Entrepreneurs are bringing pharmaceutical science to the cannabis world to create products that provide consistent and predictable benefits. 

Here to tell us more about it is Andreas Boeckl, founder and CEO of Dispersa Labs.

Learn more at https://www.breathesula.com 

Key Takeaways:

[1:14] An inside look at Dispersa Labs, a biotech company using dry powder inhalation technology to create breathable cannabis

[1:54] Andreas’ background and how he came to start Dispersa Labs

[6:43] Why inhaling cannabis in powder form is better than smoking flower

[11:05] Spray-drying and why it’s important to Dispersa’s manufacturing process

[12:47] How Dispersa Labs suspends cannabinoids inside tiny aerosol particles to create Sula, a patented cannabis powder for pulmonary delivery

[14:15] Examples of commercial inhalants similar to Sula, including the popular asthma drug Advair

[22:20] How Sula is more discreet than other cannabis consumption methods

[31:42] Where Dispersa Labs currently is in the capital-raising process

Just as oil powered the old economy of atoms, data powers the new economy of bits. Here to tell us how to leverage our cannabis business data and market more effectively is Nicholas Paschal of Alpine IQ.

Learn more at https://alpineiq.com 

Key Takeaways: 

[1:02] An inside look at Alpine IQ, a data analytics and marketing platform for cannabis companies

[1:27] Nick’s personal background and how he got into the cannabis space

[7:24] Why it’s important for companies to take protective measures with their business data

[11:18] How Alpine IQ not only offers analytics tools but also helps businesses determine the best ways to act on data

[18:32] What companies can expect during Alpine IQ’s onboarding process, from integrating apps to ensuring compliance across the board

[21:36] Alpine IQ’s audience feature and how companies are using it to generate ROI

[31:45] How streamlining analytics tools using Alpine IQ can provide incredible value for cannabis companies

[35:35] Alpine IQ’s journey achieving product-market fit and how the company got its first customers

[39:26] Where Alpine IQ currently is in the capital-raising process

While cannabis banking still has its challenges, Safe Harbor Financial is on course to make those challenges a thing of the past. Here to tell us about it is Safe Harbor CEO Sundie Seefried.

Learn more at https://shfinancial.org

Key Takeaways:

[00:57] An inside look at Safe Harbor Financial, a fintech banking platform that provides cannabis companies a safe and 100% compliant place to bank

[1:22] Sundie’s background in the credit union industry and how she came to start Safe Harbor

[2:21] How cannabis banking has evolved over the last few years and where Sundie sees it heading

[4:46] The Safe Banking Act and what it means for cannabis banking

[7:36] Compliance challenges cannabis companies are facing right now

[9:08] What lending in cannabis banking could look like in the next few years

[14:06] How Safe Harbor Financial has grown since its inception in 2015 to manage over 500 cannabis banking accounts

[14:54] Safe Harbor’s onboarding process for new clients

[19:14] How cryptocurrency and stablecoin are changing the cannabis banking landscape

What are Delta-8 THC and 5-MeO-DMT and what’s all the hype about? Here to help us understand is the cannabis whisper himself, Max Montrose of Trichome Institute.

Learn more at https://trichomeinstitute.com

Key Takeaways:

[00:43] An inside look at Trichome Institute, the leading cannabis education company

[2:06] Delta-8 THC and how it differs from its better-known cousin delta-9 THC

[3:45] Why delta-8 is surging in popularity

[13:36] Where Max sees delta-8 THC heading over the next 3-5 years

[16:44] Max’s partnership with Abstrax, an industry leader in the study and production of cannabis and botanically-derived terpenes

[23:39] 5-MeO-DMT, a psychedelic found in a variety of plant species and the glands of the Sonoran Desert toad

[27:39] Max’s work studying the Sonoran Desert toad and their unique venom glands

[41:12] How Max’s experiences with 5-MeO-DMT and ayahuasca have changed his philosophies and way of life

Pioneer investors with more traditional backgrounds in finance are beginning to plant their flags firmly and confidently in the cannabis space, and here to tell us about this is Codie Sanchez.

Codie is a managing partner at Cresco Capital Partners, a private equity fund in the legalized cannabis space. She previously lead First Trust’s Latin America Investment business and held positions at Goldman Sachs, State Street, and Vanguard.

In this episode, Codie shares her insights on the future of cannabis and some invaluable advice for traditional investors looking to enter the industry.

Learn more at https://www.crescocapitalpartners.com.

Key Takeaways:

• Codie’s background in the cannabis space and her best investments to date
• Why Codie believes there’s more opportunity than risk in cannabis investment
• How investors, entrepreneurs, and funds can overcome the stigma surrounding cannabis and get their audiences on board
• Codie’s advice to investors on how to go about navigating the difficulties that come with pioneering an industry like cannabis
• The ratio of over-valued, fairly-valued, and undervalued deals Codie is witnessing in cannabis right now
• The most noteworthy acquisitions and investments in cannabis over the last 12 months
• Codie’s advice to entrepreneurs trying to raise capital and the do’s and don’ts for pitching decks
• Where Codie sees cannabis going over the next 3-5 years and the opportunities that excite her the most

The Michigan cannabis market isn’t on everyone’s radar, but it’s large and growing faster than you might think. Here to tell us about it is Fabian Monaco of Gage Cannabis.

Learn more at https://gageusa.com

Key Takeaways:

[1:17] An inside look at Gage Cannabis, one of the largest vertically-integrated cannabis companies in Michigan

[1:45] Fabian’s background in investment banking and how he came to be president and CEO of Gage Cannabis

[3:01] Michigan’s history in medical marijuana and how the state’s cannabis market has evolved over recent years

[5:18] Why Fabian believes every cannabis brand needs to be vertically integrated right now

[7:05] The pros and cons of contract growing versus buying wholesale

[11:05] The most popular cannabis products in Michigan right now and surprising new trends to look out for

[17:49] How Gage Cannabis has successfully employed curbside pickup to gross almost 99 percent of their profit

[21:29] The importance of brand continuity and how this has helped Gage grow so quickly

[24:38] Cookies aka the “Coca-Cola of cannabis,” a popular California-based cannabis brand that has partnered with Gage to expand into Michigan

With extracted cannabis-derived products making up about 50 percent of all cannabis products sold, extraction equipment is in high demand. Here to tell us more is Nick Tennant of Precision Extraction.

Learn more at https://precisionextraction.com 

Key Takeaways:

[00:52] An inside look at Precision Extraction, the industry leader in cannabis extraction equipment, C1D1 lab planning, and extraction training

[1:40] Nick’s background in cannabis and what led him to start Precision Extraction

[4:28] Biomass and why it’s a critical component of cannabis extraction

[9:04] How Precision Extraction’s diverse line of equipment is designed to accommodate different production needs

[13:14] Shifting consumer trends in cannabis-derived products and how Precision Extraction’s clients are able to adapt more quickly 

[22:34] Why Precision Extraction freezes biomass before the extraction process

[25:09] The most common mistakes Nick sees new business owners make when trying to develop cannabis-derived products 

[27:32] How Precision Extraction’s premade C1D1 lab containers known as “Extraction Pods” are saving businesses time and money

[29:35] How Nick sees the cannabis extraction market evolving over the next 3-5 years

A new hemp seed vodka is winning taste tests and garnering devotees across Texas. Here to tell us about it is Ben Williams, founder of Highway Vodka.

