Calyxeum

Yeah, what's going on everybody, and welcome to a new episode of my canon Cast.

I'm Cana, Dave and I'm Groovy. On today's episode, we have special guests Rebecca LaToya, founders and owners of Collexium. Thank you for joining us, ladies.

Yay, this is our first five person recorded. This has been crazy for me to figure out, but we got to go in excited to have everyone here learn about Collexium Detroit brand and have their hands a little bit of everything. We already got the products on the table demoing, but we always like to talk about who we're talking to first, so we love to hear how we all got into cannabis and just we y'all are people go back history?

Yeah, LaToya, you want me to go first?

All right?

All right? So yeah, my name is LaToya Rucker. I'm the CEO and co founder of Collexium. I got my starting at cannabis through being a caregiver. It had just became legal and Michigan and I was definitely not for any illegal anything, so it had to be legal for

You Recca.

Cannabis helped me, like as an adult in corporate America, deal with things like anxiety and chronic headaches and just frustration of being.

An adult, you know.

And then my dad, who was a veteran, he struggled with a lot of similar things pain management, needed help sleeping. So I started researching more natural ways that he could achieve those because you know, a lot of older people trust the doctors a lot, so they always are going to the doctor. And one time I asked him, I said, you go to the VA all the time. Why haven't you got better? And he could not answer me, and I was like, maybe we should research some things that

Well, thank you for that.

And I like that he came from two different backgrounds, probably complimentary to the brand itself, you know, because we are very much the same. Like he's very much marketing and business and I'm very much creative and on this, like on all this tech stuff as y'all see. So I think that can build a stronger brand.

Absolutely definitely.

And the passion for the medical side too, and taking care of your family, you know, that's huge.

Yeah.

Yeah, I had so many family members that, you know. Once my grandmother like got a hold of it, she spread the words all her friends, and I started making literally anything somebody would ask. I would try to make pizza infused with cannabis, bombs and fused with cannabis. Like, I tried it all, you know. I love that.

Yeah, I kind of want some pizza infused. That sounds good.

What was so, how long have you been in growing and the involved with like actually the cultivation.

Side, so from a caregiver perspective, says too that and nine. But we got our cultivation license around two years ago.

Okay, is that when Collectium opened.

So we started doing more marketing back in the pandemic. Like, so we launched officially in twenty nineteen, yeah right, but.

We had products on the shelf in twenty twenty.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

So your retail license, uh, not your retail license, your cultivation license. What kind of uh do you mind me asking? How do you like do you guys grow as it you were kind of like nutrients used or anything, like.

All right, this is Latoya's time.

Yeah, no, I straight up like I could put my mic down as well. That suggests you all too, We'll listen in now. I love Edge because this is so informative though, you know.

Because I think it's a game changer for you to have your own flower inside the retail stop absolutely store instead of somebody else's.

He vertically integrated. I feel like it's very powerful.

I think I think it's almost like a not a must, but it just helps you so much better. And if you fall in love with the flower, you're going to continue going to the store and supporting that's a brand over.

Yeah, And like I just came from retail, and like we talked about, we come from different backgrounds, so I'm really good at selling and being like out there, and LaToya likes to do more of the you know, behind the scenes stuff that I could never really do, you know, So it works out. But yeah, it helps when I'm in the store and I get to talk about, you know, we grew this weed, right, and I get to tell them about where it came from and how it makes them feel I get to show on pictures in my

The table. It's definitely farm the table. Yeah. So as a caregiver, I started off using canna. Like cana to me was just a really clean neutrient line. And again I'm coming from like a medical perspective, so I did a lot of research on all the different type of nutrients. I've had advanced hydro you know, throwing you all kind of stuff and use this for you know, the next six months. And it's like, I really liked how clean

I've seen those nutrients out there. Yeah, I've heard of canon too back in the day as well. A lot of growers you're using that impact.

So we grow in coco one to two gallons uh, you know drip feed. We use HPS ninety ninety lights throughout our facility, full hps. HPS.

That's cool. I love it because that's where like that, that's where it came from. You know, you see this big LED bush you know all the time everywhere. I've seen actually checkerboards.

