis y introducing a line of accessories that speaks to the Gen-Z and Millennials. And they have forged partnerships with the likes of Sundae School and Playboy to create cannabis branded accessories. We talk about their approach to branding a whole new ind...
Jul 24, 2023•40 min•Ep. 72
Universities across the country are working in all areas of research and development to advance cannabis cultivation, medicine, drug delivery and technology. But these innovations are collecting dust because universities are not in the business of business and taking products to market. Today we meet Lance Anderson he is a partner at the law firm Dickinson Wright and is uniquely positioned to play matchmaker to research universities, entrepreneurs, and VC s to help them create partnerships and u...
Jul 06, 2023•43 min•Ep. 71
Sensory science is the next step to elevate product development for cannabis brands. Today we meet Dr. Ed S zczygiel. He is an expert in sensory science and head of product development at Cambium Analytica, where he partners with cannabis brands to create products based on sensory science. Ed has created one of the first Cannabis Aroma Lexicons to assist brands in developing unique and standout products based on sensory science. He claims that terpenes are just one class of hundreds of aroma-act...
Jun 27, 2023•46 min•Ep. 70
Today we meet Corinne Devine, a biochemist and Director of Lab and Product Development for Bristol Extracts, a cultivation, processing, and manufacturer in Upstate NY. Corinne walks us through the seed-to-sale operations for their Senior Moment product line. Why they chose to focus on seniors and how their products are specifically formulated for this demographic and how they are rolling things out in NY! https://www.linkedin.com/in/corinne-devine/ https://www.bristolextracts.com/ Innovating Can...
Jun 20, 2023•48 min•Ep. 69
Franny Tacy is laying the groundwork in Asheville, NC, for when the state turns recreational. She began as a hemp farmer, added a 420-friendly B&B to her property, opened a handful of CBD stores, started a franchise that spans multiple states, and has a line of hemp-based pasta she said she can't keep in stock. Franny is a smart and strategic businesswoman diversifying and waiting for the cannabis industry in North Carolina. Let's see how she is doing it. https://www.linkedin.com/in/franny-t...
Jun 06, 2023•42 min•Ep. 68
Today we dig into the science behind cannabinoid treatment for the elderly with Dr. Swathi Varanasi . She is an Integrative Health and Medical Cannabis Pharmacist and the co-founder of CBD company Element Apothec. She has spent significant time educating providers and physicians, speaking at events such as the Cannabis Science Conference to, lecturing at pharmacy schools and medical schools, and working with organizations like the American Psychiatry Association and National Kidney Foundation. A...
May 25, 2023•46 min•Ep. 67
Thinking about regulations is the least sexy part of the cannabis industry, says CEO Marion Mariathasen of Simplifya. But it's necessary for cannabis businesses to use compliance tools to stay one step ahead of regulators. We discuss the repercussions and how easy and cost-effective it is with tools like Simplifya. We talk about their challenges, partnerships, and the work they are doing with regulators and banks in preparation for national legalization. https://www.linkedin.com/in/marionmariath...
May 20, 2023•28 min•Ep. 66
Is New York State doing social equity entrepreneurs a favor by putting them first in line for cannabis business licenses that will cost them millions to launch? It's clear from the recent news that CAURD license holders signed a public letter claiming their extreme concern about the state's fumbled role out of the social equity program. Meet Dezo El, born and raised in the projects in Brownsville, Brooklyn, a legacy grower, cannabis activist, and someone who has served time because of it. Dezo w...
May 11, 2023•40 min•Ep. 65
Today we meet Willie McKenzie, founder and CEO of Left Coast Holdings, a vertically integrated operation in Michigan. He started growing in the medical market in Northern California, but after building a costly cultivation infrastructure in preparation for the recreational market, he discovered that his property was not properly zoned. This decreased the value significantly, and in addition to the taxes and regulations, Willie decided to uproot his business to Michigan, where everything was more...
May 03, 2023•29 min•Ep. 64
Nathan Johnson, CEO of Verne Bioanalytics, an innovator in cannabis genetic and pathogen testing and analysis. They work with seasoned and new cultivators to educate them on the dangers and pitfalls of pathogens, and they help cultivators obtain the cannabinoid genetics they are specifically looking for. Nathan is also the CTO of the company Cannabisque. They are building a database of known cannabinoids based on scientific literature and cataloging their effects on the body. They use AI to crea...
Apr 24, 2023•44 min•Ep. 63
What Does It Take To Start A Cannabis TV Channel? A few have tried, but the industry was too new, and the general public was still adjusting to cannabis being legal. Today we meet Kerri Accardi, she has been documenting the cannabis industry since 2014. She has knocked on the doors of mainstream networks and made deals with the likes of CBS to produce educational cannabis content. Kerri talks about how she launched Cannected TV, the challenges she faces, who she is working with, and her plans fo...
Apr 03, 2023•56 min•Ep. 62
There are many challenges to getting the cannabis industry off the ground, and one is getting doctors on board to study the endocannabinoid system. But getting overworked doctors to study is a challenge. After working for 15 years in a VA Hospital treating many veterans whose health and wellness had been compromised by alcohol abuse, Dr. Jordan Tishler, a Harvard-educated medical doctor, started to explore cannabis medicine as an alternative treatment. Today he is a cannabis activist and practic...
Mar 31, 2023•45 min•Ep. 61
Ben Gilbert was a journalist and editor at the Business Insider newspaper before he burned out on the work and pivoted to cannabis to start the media company ALL CAPS™, where he specifically works with the LEGACY market in New York. Ben said that All Caps is not only a MEDIA AGENCY that produces EVENTS, GHOSTWRITING, MARKETING and PUBLIC RELATIONS but an incubator or accelerator program that helps the person growing weed to be a person who is operating a legitimate company. Ben kicked off All Ca...
Mar 27, 2023•41 min•Ep. 60
What does it take to go from legacy to legal in Arizona? Meet Chris Martin, he grew up in foster care in Kansas and moved to Arizona, where he was busted for cannabis, served time, and had another brush with the law and faced life in prison. Most people would crush under these circumstances, but Chris fought back for himself and his family. He now owns multiple cannabis CPG brands, a non-profit, and was recently awarded licenses for a vertical operation in NM. He claims Arizona is not welcoming ...
Mar 16, 2023•35 min•Ep. 59
Today we speak to Joe Schafer, a lawyer with Lippes Mathias Law Firm in Buffalo, NY, for his insights into how entrepreneurs are dealing with the states slow industry rollout. We talk about the legal injunction holding up social equity licenses, and why Upstate NY urgently needs dispensaries open for farmers and brands to sell their products and to get money flowing through the marketplace. Farmers are sitting on 300,000 pounds of cannabis crop from their last harvest and are at risk of losing o...
Feb 27, 2023•36 min•Ep. 58
If you have a website and running an e-commerce business, you need SEO to drive website traffic and build brand awareness. I interviewed Efrain Sanchez, CEO of Growth Logiq, a cannabis-focused SEO company that will get your brand ranking high on Google. We talk about: * How to make Sure Your Website Content Has Topical Authority on Google. * The lack of content quality in the cannabis space. * How websites are killing their SEO with duplicate content. * The importance of knowledge graphs. * Syma...
Feb 16, 2023•29 min•Ep. 57