Learn more at https://www.highwayvodka.com

Key Takeaways:

[00:45] An inside look at Highway Vodka, the first vodka created from hemp

[1:12] Ben’s background in the restaurant and bar industry and how he came to start Highway Vodka

[2:11] Why hemp produces a smoother vodka than most traditional grains and how Ben figured this out over years of experimentation

[7:08] The permits required to sell hemp-based alcohol

[13:43] Highway vodka’s unique flavor profile and how it compares to other spirits

[18:44] How Highway Vodka contains virtually no congeners, making the drink low-calorie and less likely to cause a hangover

[24:27] Books that have had a big impact on Ben’s life and way of thinking

[28:16] Ben’s thoughts on legalization in Texas and other southern states

Johann Hari is the author of Chasing the Scream, The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs. Johann walks us through all the alarming and rarely mentioned ways the war on drugs hurts societies and how ending prohibition brings order. Johann details how countries around the world are ending prohibition and the amazing results they are seeing as a result.

Key Takeaways:

[1:31] – Why rats only choose drugs when they are alone and unhappy
[10:37] – What happens to the drug market in MD when a dealer gets arrested?
[14:40] – Johann discusses Arnold Rothstein and Rosalio Reta
[22:31] – Do humans have an innate desire to experience altered reality
[37:34] – The results of drug decriminalization in Switzerland and Portugal
[45:13] – How to find Johann’s Book, Chasing The Scream.

Banking is one of the thorniest problems for the cannabis industry in the US. Here to tell us how he’s creating a solution to this problem is Dan Roda of Abaca.

Learn more at https://www.goabaca.com 

The Zillow of Cannabis?

Just like Zillow lets you browse for properties to buy or rent onlineThere is a company doing the same thing in the cannabis and hemp space. 420property.com lets you browse cannabis and hemp real estate and even businesses that are for sale. 

Get started for free at 420property.com, that’s 420property.com

Key Takeaways:

• Dan’s background in law and how he came to start Abaca
• An inside look at Abaca and how it’s providing a safe banking platform for US cannabis businesses 
• What dispensaries can expect when using Abaca
• The current state of merchant processing in cannabis and how Dan believes that will evolve over the next few years
• The most common questions clients ask Dan
• States that Abaca is currently operating in and where Dan sees the company expanding
• Abaca’s capital-raising process
• Where Dan sees the cannabis financial services market heading in the next 3-5 years and some emerging trends to keep an eye on

We just reached possibly one of the largest milestones in creating pure, consistent cannabinoids in a lab. Here to tell us about it is Kevin Chen of Hyasynth Bio.

Learn more at https://hyasynthbio.com 

The Zillow of Cannabis?

Let’s face it, finding  real estate for your cannabis or hemp business can be challenging. There is one company that has removed all the complexity And makes it simple to browse cannabis, and hemp properties and businesses that are for sale right now. Best of all it’s free to get started, check out 

420property.com that’s 420property.com  Use Coupon Code: INSIDER  at checkout for a discount on subscriptions and services.

Key Takeaways: 

[1:32] An inside look at Hyasynth Bio and its work creating biosynthesized cannabis compounds

[3:05] Hyasynth Bio’s first product, an ultra-pure CBD oil created using cultured cannabinoids

[7:44] How Hyasynth Bio is improving CBD production in terms of both speed and purity

[9:12] Why multinational companies are gravitating towards biosynthesized cannabinoids for better consistency and supply chain performance

[13:14] 

[16:55] How biosynthesized cannabinoids are paving the way for international cannabis brands and which products Kevin believes will go global first

[21:23] How cellular agriculture is giving us better access to rare cannabinoids

[27:48] Why cellular agriculture is easier to automate and how this might influence prices in the cannabis industry

[32:21] Hyasynth Bio’s strategy to profit primarily through intellectual property licensing

[36:24] Where Hyasynth Bio currently is in the capital-raising process

Retail design and brand identity are pivotal to creating a successful cannabis dispensary. Here to give us some pointers is one of the industry’s top experts: Megan Stone of High Road Design Studio.

Learn more at https://www.highroadstudio.com 

The Zillow of Cannabis?

Just like Zillow lets you browse for properties to buy or rent onlineThere is a company doing the same thing in the cannabis and hemp space. 420property.com lets you browse cannabis and hemp real estate and even businesses that are for sale. 

Get started for free at 420property.com, that’s 420property.com

Use Coupon Code: INSIDER  at checkout for a discount on subscriptions and services.

Key Takeaways:

[00:46] An inside look at High Road Studio, an award-winning interior design, branding, and consulting studio for cannabis dispensaries

[1:20] Megan’s background in cannabis and how she came to start High Road

[4:08] How cannabis retail design has changed over the last five years

[8:02] The two big things you have to get right when creating a retail design

[8:51] The biggest mistakes Megan sees companies make in cannabis retail design

[12:26] The importance of leaving room for experimentation in retail design and how to do that in a safe way

[16:22] Challenges Megan encounters when moving from the design phase to the build-out phase and how she overcomes them

[20:58] What kind of budget you need to achieve a thriving retail environment and how to spend money for the biggest ROI

[31:40] Examples of brands that successfully resonate with their customers and what we can learn from them

[34:05] Where Megan sees cannabis retail heading over the next 3-5 years

Commercial cannabis growers are notoriously tight-lipped when it comes to their growing methods, but not Ryan Douglas. Today this master grower shares all the secrets you need to take your grow to the next level (including what not to do).

Learn more at https://douglascultivation.com/about 

The Zillow Of Cannabis?

Let’s face it, finding  real estate for your cannabis or hemp business can be challenging. There is one company that has removed all the complexity And makes it simple to browse cannabis, and hemp properties and businesses that are for sale right now. Best of all it’s free to get started, check out  420property.com that’s 420property.com 

Use Coupon Code: INSIDER  at checkout for a discount on subscriptions and services.

Key Takeaways:

[00:54] An inside look at Ryan’s new book, From Seed To Success

[1:35] Ryan’s background as CanopyGrowth’s expert cultivator when the company was still named Tweed

[3:01] How Ryan helped CanopyGrowth get its start as one of Canada’s first and largest licensed growers

[6:05] How Ryan went about choosing the best genetics to grow at CanopyGrowth

[7:42] The efficiencies required for a large commercial grow

[11:37] The most common mistakes commercial growers make and how to avoid them

[14:33] Ryan’s advice on how to approach a commercial grow and determine what needs to be done on a high level

[17:22] How to determine a reasonable budget for your commercial grow

[19:02] Best hiring practices for commercial grows and what to look for in staff members

[20:34] How to mitigate pest issues

[26:34] The best type of lights for indoor grows

[27:57] Where Ryan sees commercial cannabis grows heading over the next 3-5 years

Jonah Barber is the co-founder of MRX Xtractors. Learn how profitable cannabis oil extraction can be and the different business models available to those in the business or entering this business.

Key Takeaways:
– From lab testing flower to extraction company
– A lot of oil on the market is not good, here’s why
– The profit margin on a gram of extracted cannabis oil
– Throughput from different extraction machines
– The different business models in extraction

Learn more at
http://mrxxtractors.com/

Transcript:

As the cannabis market continues to grow around the world, there's an increased focus on extraction, and for good reason. Extracted cannabis oil is arguably the most profitable and integral ingredient for cannabis companies. Here to tell us more about the extraction industry and his extraction solutions is Jonah Barber from MRX Xtractors. Jonah, welcome to CannaInsider.

Jonah: Thanks, Matt. It's great to be here. Really excited to speak with you today.