Now, yeah, you know that's new.

And I love people going HPS for as long it took them forever to switch over.

Yeah, I use LEDs now. I was HPS for the longest, but I'm just like a small time.

And yeah, but we're considering LED because you know, you're trying to save money. The costs of cannabis in Michigan is, you know, completely plummeted, so you have to figure out how to grow an economical pound and that may require you to you know, switch over to LEDs and really kind of figure out some ways to cut costs but still have a quality product.

Right, absolutely, absolutely, And I say that's great. I love that you come from a medical aspect because when you're coming from a medical aspect, you're going to you want the best product for your consumer to try, and you don't see that as often with a lot of these brands. There's something. I mean, there's a lot that we see it with, but there's some brands, like the big brands, that they don't care about it. And when you show the passion with it, it comes out within the product

Yeah, people really know. It's like for our Morascottie cake.

Our cream, our pink pea which is pink pussy. Some stores, you know, some stores are sensitive. Some stores, you know.

I remember there was a string called wet Pea out there.

Tricks or whatever, and dog Ship.

Those are three most distinct.

Scotti cake sounds good, like that.

Sounds That's been one of our That was one of our first strains we had on shelves. So it's more of our one of our o G strains that we bring back sometimes.

So you're doing, you guys do a different R and D then I'm assuming.

So recently, you know, as a as a salesperson, I'm going to the growers like I need new flavors, you know, but also as a smoker, you know, LaToya is more of an edible lover and so I have to sometimes her feedback of what flower people like. You know, I'm more of flower power. I love cannabis and how versatile it is. But I mean I'm a flower power child.

All right, let's let's go through the table here. So we got flower flower edibles is your choice? Your choice? Wow, that's awesome. I love that. That's such like sinus issues. That makes sense. And then okay, summer you flower hash or that dabs your hybrid. Personally, I am Dabs. I am team Dabs. I don't know, I just love it so much. I love it.

Yeah, okay, I got them, all right, Yeah, we want.

To do that. We want to get into the live rocks and gang. We think we got some strands that will definitely wash you know that can can try homes because people love our trim. You know, they'll smoke our trim. So it's like, if it's coming out like that and trim, I can't what it would be like for hash.

Definitely, I would highly recommend trying to. I mean that's a new I mean not new, but a lot of people are enjoying the hashtags are enjoying it.

I think flower will always kind of be king. It would always be the top notch. Everyone's going to flower because it creates all the rest. Right, it's the plant, but cultiv that's why cultivations like so important. But people have got so good at washing like that because it's become more common knowledge. I feel like and I'm just so impressed with some of the turps that you can get.

You know, it smells just like the plant, Like literally you can't tell the difference. So I think that's pretty cool.

Maybe be a little bit more potent to sometimes that's the.

Big fan. So we got a little bit of your products, so you're vertically integrated. You grow what we talked about your edibles. We see you got like strawberry shortcake. Here, let's talk about some of your products like outside of the oh.

So, one of the reasons we started Collectionium is because of professional women the tway and I professionals and entrepreneurs prior to cannabis, Like, we noticed that cannabis in a professional setting was like stigmatized. Like people could call happy hour and get drunk, but nobody would, you know, back right, you know, but they smell a joint outside just the whiff of a joint, and it's like all hell yeah, you're a druggie. Do you need somebody to talk to?

Really.

Yes, it's you know.

It's almost like the opposite for David, here's the door.

Especially back in the day, you know, it was you know, smoking is more of like a manly thing. And I know, you guys can admit, even in the legal industry, a lot of brands are very manly.

You know, it's a male dominant industry, right it needs a shift.

But that's how it is, right, and we just wanted to add like a classy touch with a little bit of femininity, not like really, but like, you know, a little bit. And so the name Collexium, even in this even in the name of it, is talking about the female part of the plant. So anyways, so a lot of our products are marketed towards women. So for like, our gummy line is dessert flavor, because we know a

It's like Chokola factory, the Willie Walker and the chocolate factory effect. You know, it's actually the lasting god stopper. Like that last flavor is the dessert, right. It tastes just like blueberry pie.