Matthew: Give us a sense of geography. Where are you in the world today?

Jonah: In the beautiful green state of Oregon. Specifically, Canby, Oregon, which is located about 20 miles south of Downtown Portland.

Matthew: Thanks for getting up so early to do this interview. I should tell everybody, it's about [7:00] your time. So thank you.

Jonah: Absolutely. Glad to do it.

Matthew: So what is MRX at a high level?

Jonah: So MRX is an OEM that makes super-critical CO2 and ethanol extraction systems, and we bring kinda complete turnkey solutions for our customers all the way through the whole entire extraction process.

Matthew: Okay. And give us a little bit of a sense about your background and journey, and how you got to this point, and why you started MRX?

Jonah: You know, the cannabis and hemp industry is something I've always been incredibly passionate about. You know, they always say, "Do what you love," which I always thought was cliché until I actually got to work in this industry. And, you know, how we actually got started was, you know, we looked...You know, Oregon's always been a leading state, as far as a medical cannabis program, you know, having a strong medical program for over 20 years. And when we saw that Colorado went legal, you know, Oregon had almost passed a couple times going legal, and we knew it'd be a matter of time. And we wanted to get in the industry, but we wanted to get into it in a way we thought would utilize our skill sets. We weren't, you know, master growers like a lot of your listeners are and we didn't have any retail experience, and so our background is very technology. And so we wanted to fit in on the technology side on cannabis, and we saw that there was gonna be the need for standardization and quality control when it came to analytical testing laboratories. And when we looked at the landscape about 4 years, we didn't see a lot of that.

And so we felt like we had the opportunity to kinda set the standard for what an analytical testing laboratory should be with quality controls, transparency, new state-of-the-art equipment, qualified staff with degrees. It was really kind of the Wild West there for a while, with a lot of people just pumping out high-potency numbers and kinda everything getting a pass for pesticides. And then we really wanted to help set the standard, so we opened up...MRX Labs is actually how we started in the industry.

Matthew: Okay. Yeah. It's almost, it can be a huge advantage sometimes to just come in as an outsider because you don't have any concept of the way things should be done. And if you come to the market with skills, you can just start fresh. Whereas people in the industry already can only make kind of iterative changes, where you can start where you wanna start and not have to worry about any kinda legacy. Is that how you felt when you were getting into it?

Jonah: We did. We really felt like we had the opportunity to really, I mean, develop a lot of the new methods and technologies, and stuff that just hadn't been developed before. And a lot of that wasn't because someone necessarily couldn't do it, you know, skill set-wise. But it was just because they really didn't have the access or ability to freely work with, you know, cannabis in a research and development capacity. And so we felt very fortunate to be kind of the forefront, to help develop a lot of those, you know, methodologies and things like that, when it came to standardizing testing.

Matthew: Okay. Okay. And how many customers have you helped so far?

Jonah: You know, from the...Well, there's two different answers. I guess, you know, when we started the lab in 2014, we grew to one of the largest cannabis/hemp testing labs in the U.S. And we ended up working with, you know, thousands of customers here in Oregon. And then on the MRX Xtractors side, where we're the OEM and build all the equipment, we've helped place about 80 different machines in about 10 different states and a couple different countries now. Yeah. So we have about 80 different customers on the extraction side.

Matthew: Okay. Okay. Now, the thing I kinda wanna help listeners understand is how you and your partner approach the extraction business. I guess, perhaps, maybe if you could just talk about, you know, frame how other extraction companies look at extraction and how to provide extraction solutions, and then how you and your partner approach it and perhaps how it's a little bit different or better?

Jonah: Yeah. So, you know, we do approach it quite differently, how we even came into the extraction industry. And with my partner's background, we've always looked at industries and found deficiencies or bottlenecks and came up with, you know, a better mousetrap, if you will. And so how we got really started on the extraction side was actually based off analytical test results. And so, you know, we started testing everything coming into our lab, and we started seeing all this oil about really flood into our lab. It was really almost overnight. You know, it went from like a lot of flower, then about 3 1/2 years ago, it just started flooding into our lab. And at the time, it was still all medical. And so when we looked at the quality of the oil, you know, it didn't look good, it didn't smell good from an analytical standpoint. When we did, like, a terpene test, it was nonexistent. When we did a solvents test, a lot of it still either had some hydrocarbons left in it or there was a lot of ethanol left in the oil. We actually saw a lot of products coming in in [sounds like] propylene glycol as well.

And, you know, it was really concerning from our standpoint. You know, being an analytical testing laboratory, our job is to keep the public safe. And a lot of the products and a lot of the stuff we saw in the products, what people were using for medical purposes, were concerning in the fact that they could potentially cause, you know, some additional damage to whatever ailments they were treating. And I even remember the very first time, you know, I tried CO2 oil. I so badly wanted to like it because I loved the concept, I loved the fact that CO2 was used as the solvent. And to be honest, I absolutely hated it when I first tried it. It tasted kinda like a burnt popcorn to me. And also, after the fact, when I looked at the test results, which it wasn't tested by us, it was like 35% cannabinoids, which meant 50% of it was propylene glycol as well.

Matthew: Ooh.

Jonah: Yeah. And it just wasn't a pleasant experience. But at the same time, it was flying off the shelves. Like people could not make enough of it. You know, people really like the accessibility and discreteness of vape pens. But at the same time, it was like, "Okay, there's a market for this. But this isn't what we'd consider safe or a high-quality product."

Matthew: So Jonah, it sounds like being in kinda the testing part of the cannabis industry, you're in a unique vantage point. You're kind of like the hub where companies that are sending you extracted material or flower are coming to you and talking to you, and you're kinda getting the lay of the land of how this whole extraction business works. Can you talk a little bit about that and what you learned?

Jonah: Yeah. We really had a unique perspective because, coming from the testing side, we're kinda like Switzerland. We worked with everybody in the industry. And so we got a chance to talk to all of our customers that were using other extraction technologies and techniques, and kinda got together a list of what they didn't like, what could be improved. And really, kind of our three hallmarks that we came up with was that there was really no repeatability. And so a lot of people were relying upon an extraction artist or the one person that knew how to make the secret sauce or, you know, someone that knew how to stand in front of a machine and adjust 12 different knobs and try to keep it in a tight zone for temperature and pressure. And we just knew that wasn't commercially scalable from that side. You know, we knew that the industry, the way it was growing, had to have repeatability, no matter who ran the machine, that they could follow SLPs, and put the same product in there and get the same high-quality oil coming out. And we just weren't seeing that.

And just because they also didn't have control over their process, a lot of people were destroying terpenes. And that's actually where CO2 had gotten the knock on it about 4 or 5 years ago. That just kinda produced an inferior product because it stripped the product of the terpenes. And I'd say, rightfully so, at the time, it got that knock because, you know, people were destroying a lot of the terpenes.

Matthew: Yeah.

Jonah: And then the third thing is the engineering, and a lot of the equipment we saw just wasn't safe and it would never be permitted and approved by fire marshals in a regulated market. And so that was kind of our three hallmarks was we wanted repeatability, we wanted control of your process to produce the highest quality product, and we wanted safe equipment that would be permitted by fire marshals. And that's how we set out to build Xtractors from that side.