Yeah, and all of our flowers, I mean, we got some good marketing campaigns out there that's like make you hungry and then all our flowers, like our pre rolls are well. We always do effect base because even when I'm in the store, I always ask somebody, how do you want to feel? You know, and so instead of exactly yeah, you know, some of our test high, but but most of our strains are very flavorful, high turfy.

Know, I've been I love that nose nose. I could trust my terms for days, because like you just know, if it's it's like food right, if it smells good, it's gonna taste good to you, you know, hopefully, but you know, if it's cooked right and it's grown right. But I think all your nose is the best, you know, that's the best way to go.

And we don't have that issue.

You know.

There's a lot of issues in the legal cannabis market, the price, the politics, the stigma, blah blah blah. But we can grow some good weed. You know. I'm at the stores all the time. I talk to buyers all the time. As soon as I open the bag, they like, oh yeah, that's that gap, you know, because I think you know, LaToya and the cultivation team. We don't cut corners because you know, I think because of our background

Is smooth good.

So yeah, you know so, and we oftentimes get that feedback. So yeah, dessert Edibles effect line. You know, a lot of femininity, but still a lot of gas. A lot of guys fuck with us.

So it sounds like yo, folks on aesthetics a little bit. You just kind of make it look nice too as well as good quality smoke. Yes, and when you talk about all your products, where where's your shop?

At? Gattet in Southwest Detroit And then the majority of the stores that we're in are in the Detroit area as well, because we do do wholesale as well of our problems, so most we're mostly in the Detroit area. A couple of suburbs, but yeah, we find us on we maps.

Yeah there you go there, you go, there, you go. I have a question, and you know, because especially we just talked about male dominant industry as a female owned company as well as people of color, what adversities have you like faced or what I mean?

Okay that I get, I.

Mean, what haven't you faced? I guess, I guess what challenges have you seen in any advice you could give to other women or any people of color going in this direction? You know, because I feel like a lot you know, it's it's easy to learn, people have been through it.

You know.

Yeah, sounds your reaction volumes, so you know what I mean.

I think us starting by telling us, telling y'all our history is really the reason we're still doing this because the amount of barriers that we have overcame and are still overcoming. It's crazy, you know, just to grow we legally they make it like being Rocket Sciences. Probably being a Rocket Sciences is probably easier than what we doing. So so you know, to summarize it, it's really expensive. And when I mean really expensive, it doesn't make sense.

Like what the fuck? It's crazy because like we used to be like when you paid a little extra, you got you knew you were getting some quality, you know, like it was almost like a flex to pay more. Now it's like I want a two dollars pre roll infuse please, Like yeah, with what right?

It's just the trend, the trend of the of the the marketing of the industry and stuff like that. It's also a barrier that we are overcoming now because when we first got into this game, you know, the margins were a little better, so it made it made sense because we're running a business. Yeah, we passion and all that stuff, but we running a business. We got bills and employees, so you know, the margins is tight, and uh,

I would just say, I mean to piggyback off what she's said about being a rocket science. It's like, just imagine the hardest thing you've ever done in life, and this is it. This is the most challenging thing that I've ever faced. So I would say to people, like, you know, don't rush into it right, build it slow and and really focus on being authentic, but also just being a business person and trying to keep your overhead as low as possible when people shoot high numbers at you, like, no,

It's you.

It is the backbone. You have to you have to eat to live and they're to me, a yeah, And so it's like one of those things where you just have to constantly, like put nothing but positive energy into you so that the situation, whatever it is you face on a daily basis, it doesn't get the best of you because it for some people that could. And I can see why people walk away, you know, I understand.

It's good, that is true.

Sometimes when you go through those tough times, it builds that strength up. You know, it's real, that's really man.

Let me get out, let me say. It's just very hard, you know. And on the business standpoint, a lot of times I think about is it even worth it? Because there's several other industries that you can go to and and make money, make a living, you know, and a lot of US cannabis professionals we stressed out work life balance is what is that? Is that Japanese?

You know?

So I think the reason that I'm stealing it and maybe LaToya too, is really the people that we are helping. We consistently get DMS messages about that's fire, that's helped me with my headaches, with my cramps, et cetera, et cetera, and that is what keeps pushing us forward. And you know, maybe one day the business part will catch up. But you know, also I also try to have some optimism. And you know, a lot of brands are consolidating right now, but we see us expanding and growing and doing more

All about the model. You have, a lot of these business came in buying huge and just kept stacking licenses. Now something five thousand plants that they barely can maintain. So now their quality goes down and then all of a sudden the price drops eighty percent, and now how are you going to keep that overhead? Like if you scale correctly, We've seen businesses be okay throughout this even you know, but they're only five people operations with machines

So on the cultivation side, I would say for four of us that are there most times within six you know, including.

Part time you got have helped trimming and other like smaller Kingston Okay, cool harvest activities.

It's a lot of work.

Yeah, I mean that's the thing like some of these these companies, you know, these camps comes to here like under ten people. A lot of them are, you know, like and it's tough.

We work very hard. Our team is very hard working. And you know, Latoy and I are cute today on this podcast, but every you know, every other day we are and what we are working like, you know, I manage our our harvest a lot of times because it's something I found myself to be really good at because I have like this project management background. So I signed role and it works, you know, it's it's it's working, so you know, but it's hard work. You know, I'm wearing workout clothes and gyp shoot.

You know.

So a lot of a lot of people think the cannabis industry is sexy, and I think a lot of the ancillary side is, but a lot of us operators is not sexy at all. We are very hard working, so, you know, I think that's another reason we've been able to be successful and grow is because we are not afraid of working because it's hard work.

Yeah.

Yeah, there's a lot of grindings industry, and then all the politics and then the sales, and then then there's just a lot of.

You know, even you guys have had bank accounts taming down. It doesn't even say banking for it's just such a while.

It's the thing.

It's a legal industry, but you can't put your money in the bank. It's never it's never even it doesn't compute, you know. I mean you're saying earlier like you're you're like a logical person like me too, Like that doesn't make sense legal my you know, sometimes like legal ish sometimes you know, yeah, and it's like that's just not right for these people. But we still got to pay our taxes.

They don't. They collect their taxes though. Still I feel that the industry was gray if you will, gray if you will for a minute, it's not gray if you will for a minute. But then they wanted everybody to go legal, but us going legal. They make us feel like more of criminals than when we were caregivers. And literally, I.

Mean she knew what you were doing.

The CRA showing up all the time, giving you know, a billion dollars worth of fines. You know, you gotta track all this stuff, tag all this stuff. If one thing is off, I mean, it's just crazy.

It's just And then this is the way. We've also heard CRA going in and doing like bus but like like they kind of come in doing their own version of a raid and over over a phone call. Because someone reported this to us, who reported it, We can't

That's what you have to understand. Like they're the cannabis police. Yes, you just have to you know, do the right thing right and have a relationship with them, have an open door policy. Look, we're open to regulations that's that's what we have to do in order to be in this industry unfortunately.

And that's cool, but there's people with putting back door like distill on this market, back door flowers like those the people that we need the CIRA, that we do need the CIRA. It's like, I'm not saying we don't need them, we need them very necessary. I think sometimes they're distracted by bullshit. And I don't know if that's political meaning that's you know, leadership, or if that's literally like people just calling in and distracting people like old

Uh, do you have your own processing license or do like so you do you make your own notables or do you have someone go ahead?

No, we partner.

We partnered with someone, so we took our recipe that I have been you know, as a caregiver, making my grandmother. She loved gummies. That was like her favorite product that I would make for ours, the gummies. It's so basically just over time, you know, that recipe and creating sps for it. We got into the hand of a really great partner and they're making them for us.

Okay, very cool. So you have a retail and then the cultivation license okay yeah, and so what's your You said you have infused pre roles. What are they infused with?

Yeah, so we use live resin yeh.

And is it harder?

What a processor? It's our it's our flower. And then we source the resin from the processor.

Okay, yeah, yeah, you know. And then also does you know we talk about adversity and stuff like you started literally right when the pandemic would start, right pretty much, so it's like, you know, you started in like the time them. It was probably one of the hardest times to start any business. The cannabis. Who's so overregulated in my thoughts, but it was a crazy time.