Matthew: Okay. That makes sense. Yeah. I could see why being dependent on an extraction artist would be...you know, it's problem. Because then, you're at the whims of that person instead of having a process or, you know, some kind of standard mode with your equipment where you can just repeat it over and over again independent of different people or personalities. And actually, I've met a lot of people that are in that exact case, where they're dependent on a specific employee and they really don't know how the sausage is made. So I'm glad you brought that up. Okay. So let's get into a little bit about throughput and what people talk about with throughput. Actually, before we talk about throughput, can you mention why you didn't like the flavor of the CO2 oil when you first tried it? Did you prefer, like, butane extraction or something?

Jonah: You know, it wasn't so much that I preferred something over the other. It was really just, the primary reason was that the people, or the equipment that was making that extract, they didn't have control over their process and they destroyed a lot of the terpenes and overcooked the product in there. And so it almost had like, the best way I could describe it was like a burnt popcorn kinda taste. And it just wasn't even a really pleasant experience, just even like kinda agitating the throat and things like that too.

Matthew: Okay. Actually, before we talk about throughput, let's talk a little bit about what the different kind of outputs are from the MRX machines, what you can actually extract and make and do.

Jonah: Yeah. So, you know, about 90% of all of our customers wanna make as many full-spectrum vape oil pens as they can. They just cannot make enough to satisfy the market.

Matthew: Okay.

Jonah: And so that's what the majority of our customers wanna do. However, the more we've gotten into the industry here, the more diverse kinda the product lines are, and the more specialized and unique they are. And people have some really interesting ideas that they like to make. And so one of the things we always do is like talk to our customers about, "Okay, what's your goals? What's your throughput, and how much do you wanna do a day? What kind of products do you wanna make?" Then, we're able to actually bring kind of a complete turnkey solution.

Matthew: Jonah, tell us, just give us a sense of what kind of products can be created, what the most popular ones are, and what customers are asking for. So we can get a sense of the different things that your extraction equipment can do and just where the extraction market is at, in general.

Jonah: Yeah. Well, the majority of our customers are really going after one of the largest market segments, which really is the vape pens, the cartridges for the vape pens, and making some full-spectrum oil, which is a very high desirable product for that. And so that's about 90% of our customers just make as many vape pens as they can. But what's been interesting is there's been a lot more, you know, development, product development as well, too, with all of our customers coming with really unique products. And so, you know, what we usually always like to do is actually talk to our customers and identify, before they even start, you know, "What kind of products do you wanna make? What kind of throughput do you want to do per day?" And then put together a kind of complete and tailored package with all the equipment they need to achieve their goals.

And so what's unique about the CO2 side is that you can really stop it just about anywhere along the way. And so, you know, from going to a full-spectrum oil, or you can do further refinement or post-processing into like a distillate or then [inaudible [00:14:06] distillate, you can turn it into an isolate. And so you really have a lot of variety in [inaudible [00:14:15] different products you can make with it, is how we approach it and what a lot of our customers are making.

Matthew: Okay. So just to review, can you review, and can you just tell us what you mean when you say "full-spectrum oil," "isolate," and "distillate," so everybody's on the same page?

Jonah: Yeah. So full-spectrum oil is going to be an oil that preserves the majority of the original plant. Obviously, you're not pulling out, like, the plant material and the chlorophylls, and you're removing all the waxes and fats and lipids. So what you're left with is a cannabinoid oil that has, not just your THC or your CBD, but also minor cannabinoids as well. And then, also having good terpene preservation, and that's where all that kinda works together, is what a lot of people call or is known as like the "entourage effect." Which those cannabinoids and terpenes working together make for a much more pleasant high, or a lot more therapeutic or medicinal benefits, all that stuff working together in, like, a full-spectrum oil. And that's a very desirable product for a vape pen. And something like that, if you're doing a cannabinoid potency percentage, would test typically somewhere in like the 60% to 75% cannabinoids.

And then [what a lot of our customers will do] then too is, you know, distillate is a popular product as well too, for...It's very popular such as like the edible makers. Because with edibles, you typically don't want to taste the terpenes. And it's a more higher concentrated dosage, and so that is easier to control in your quality control for your recipes and things like that, hitting your certain dosing for your THC or your CBD.

Matthew: Okay.

Jonah: And so that's what they call "distillate." And that's what that is, is just further post-processing or refinement. And typically, people will use either like a short-path or wiped-film technology. And what that does is further concentrate your THC or CBD, and it pulls out and separates, like, a lot of your terpenes and some of your minor cannabinoids as well. And so that same full-spectrum oil, if you ran it through a short-path or wiped-film would probably end up testing closer to like that 80% to low 90% THC or CBD. And then from there, you can do further post-processing and take the product into isolate as well, which can be more like a powder or a crystal. And that's removing everything except the cannabinoid that you're looking to concentrate. And so one of the biggest and most popular things right now on the market [inaudible 00:17:03] like, CBD isolate. And so we've also developed some new technology to do CBD isolate at a high throughput as well.

Matthew: Okay. That's a good...Well, you know, let's just talk about vape cartridges for a minute there. They were wildly popular a couple years ago, and they still are. And they've just gotten better and better. Now, you know, you mentioned full-spectrum, is you can get a lot more out of a vape cartridge than you used to be able to. Is there any sense that the market's starting to stabilize and there's enough supply? Because it's something I've been hearing for years is just like the demand for vape cartridges is just insane. What's your thoughts [sounds like]?

Jonah: I'll say, it's still not there yet. You can't really make enough to support the market right now. Because if you actually look at, too, a lot of the...especially in the states that have now gone recreational, if you look at a lot of the economic data on the products that are really moving, you know, there's a lot of new social users coming on and trying things that maybe hadn't in the past. And a lot of these people just don't wanna feel that they're doing a drug, or they don't have the where for all, they don't have a dab rig, they don't have a bong, they don't know how to roll a joint. And they just want ease and discretion. And so that's where if you look at, you know, all the economic data, all the new social users or people that are kind of, you know, sitting back and not really partaking much, but now that it's legal, saying, "Oh, I wanna try that," they're really drawn to the vape pens, and also edibles from that side.

And, you know, what's I think also desirable about the vape pens is that you can really control your dosing, in a sense, too. Like, you know, if someone wanted to take a little puff here, [inaudible 00:18:49] pretty much know, you know, how that's gonna affect them. And they can control, you know, how high or how medicated that they would like to get.

Matthew: Yeah.

Jonah: And so that's where I think a lot of people are more drawn. And then, now you just kinda see them everywhere now, too. You know, people don't typically know if it's a nicotine or a cannabis, or hemp cartridge that people have.

Matthew: Yeah. I'm sure there's gonna be some novel use of cannabis oil that might displace vape cartridges in the future. But it'll still be some form of extracted oil. And it's gonna, you know, come in some product form or drink. For me, I feel like kinda what's gonna happen is there's gonna be some company that come along that can consistently deliver the same mood over and over again, and they're available widely. And they're really gonna capture a lot of the market because right now it's just so fragmented, which is good. And I think there's always gonna be the equivalent of microbreweries, you know, doing really well. But, you know, it's nice to be able to be in California, then Oregon, then Illinois, then, you know, New York, and get maybe one vape cartridge that's the exact same everywhere I go, or one drink or one edible that is exact same.

Maybe that'll be done with like an intel-inside model, where it's gonna be like, "Hey, this extract, this contains, you know, this many milligrams of this kind of extracted oil with terpenes." But I feel like it's gotta move from that direction. Am I totally off base on that? Or where do you think it's going?