Chris know how he did that?

But yeah, you're still standing, you know, right, and you got your own shot, Like that's cool, that's really powerful.

Yeah.

Brick and mortar ads a whole nother expense.

You know, stress, I'm sure like you responsible, but I think now just based off of the way the industry is, like, it's really about strategic partnerships. You know. Yeah, I don't want to own one hundred percent of anything at this point. This is too much work. You know, you have to have a team and you got to have folks that you can rely on. And so I feel like that's kind of what we're doing is just you know, strategic partnerships.

I like the Yeah, partnerships are key. I think in the industry too. They help you grow, They get you a whole new audience. If one partner, like somebody don't in turn to try that set product with you on it as well, how big is your whole team at class? You're not just to grow abouts your retail shop.

I guess I probably would have to save like ten to twelve Okay.

Yeah, family feel for sure.

Yeah.

Yeah, we're not a corporation or corporate cannabis brand. Never sought out to really even do that like that. That's not where we come from.

Yeah, I think we prefer just to grow within because you know, a lot of cannabis companies are consolidating, right now, and you know, we've seen other operations and stuff like that, and they have you know, thirty plus people, but it's not thirty plus people amount of work. I went into a cultivation facility one time. I'm like, it's half of people can do the work. Matter of fact, five people could do the work if you had me here, because I know I work about a person and a half.

First place, right, They just tried to they try to get this so so efficiently. I said, a lot of people don't plan for the future. A lot of people are just like now and not now, and they don't really think. And like said, if it's top heavy, they're making their money still, they're not too where they're going to underpay people at the bottom and not treat them well and then let them go and not care about them.

I think, you know, yeah, and I think we're pioneers too, Like this is still in its infancy from a business perspective, and so we don't know, we can't even really guess what cannabis is going to look like in twenty years, you know, like just imagine what has happened in the past ten you know, so much as you really don't know. So it's like I think everybody jumped the gun a little bit here, you know, and I feel like we all have to kind of like reevaluate.

Get three thousand dollars pound, yeah, something that used to be illegal. People were just like yeah, and.

Then like going to people with you know, pitchre decks and financials and saying, hey, invest in me, and who wouldn't if you you know, promising all these things, and so it's just that's the part of it. It just really still bothers me. It just frustrates me because we always were very conservative, you know, because we saw what happened in Colorado, we saw what happened in California, and so we knew this was going to happen. It's just we didn't realize it was gonna happen so quickly, you know.

We've heard multiple layoffs. It's like, you know a lot. Yeah, I mean I don't want to just one or two offhand, but like it's just crazy to think that you could just And that's why when you hear about like we have twelve people, it's like you care about each other. It's like you know each other a little bit. When you have these big corporations, it's like I don't think they care, you know what I mean, it's easier not to care, you know.

Whenever you get venture capital and hedge funds and it just changes things. It's so many brands that I just like, even outside of cannabis, that I just you know, you gravitate to because they speak to you or whatever. But then once they go public, what happens, Like things change and the product isn't the same, and the consistency isn't the same, and so it's like you really have to say, you know what lane you want to be in and not be I guess enticed by corporate money to you know, it's get it.

It gets having to eat. But capitalism, like really being a capitalist can be like it just becomes a little like like, you know, I really have a booker here. It's just capitalist. I like I met and liked exty.

It's just like my.

Note, it's a nopad. So it's funny that you said that. I just got to say that, like, you know, because at the end of the day, it's like I get it. We got to eat and feed our family. But that doesn't mean you get to screw over everyone else to be a monopoly, you know, especially in a this is planted medicine, This came from caregiver roots, This saves lives

Yeah, yeah, yeah, So you were talking about the future for collection, What would you like to where would you like to expand, Like, would it be the crowd being in a retail shop, would be out of state.

Probably would be all of the You know, it's hard, but I think we also have this niche that others are really not. I'm trying to stay away without custom fucking with I don't really.

You can we smoke here. We're pretty much twenty were tied.

So I think we have a lia that people really, you know, they're so focused on this value we category, you know, we that doesn't really smell like anything, or that's very cheap, that's not our category stuff. Right, seventy of the cannabis in Michigan has been remediated. We had.

Why he didn't realize it was that high.

Yes, and soon you'll be able to know that. Now you don't know it.

I cannot but soon if that's.

You know, if that goes through, you'll know whether it's real media or not.

But we talked about that for so long, like why is it not known? And again again like people are gonna put bullshit in their bike. It's like, well, we used to smoke brick weed, Like but give them.

Let them that's what it's going to say.

Yeah, like if you.

Smoke brick weed, yea, even weed is way better than.

People will do it. But let people know who don't know, you know what I mean, because like there's so much miseducation. It's like let them know so then they can see them. What is you mediation? Like look it up, we need that microwave, Yeah, weed, bake the turn.

But it's the scale that when you're doing things at scale.

You're gonna have there's gonna be sometimes fast, some errors issues understandable absolutely, I mean it does happen.

Then we know that you need to prioritize consumer safety medical patients.

Especially to for sure for sure.

Yeah, do you have any new to me to cut you off? We're still in the talking about your future, right.

Yeah, I'm just saying about our niche. You know, I think we are actively trying to expand the cultivation right now, just because you know, we're doing really good in regards to people want our one, our flower, wanting more flavors from us, so you know, we need more space to do that, and you know, we're really passionate about also women in cannabis. We we think that this is really

Yes, and we're definitely lacking that too, especially feminine care and medical products exactly.

Yep.

And we have some some product ideas you know for feminine care and stuff like that.

Yeah.

Cool, there's definitely a market too.

You know, I've talked to a lot of women about it and they you know, they feel like they would definitely really want to try it and utilize it.

You know, we need you need that representation, You need that brand representation to feel connected to that brand.

You know.

It's like that, like if it's lacking, then why are people going to support it? And I feel like you're right, you have a niche that you've you know figured out, yes and shout out if any of other brands, you know, take note.

How many flavors do you currently run?

Twelve or thirteen? Yeah, yeah, twelve or thirteen. Then we kind of hold stuff back and then put certain strands. You know, I'm really loving our e eighty five strand. It's one of the frosty strands seen.

It's really it's just this is our first harvest of it. It's a new strand. So it just dropped in stores yesterday. I'm several stores and like Detroit Saginaw type areas, so.

It's a gas.

And it's just so that's my favorite I haven't seen really have it.

We've got a lot of a lot of strands that are beautiful, like esthetically, like they got a lot of purple and pink, pink, and orange.

I love those hues.

That's just yeah, And that's one of the strands. Is really pretty when you look at it.

But I haven't I don't know too much about it. Actually requested some people having white pages. But people talk about flavonoids and flavonots or something doing with those hues tied to the urbs and stuff, so you have more hues and more color. It's just like food. It is one flavors, you know. So I've always loved I mean, we all know who didn't love purple. I used to love purple weed. When I saw purple weed, I was like sick, Like you know what I mean.

I paid extra twenty five a g may get twenty five dollars an ounce the back in the Yeah, there's five dollars a hit a bunt.

Now it's like five dollars for three and freeze per rolls like they don't even get it. Michigan's crazy right now, and you're seeing people fall left and right. So it's awesome to hear that. You know, you're thriving. Yeah, tough economy out there, yeah, so.

But we also want to expand to other states that are just opening either if it's just our products, because we feel like, you know, we have an experience that we could bring to newer operators. You know, we've been in it for a while. I'd be sweet if you get you can get out get.

Another different states. There's a couple brands in Michigan that started in Michigan going out to other states. I think that's awesome.

Not like a lot, but like similar states to Michigan. They have like a diverse population that you know, kind of believe in home grow, you know, similar type vibe maybe two or yeah, maybe two or three. Other states there are similar to Michigan, not like you know, some states out there, like Georgia for instance, is like, you know, the strictest hill. I don't want to go to that.

I don't know how you want to do so weed in the South and I get into Oklahoma and it's just like because they have such a like stigma of hate towards That's what I'm saying. I have family like in Kentucky and they're like, yeah, they don't, like we don't. It's like hush hush, like and it's just crazy that it's still like that in some places.