Jonah: I would say you're 100% correct. You know, when we first started too, there was really no repeatability. There was really no, even, specific product lines. And people would just run whatever trim or material they had that day and put a label on it, and sometimes it wasn't always even what it might have been labeled as, because people didn't know, you know, when they bought trim. And as the markets become more standard and more tracking, you're really dialing in specific strains. And now, with the amount of testing you can do and even the separation, with different equipment and stuff like we have too, you can separate different cannabinoids. And you can really dial in your dosing and have a repeatable product.

And that's absolutely where it's going. Especially, as you see, it's gonna become more of a nationwide product at some point. And that's what people are gonna expect is, you know, going into one state and buying a product, and then going into the other one and having the same thing. And so you're absolutely correct in that standpoint. We're already starting to see it go that direction. And it'll just continue to do so, I think, more so in the next 5 years.

Matthew: Now, we touched on throughput there. And maybe you can dive into that a little bit by telling us, you know, how we should think about throughput? Because you say you have clients coming to you and you ask them, you know, how much do they need. And aren't they just gonna say, "I wanna produce as much as I can?" Or where are kinda the limitation breakpoints with each of your extraction solutions? Or how should they be thinking about that, in terms of running 24/7 or how much throughput they need? What can you tell us about throughput?

Jonah: Yeah. It's really been amazing too, how far the industry has grown even in the last 3 years. You know, when we first started the extraction site about 3 years ago, we started building a 20-liter extractor, which was about the largest anybody was building that I'm aware of. You know, most people were building a 5 or 10-liter, so we said, "We're gonna build a 20-liter, you know, because that's gonna be a larger commercial system." And typically, on a 20-liter, a lot of your [inaudible 00:22:35] customers run about 6 to 10 pounds at a time. There's ways to kinda engineer the material to put 20 to 30 pounds in there. But, you know, most people are doing 6 to 10-pound strain-specific runs at a time, which is great. You know, it's great to be able to...And at the time, you know, a lot of people would sometimes only have, you know, 6 to 20 pounds of the same strain.

Matthew: Right.

Jonah: But now, some of these grows are, you know, 100,000-square foot grows, and they have thousands of pounds of the same strain. And on top of it too just, you know, we do a lot of stuff on the hemp side as well. And, you know, Oregon has been kind of a leader in the U.S. here in hemp as well, having the ninth biggest hemp program over the last 4 years. And when we first started with the hemp farmers 4 years ago, if you had 5 acres, that was a lot. You know, that was...You know, 2,000 pounds an acre, that's 10,000 pounds, that's a lot of biomass.

Matthew: Right.

Jonah: And then, 3 years ago, it was like, "Okay, 20 acres, wow." And then, 2 years ago, it was 50 acres. And then, last year, it was 100 acres. And now, we know some farms are a few hundred acres, and you're talking about millions of pounds of biomass. And so it's pretty amazing how fast everything has scaled. And so that's where we've also developed additional new technology to keep up with the market's demands for a higher throughput, bat the same time, not sacrificing quality. And that's where there might be a lot of manufacturers who will sacrifice quality with throughput by just saying, "Okay, you know, we're just gonna hit it at 5,000 psi and pull more plant material out." But, you know, you destroy a lot of the good cannabinoids and terpenes doing that. And we don't believe in sacrificing the quality with throughput. And so with some of our new equipment here, we have really game-changing CO2 equipment, [pumps] like 100C, which is 2 50-liter vessels that cycle back and forth between each vessel, designed to never stop. And so, as soon as one vessel is done, it switches, and then that person can load the next one.

And you know, people can get tricky sometimes when you talk about throughput, and sometimes people [sounds like] can give you the very best throughput on the very best day with the very best material. And, you know, we like to give real numbers, [inaudible 00:24:50] historical averages. And a lot of it too, depends on your starting cannabinoid percentage when it comes to CO2. If you have something that has, you know, like 6% CBD or THC versus 12%, it's gonna take longer to pull that 12% out versus that 6%. But a lot of our throughput now, in like the CO2, can be, you know, upwards from 100 to 300 pounds a day. And then we've also developed full ethanol processing centers that are desired to, not batch, but to be continuous extraction, that are looking at doing more in that 500 to 1,000-plus pounds a day as well.

Matthew: That's crazy.

Jonah: So we kinda have anything and everything in between, as far as if customers wanna do small batch stuff or if they wanna do full acres that weekend [inaudible [00:25:42].

Matthew: Okay. So you can pretty much do whatever the customer wants within reason, it sounds like. So with the two vessels, you can operate 24/7. So if you have one vessel full, or you have both vessels full, and the extraction machine is running, when it finishes with the first vessel, how long does it take to finish the second one, assuming it's full and your typical extraction machine? Like how many hours do they have before they have to fill it again?

Jonah: Yeah. Like on the 100C, we're looking at closer like to that 2 to 4 hours per kinda 15, 20 pounds per vessel.

Matthew: Okay. So I'm a businessowner. I'm thinking about buying an extraction machine. And the first question you would ask me is, "How many pounds do you want to do per run?" Is that kinda the first question?

Jonah: Yeah. Actually, the question I'd more probably ask is, "How much throughput do you wanna do per day or per week?" is typically what we would ask them. And then, "What kinda products do you wanna make?"

Matthew: Okay. Okay. I wanna kinda dive into some business models here and looking at return on investment and things, because extraction is really, as I said in the intro, becoming a bigger and bigger part of the business. And it's also gonna be an ingredient to all of this, amazing products that are being created. But the people that are gonna buy your machines are like, "Hey, what can I do with that? How much money can I make? What should my business model be?" When a customer or a potential customer, or a friend says, "Hey, what can I expect to make with an extraction machine?" I've heard a lot of great scenarios, but how do you kind of describe, like, the ROI on an extraction machine?

Jonah: So, you know, we always like to look at, you know, your gross margin. Or it doesn't necessarily even, you know, potentially matter what your gross is, you know, as far as your gross sales. But, you know, what kind of gross margin are you looking at? And also too, just how big of a company they want to have versus maybe a smaller company that can make similar margins, but not have as many people. And so, you know, some people want to be the biggest and best, you know, vape company in their state, or launched from state to state, and that's a big business. I mean, you have, you know, your material acquisition, your new supply chain. You have your compliance, your testing, your cartridges, your consumables, you know, your sales, marketing, packaging, distribution. That can quickly, you know, go from a small scale of, you know, 10 people up to hundreds of people from that side.

And, you know, the other side being is, or, "I wanna be, you know, an oil house or a toll processer," or you actually are just making bulk oil and/or doing contract processing to hire. That's a much simpler business model, and it's a very needed businesses model for a lot of either...You know, there's a lot of great farmers that wanna have their own product lines, but they don't want to be an extractor.

Matthew: Right.

Jonah: And so they look to some of these third parties to use their award-winning flowers and strains to make oil that complements that. Or there are some companies that want to have end products, but don't want to make the oil, and they want someone to make oil to their specifications. That's a much simpler, smaller business model, but it's also still very profitable and you can still make a lot of the same margins that you'd be making, you know, versus going to a full-scale cartridge line as well, too. And so there's needs from both those sides. That's kinda where we wanna talk to people and see what their goals are, what they want to do. And some of it too, just comes down to what's gonna be the most profitable for them and the least amount of headache potentially too?

Matthew: Okay. And let's talk, what's the typical cost for a gram of oil right now?

Jonah: So I guess, I can answer that three ways, is, you know, if you look at the retail side, you know, with compliance and testing now and everything too, in Oregon...I'll use Oregon and California right now, as kinda the metrics for that. But typically, a gram of oil is gonna end up costing somewhere typically between probably $50 to $80 a gram, typically, is what that would sell at a dispensary to the end consumer.

Matthew: Okay. And if you were to say, "Hey, my average client, they're..." I mean, I'm sure it ranges wildly, but kinda the middle of the bell curve, it's being sold at $80 a gram at the dispensary. What does it cost to make that same gram on average?

Jonah: You know, so as it goes through the supply chain, you know, from your side as an extractor, a lot of it depends on how much you're getting your biomass for. And that's where it's incredibly important to be able to do your own quality control testing before you even buy products, buy biomass to extract, if you're buying it. Because, you know, you can't just have a blanket price like, "Okay, I'm gonna get everything at $100 a pound, or $200 a pound." There's a big difference between something that tests at, you know, 8% THC trim or kind of B-buds, versus something that's like 12% or 15%. And that's directly gonna affect your yield primarily. It won't so much affect the quality of the end product. You'll still have a great product. It's just, "How much yield are you gonna have come out of there?" is gonna be directly dependent upon your starting cannabinoid percentages. And so if you're buying product at $200 a pound, it typically costs about $5 to $6 to produce a gram of full-spectrum oil.

Matthew: [inaudible [00:32:27]

Jonah: Yeah. If you're closer at buying trim, you know, at the $100 a pound, you're closer to that kinda $3 to $4 a gram, is what it costs. And then what a lot of these companies do is they will actually then sell to other distributors or people that wanna make their products, and they'll typically sell that, you know, between $8 to $10 a gram. And so that gets sold to then someone that's gonna take that oil, and that's bulk oil. And that's where people are moving a lot of kilos or pounds doing that. And then other companies will then take that oil and put it in a cartridge, package it, brand it, market it. And then, you know, that will typically then go to a dispensary or a distributor, depending on, you know, what state you're in. And then that will typically then get sold, you know, in that $20 to $40 a gram. And then, so once it gets in the dispensary, then that's where then, it goes to, you know, that maybe $50 to $80 a gram, is typically how that works.

Michael: Okay. And how do you preserve terpenes as you go through this process? I mean, is it a matter of temperature and pressure? 'Cuz I'm kinda boomeranging all over the place here but, you know, you talked about how critical it is for the experience and for the end product. And also, end customers are getting much more savvy about this and they talk to each other, and you really wanna make sure you maintain terpenes. What's the art and the science of doing that just right?

Jonah: So the biggest thing is having control over your process. And you hit pretty much two of the most important parts when it comes from a CO2 site is terpene preservation is maintained primarily per your temperature control and control over your pressure. And so temperature is so critical to your extraction process. And I feel like sometimes that's an afterthought. Sometimes people will just use an off-the-market kinda chiller or hot water bath. And, you know, if you look at the specifications on some of those, you know, off-the-shelf kinda chillers, sometimes they're +/-5 degrees. And we have built for us, heater/chiller combinations that are exactly specified per machine specifications. So when we set our temperature, this stays typically about 1 degree. And so we have really tight control over our temperature.

And then from the pressure standpoint, see, a lot of times people will just want...they'll try to do more throughput. And they can achieve more throughput if they go through 3,000, 4,000, or 5,000 psi. But what happens is, at those higher levels, if you look at, you know, like a whitepaper, typically anything over 1,800 psi, you start to degrade some of the cannabinoids, the terpenes, you pull on additional plant material and chlorophylls. And so you really start to degrade a lot of the great therapeutic benefits of some of those things. And then you have to spend a lot of time in your post-processing and cleaning up. And so where we increase throughput without sacrificing the quality is with temperature and then also what we call "flow rate," which is, you know, essentially, how fast CO2 or a solvent moves through your product. And so that's how we're able to preserve, you know, the majority of our terpenes through the extraction process.

Matthew: Okay.

Jonah: I will say too, you also do have the ability, terpenes you can actually run very low, like almost like a subcritical, in the very beginning of your extraction run. But some customers like to try to pull those terpenes in like that first half-hour to hour, and then they'll just change the settings. You don't have the stop the machine to change the settings. And they'll take a pull and pull those...Especially, if their goal is to go to distillate later, they'll just pull those terpenes, and then set them aside and use them later, either reintroduce them or use them for a different product, because they're very valuable.

Matthew: Now, we touched on this briefly, but I just want to be really clear for listeners about the most common business paths for people buying extraction machines. So you get to create your own brand or line of products, there's a toll processer, which you mentioned, and then there's the bulk oil house. Are those kinda the big buckets you would say exist?

Jonah: Yes. Those are the three that our customers really focus on. There's incredible opportunities to be a toll processor or kind of a bulk oil house. And primarily that's because the extraction site, you know, there's a capital investment that comes with it, and also I think sometimes people are just like, "Well, I don't know anything about extraction." You know? Even amazing growers that are great growers that know cannabis better than [inaudible 00:37:16] anyone, they sometimes are just like, "Well, I just don't know about extraction or what to do."

Matthew: Okay.

Jonah: So I think some people are kind of, maybe [sounds like] a little nervous just thinking of, "Can I do that?" You know? And so a lot of times there's not enough processors, or toll processors to handle the amount of extraction that needs to take place. And so that's where there's been these industries that have stepped up to where, I had one customer here in Oregon, a company called "Tosmos" [sp], that was initially gonna do their own cartridge line. And then they got offered a pretty lucrative contract to do toll processing for one of the biggest cannabis companies out there that just wanted them to toll process. And so they did that and they started with a 20-liter. They added a second 20-liter, and then a third 20-liter, and then a 100-liter, and they just kept adding more equipment. And they've really found their niche in doing toll processing extractions.

Matthew: So toll processing, again, is just taking other people's trim or your own trim and extracting it, and then selling it to another business, not a...

Jonah: That's correct.

Matthew: ...retail operation? Okay.

Jonah: Yes. But now, on the toll processing, it's more you're specifically extracting it to that customer's needs and specifications and wants. And that's where you have to have good quality control and repeatability to satisfy the customer there. And so, yes, a lot of times, they'll provide their trim or product, and then you extract it and turn it into, you know, a full-spectrum oil or a distillate.

Matthew: Okay.

Jonah: And then, the bulk oil side...And a lot of our customers will do a combinate of one, two, or all three of these businesses too. Because when you're doing the toll processing, it's also just natural that you could be almost like a bulk oil, like a Cisco, that kind of thing, to where you're even sourcing your own trim or your own...And here in Oregon, too, I mean, now with the cost of flower, the overproduction, a lot of the extraction companies are now running flower because they can get outdoor really good A, B-buds, or $200, $300 a pound, which really change the...

Matthew: Whoa.

Jonah: Yeah.

Matthew: I've heard about the overproduction. It was overproduction. It was kind of a subjective term. But I've heard that there's a big supply in Oregon. So that's amazing, $200 or $300 a pound.

Jonah: Oh, it is. And it's really changed even the whole quality of your yields. You know, so now instead of maybe historically getting a 10% to 12% yield, you know, of full-spectrum oil, now some of our customers are getting closer to, you know, 13%, 15%, which really changes your financials modeling, when you're getting that kinda return in yields. And so a lot of the customers will also then just make bulk oil and just sell that to edible companies, you know, sell it in pounds or kilos at a time to edible companies or vape companies that don't wanna do their own processing, but wanna have oil made that meets their standards and quality.

Matthew: Okay. So the toll processor already has in mind exactly what they need, and they have specifications. And when a company comes to a toll processor, they say, "Make x, y, and z for me with these specifications." A bulk oil house has like a menu you can pick from of extracted oils and products. Is that right?