You know, it's weird, so we want to go.

You gotta let that. You gotta let those markets figure it out first, you know, because and look how long is Michigan taking to.

Figure it out?

You know, it's still it's still true.

We'll let you know. It started to an We started this journey medical.

Twenty twenty five. That's crazy, yees.

Yeah, you know, but we're getting We're not towards the end. But I mean, anyone you want to shout out and think like from the team, because we always want to shout out like that, because if the homies aren't even help you get here on the way, like help.

You become leaesus.

Thank all our supporters. People have like been following our journey and you know, like re Becca said, send us encouraging things to keep us going. You know, I go to events and they're like, are you were collecting? Like it just gives you that sense of fulfillment, Like you know, Okay, it's tough, but you got folks out there that is really like lifting you up and sending you positive energy and positive vibe.

I would like to thank our staff and all the bud tenders in our store, but also all the stores that we're in we got we got like super fans out there. I'll go into a dispensary and they'd be like, Oh, it's the collector.

See some lady.

Oh my god, I tried your pink pea, you know. And so thank you to all the boodtenders and all the different stores. Has ever recommended any of our products, that ever saw any of our pre rolls our flower to anybody, I really want to shout them out.

The blood Tenders, thank you, I like.

Yeah, because because they're the ones who put that FACR brand. You know, people like as much as you know, the backbone is important and you know everyone the whole, you know, but that is really ends up being your person. They remember you from it. The buttonder is so key, you know.

Yeah, did you have did you have any questions?

Yes? So what are some like ways that you guys like take care of yourselves, like self care? You know, I know it's a lot of hard work in the cannabis industry, especially on the cultivation side, and so you know, what are some ways and tips that you'd like to share with everyone like that.

That's a good question. I think the re you know, one of the reasons that I got into cannabis was the health and wellness component. Before I was in cannabis, I own gems. I was a trainer, I was a cycling instructor, yoga instructor, and I still like, it's still my life. And so I think using cannabis as a part of my wellness journey is like the first way I do self care. But then I also work out every day. I'm active in every in a way every day.

At well Put.

Yeah. So massage therapy is for me. Yeah, that's my thing. That's what helps me keeps me grounded. Running is something that I like, really learned to love. It's really a part of my meditation practices. It's running. So I try to run I don't know, anywhere from four to six miles a day.

Wow.

Yeah. Or I walk because I have a dog, and so it's also exercise for him, you know, and I don't have to worry about, you know, anybody messing with me on the mean streets of Detroit with my dog. Yeah, but he's a baby. So there's that whole thing. But what else do I like to do? I like cooking. I enjoy cooking for my family and for my plans. So just finding like those little things to just kind

That balance is key because otherwise you get burned out and then you can't do anything. You know, then you get you get dragged down for even longer. You know, you got that. You got to take care of yourself.

So important.

Always say we're not robots, We're not. You know, work is very important, but it's not all to life.

And you know, especially being in cannabis or being in an industry where you're like passionate and creative already in you know, like we're there's the soul, there's the mind and the body, right, you got that's why you run. You gotta still keep yourself busy, right you're at the gym, you know, Like I think there's that balance of all parts of you.

You know.

Sometimes we're so focused on money sometimes because that's survival out here, right, But but there's a balance for sure.

Yeah.

So we have a a.

Funny question, nice all serious for us, I like real, you.

Know, I appreciate that not self careschi and a lot of people need to do it more often. If you don't wear yourself out. But we've asked every guest this that's coming on the podcast. You each get ther own answer. So imagine you're opening edible bag, or imagine you're breaking up some weed and account of Genie pops out and grants you one wish to change anything within the industry.

What would you wish for one instant? One instant?

Yeah, that's a good one.

That's not a funny question, you know that is we do say.

I think what it is is a it's a random question.

Yeah, I'm not gonna say.

No one's ever seen, no one's ever said called this out. You've done that hundreds of times.

Yeah, well I'm ready already. Yeah, still think it over there. Honestly, this whole t a c bullshit, Like the Genie, That's what I would ask. I'm just gonna give you all just stop it as it's again we're talking about you know, we're in our infancy, and so to base it all off of that number is just so ridiculous to me, because again, the plant has way more molecules in it than that, and so why is that one thing the focus.