Jonah: That's a great analogy. Yes. You got it.

Matthew: Okay. And then, of course, before that we mentioned creating your own brand. So we just went through creating your own brand, the toll processor, and a bulk oil house. I think it's amazing how these niches are kind of evolving. They overlap, but its kind of fragmentation with industry is we're starting to see specialization. So that is really amazing. And just to review those numbers again Jonah said...And we won't quote you on that, Jonah, just because, you know, the market's always a moving target. But you said sometimes...

Jonah: It is. Yeah.

Matthew: ...the input costs were $1 a gram or $3 or $4 a gram, but oil was selling for $80 a gram at a dispensary. So you can get a sense of how profitable this can be for a mass that's very small. I mean, a gram is a tiny, tiny amount of a mass. So that's really just incredible. And one of the reasons I'm so excited about it, it's also exciting too because compared to cultivating, extraction is kind of an esoteric thing still. People really, they don't know how to get into it. It seems really opaque. It's just, you know, "What do I do?" There's all these insiders, and they don't wanna really talk about it because it's going so well from them. Not uncommon to hear from people to pay for their extraction machines in a week, and these are expensive machines. So it's really something that's just remarkable. We're in a remarkable spot in history here. And actually, it was 2 or 3 years ago, I was talking about this, but this opportunity still exists.

So I want to just move forward with some other topics here. So we've talked about the three different types of businesses most of your clients operate under. We talked about preserving terpenes. But I want to talk a little bit about your partner's background and what he's brought to the business. Because in talking to you earlier, he sounds like an interesting character and has brought a lot of cool things, just kinda cool skills to the extraction realm. So if you can talk about him a little bit?

Jonah: Yeah. I'm very blessed. I couldn't ask for a better partner. His name is Paul Tomaso. He's my partner and our CEO of our company here. And when we decided that we were gonna set up an analytical testing laboratory, he was back on the East Coast doing some of the largest solar rooftop and fuel cell installations in North America. And he was the very first call because we knew with his background that, once he got into the cannabis and hemp industry, not only would he help us set up the most professional lab with quality controls and standardization, and new methods, but we knew once he got in the industry, he would identify bottlenecks and deficiencies and come up with better solutions. And that's exactly what he did. And his background is really unique in the sense that, it's like his whole life culmination has come together to develop the best extraction equipment, which he never, ever would have expected. You know?

And so, you know, he came from actually a military background, joining the military when he was 17. And then he actually ended up working for John Fluke, doing Fluke multimeters up there in Seattle area. And then he did, like, the TERCOM [sounds like] section of the Tomahawk Missile, the layout for that. He did some stuff on the NASA space shuttle, some contract work. And then he developed some of the fastest laser technology in the world for laser marking and engraving. And then he even developed some robotic pick-and-place equipment that you could take any image, any photograph, any customer logo, and it would pixelate it into, you know, 1/2-inch by 1/2-inch or 1-inch by 1-inch tiles. And it would robotically go grab those tiles, place them, and then you'd have like a beautiful mural. Like he did the D-Day Map in the Eisenhower Building, back in Washington as well.

And so he's had all these...Everything he's ever done, he's developed new technology. And I don't know. When it comes to extraction, you know, and the fact that we do automation on everything which is unusual, a lot of equipment's just not automated, whether it be CO2 or ethanol, or butane, and we automate everything to have control over your process and also, you know, reduce the cost of labor. And so the fact that I don't know of any other person that has the electrical, the mechanical, the controls, the pressure to have all those knowledges over his life experience to bring them together to build extraction equipment. Yeah. So I've very, very fortunate to have someone like that as a partner, because he's really the driving force and the genius kinda behind all the technology that we build here.

Matthew: That's great. Now, he went from military applications to cannabis. That's a huge divergence.

Jonah: Oh. Yeah. But, you know, Paul, he's a big believer in the medicinal benefits. You know, he's even seen that himself in a sense, where he loves CBD, in particular. You know, his mind never stops, and also he always has to be very alert. And so he doesn't really partake so much on the THC side. But the CBD side, he's a big believer on. And, you know, he's taken some full-spectrum CBD capsules, just goes to bed, you know, let's the mind shut off for a little bit, and just wakes up refreshed. And that was one of the biggest changes for him is realizing, "Wow, this stuff really, really works."

Matthew: Yeah.

Jonah: And so he's just incredibly passionate about helping people. You know, and him being a veteran too, you know, he really likes to help a lot of the veterans. And that's been one of the biggest things, we've enjoyed helping and seeing how many veterans that cannabis has really helped and saved their lives even. And we also like to hire a lot of veterans as well. And so anyways, that's been special to him as well, from that side.

Matthew: How do you see the extraction business changing and morphing, evolving, in the next 3 to 5 years as the industry just...I mean, there's more and more demand. There's gonna be more and more biomass coming in. Where do you see it going?

Jonah: Yeah. It's gonna be higher, faster, more efficient throughput with maintaining the best, highest quality, and repeatability is really where it's gonna go. And you'd hit on part of that, is it's gonna become even more standardized to where your product lines, even by a state-by-state basis, are gonna be repeatable. And so there's gonna be just more and more quality control. There's probably gonna end up being more requirements for good, you know, GNP kinda stuff too, for good practices for manufacturing. It's really gonna turn more, I think, into somewhat of a pharmaceutical environment with some of the production of stuff, whether it be edibles and oils. But just having that repeatability and quality control over your product.

Matthew: Yeah. It's funny because, you know, I've met some people from the pharmaceutical industry that have come over to the cannabis industry, and they're kinda bringing their best practices. But I don't think it'll be long before the cannabis industry is giving other industries their best practices. Because so much capital is moving into cannabis, and there's not any legacy architecture or systems. So it's all being built fresh. So we don't have to, you know, rely on kind of sclerotic processes. But with that, talk a little bit about your ISO-certified processing center. What is ISO? Why should we care about that? And what's important to know about it?

Jonah: Yeah. Well, you know, ISO is actually International Organization of Standards, who publishes quality standards or just good manufacturing processes.

Matthew: Okay.

Jonah: And it's really important because it helps, you know, answer the question, "You know, what is the best way to do this when it comes to manufacturing and to uphold certain standards as well?" And, you know, our background is in engineering, and you'll find that we created a lot of the standards to achieve, you know, high-quality extracts. And also, too, it's going into different jurisdictions, or even countries for that matter, or different states. You know, they all have different standards, but things like ISO or CE and things like that, those are all accepted. And so it's important for our customers in whatever jurisdictions or states, or cities, or countries we go into, that we have really high-quality engineering and documentation so that they can get through a permitting process as well, too. And so that's been incredibly important from our customer side.

Matthew: Okay. And so how long does it take? If someone's listening and they're like, "Hey, I want to reach out to MRX and find out if they have an extraction machine that works for me," how long does the whole process take from initial order to completion? And is there any sense on cost that you can give us, so we can kinda get an idea about this?

Jonah: Yes. So typically, you know, we build everything to order.

Matthew: Okay.