There's so many cannabinoids within the plant, so much.

Benefits Just how long the high could be like, yeah, like how good is the highest the high right for you is?

They?

Yeah, get rid of that whole tac phenomenon. Like, let's just call it what it was in the beginning. It smelled good, it looked good, it tasted good, it made you feel good.

That's why I like how you guys break it down by like a facts on the packaging. It's not based off Yeah, that's like that's going to put it for the consumer.

It's how you feel, you know.

For me, I would I would change. I just want cannabis to be treated like every other industry.

You know.

I don't want to feel as an entrepreneur in cannabis that like, you know, I'm doing something wrong. So if there was some way that we could eliminate the cannabis stigma, that's what I would change. I want us to be respected just like restaurant owners are respected, just like every day entrepreneurs are respected. I want us to be respected in the same.

Way because it's just it's horrible because it's like you said, like we it's like we go from being illegal to it's legal now, but then you're still treated like criminal. Yeah, it's ridiculous. No, I love that great responses, both of them. And that's how when we love that question, because it's always a unique answer and because they're so in the whole point is that there's so many things in this

Right.

It's good to support brands to matter and you know, hopefully listen to this podcast.

That's cool.

No, but no, we really appreciate you coming on. We want to check out the grow. We want to check out the stuff. We didn't even really dig into smoking your stuff. So we're gonna have to blaze up.

The Piscatti and then the pink Pea. The pink Pea.

Yeah, people love that.

I knew pink Pea was gonna be a winner. I just know it. I know it.

It smells nice and it really is the Crosses on real. Yeah, I can't tell.

You that can give you all of our secrets.

Oh it's like that, Okay, cool, cool with you.

That's leg But what I will say is the breeder that even put me onto the whole pink because I didn't even know pink strands really existed. But I was telling him like I wanted something with some pink in it.

He was like, it actually has the color I've always wanted some pink and blue. It's like blueberry, like you always want some legit blues.

The story right now, yeah, yeah, maybe one or two stories might have it still some left because we don't run it all the time.

Yeah, we just you know, switch it up.

Yeah, but it's definitely in the rotation.

All right, Well, go get that as I will.

We have to check it out. That's that sounds sick. Well, thank you ladies for coming on telling us about the history of COX.

Came from appreciate your input and like the advice, like I said, because there's I'm sure a lot of people out there facing similar adversities. So it was seeing people it's like, do what you want to do. That look like you is important and that are like you. You know, So we need that representation of all all all. We need that d I. We need that inclusion of all.

Yes, And it's also Black History Month as well, which is a very important part of society and culture and so and so being able to interview you both with Colexium is definitely really important.

Thank you.

Yeah.

Absolutely, we we definitely believe that, you know, people should not be locked up for we you know, and people are right now still locked up and it's it's it's messed up, you know. So that's another reason LaToya and I are in this is the social justice you know, it's part of it because just like you said, representation matters, and a lot of people that look like us, unfortunately are scared to get into this industry, intimidated, and you know, we just want to show them that we are every

So happened to be you know, yeah, I mean perfect, No, it is no, it's real. No, that's real that we're honest.

A lot of times that diversity component is a rapper, and you know that rapper is not really doing nothing in the business. So we just wanted to just show everyday people like we built a cannabis brand and we're growing slowly but surely every year, and.

You can too.

Yeah. You're your own businesses and your entrepreneurs and it's good to see our representation.

You're crushing it.

Yeah yeah cool. Well, I'm glad we got to have you on and hopefully we keep seeing you all in the future. We'll see you out events and stuff.

I do want to say, get quick shout out to our part Yes that happened. Shout to Watt Coast Plant Therapy, High nine, uh Kinship, Cannopy Extracts, and Old School Organics. Without all you, we would be able to make this happen. You know the codes do use as well too. Thank you again for coming on, looking forward, checking out you guys' shop and grow in the future. Yeah, and as always we're here to advocate, educate and inspire. It's the next sip, y'all is mm hmm