Jonah: And, you know, we require a 50% deposit, and we start building. And, you know, we have machines priced anywhere from the $150,000 up to $850,000, and then kinda anywhere and everywhere in between. And so typically, you know, on some of our smaller systems, a 6 to 8-week build time is fairly typical. Then, some of our bigger systems, like our 100C or our ethanol processing center, those are typically gonna be closer to the 12 to 16 weeks. But it usually works out really well timing-wise. Of course, every once in a while, we get the guys or existing customers that need another machine right away. And we're usually able to accommodate that in some way. But typically, that lead time is the right lead time in the sense that, once they put their deposit down, we start working with their team, helping with facility layout and design. And because what we see with a lot of our customers too, is not just their needs right now, like, "Okay, I need, you know, two 20-liters." "Okay. But what about your second phase or your third phase?"

And you can do a lot of infrastructure stuff up front with not a lot of additional capital but make it a lot easier to win. Because we've seen it over and over, where every 3 months, 6 months, our customers who start from a machine, and then they need more equipment. And then if they don't prepare for that on the front end, you know, they're moving things around, trying to bring more electrical in. And so we try to help in the beginning with a lot of their facility layout and design. That's not something we charge extra for. That's just part of kinda the value-added working with us. And we just kinda help them through their facility readiness, as well, making sure their facility is ready so when the equipment arrives. And a lot of times, too, we'll even have our customers come in and do training. We always go do training onsite, as well.

But a lot of times, we'll invite our customers to come in before their equipment even ships and come spend, you know, a few days here at our facility, learning about the equipment, you know, learning the extraction process. And that way, they have a good foundation, and it really shortens the learning curve when their equipment arrives.

Matthew: Well, that's good. Those are helpful services. I mean, just quickly, when's the most appropriate time to...When you're designing an extraction facility, maybe it's adjacent to a grow or part of some business planning, when is the ideal time to bring in you? Like when the architect and the general contractor have kinda been picked and blueprints are being drawn, be like, "Hey, we wanna bring in, you know, MRX to talk a little bit about this facility and just to make sure that we're implementing the best practices?" 'Cuz I've seen a lot of people and a lot of businesses doing that, like wondering when to pull in who in the planning process.

Jonah: That's exactly it, is we like to typically be involved in that at least at 4 to 6 out before you want to be processing. And we work more and more now with architects, designers, engineering firms, from the very beginning, just helping spec in the equipment, and then also with, like I said, the facility layout and stuff. And so, yeah. You know, that 4 to 6 months is usually when we get involved.

Matthew: Okay. Well, Jonah, I'd like to ask some personal development questions to help listeners get a better sense of who you are personally. With that, is there a book that's had a big impact on your life or way of thinking that you'd like to share?

Jonah: You know, the one book that I really took a lot from was a book called "From Good to Great," I think the author is Jim Collins.

Matthew: Mm-hmm.

Jonah: And as an entrepreneur, you know, when you start a company, you know, it's usually you and two or three other crazy partners that start to build that company. And there's only, you know, so much you can do and keep taking it in yourself and pushing forward. And, you know, I can't stress the importance and need of getting good, quality people in building your team. And what I reference about that book is that it took a bunch of case studies from different companies that were good companies, and built to a certain part, and then took them to the next level. And one of the things I really took out of that was identifying the right people to kinda hire. And a lot of times though, too, you don't always sometimes just hire for a very specific position, which is common. It's what you usually do, like, "I need this position." And we still do that a lot of times. But a lot of times, you know, I'll just meet somebody or talk with them, or have some informational interviews, and you'll find someone with a really good work ethic, hungry, they want to learn, and they have unique skill sets, and you kinda almost find a position for them. And that's one of the things...

Matthew: Get them on the bus, right? Is that what they call that?

Jonah: Yeah. Yeah.

Matthew: Get them on the bus.

Jonah: Yep. Exactly. And so that's one of the things I really took from that book and I thought was really helpful to me, as far as a book like that.

Matthew: Okay. I should also ask, you know, you're a growing business, what's the type of skill set, like degree, are you looking for chemists, mechanical engineers, electrical engineers...I mean, what's the type of skill set for the employees of your company now? Like what does it look like? So I wanna, A, give young people listening or people looking to make a career transition, looking for what skills are, like, in demand. What would you say is in demand?

Jonah: Yep. You hit two of my top ones right there, is kinda that chemistry background and then that mechanical engineer side. You know, people with kinda [inaudible [00:56:46] HVAC kind of experience or refrigeration experience is very helpful to us from that side.

Matthew: Okay.

Jonah: But, you know, we're always just looking for just good, talented people that are hard workers, that are not afraid to get their hands dirty and work hard. And, you know, we do a lot of training in-house too. And so we don't necessarily have to have a degree, but those are two degrees that we do tend to hire a lot of.

Matthew: Yeah. And one more personal development question. Is there a tool, web-based or otherwise, that you consider vital to your business or productivity individually??

Jonah: Yeah. You know, one is something that everybody already knows, but it's amazing the amount of texting that now happens in this industry. And just being able to use, like, voice text, I use that. I never thought I would use something like that to that level, but the amount of texts you get in a day can be 50, 100 texts.

Matthew: Yeah.

Jonah: And so that's something I use a lot of. But then, more on our side, specifically, we use a program called like, "Vtiger," which it's a little more than just a CRM, which is a, you know, customer relationship manager. And from our side, it's incredibly important to have to keep track of the data and your customers. I'm not just talking about sales leads, per se, but your existing customers. And we even have a whole customer portal built in for when our customers get equipment. You know, they have their own login, their own [inaudible [00:58:25]. So we can communicate with them through that...

Matthew: Well, that's cool.

Jonah: ...and track everything through the whole entire process.

Matthew: Yeah.

Jonah: And so that's been a very valuable tool for us, Vtiger, because it kinda ties in the potential new sales opportunities, it ties in our existing customers, and it also kinda syncs and manages all the calendars and stuff too, with visits and things like that. So that's been a pretty good tool that we use a lot.

Matthew: And how do you spell that?

Jonah: V as in Victor, and then just tiger.

Matthew: Okay. Cool. I've never heard of that one. Well, Jonah, this has been very educational. Thanks so much for coming on the show and teaching us about everything you're doing. This sounds like just an incredible business opportunity, not just for you, but for also your clients. And so I wish you all the best, and I hope you come back on and tell us how the industry is evolving.

Jonah: Oh, I'd be happy to do that. I really appreciate you taking the time. And I sure enjoyed getting a chance to speak with you.

Planet 13 is the largest cannabis dispensary and retail experience in the world, and it just got bigger. Here to tell us about it is Co-CEO Bob Groesbeck.

Learn more at https://www.planet13lasvegas.com

Key Takeaways:

[00:56] An inside look at Planet 13’s 112,000-square-foot cannabis superstore in Las Vegas

[2:27] Bob’s background and how he got into the cannabis space

[4:53] How Planet 13 merges cannabis and entertainment for a unique retail experience

[9:30] The organizational tools Planet 13 uses to keep its dispensary running smoothly

[16:17] How Planet 13 decides which products to offer and the best ways to display them

[17:43] Surprising new consumer habits Bob has noticed over the last year

[21:19] Bob’s predictions for when we’ll see the first national brand in cannabis

California is the world’s largest cannabis market, and that means navigating everything that’s happening on the legal and regulatory front can be tricky. Here to help us is Khurshid Khoja of Greenbridge Corporate Counsel.

Learn more at http://www.greenbridgelaw.com 

Key Takeaways:

[00:54] An inside look at Greenbridge Corporate Counsel, a California business and regulatory law boutique that provides industry-focused legal expertise to cannabis companies

[1:24] Khurshid’s day-to-day interfacing with Sacramento regulators and politicians to help his clients see what’s just around the corner

[3:54] California’s provisional licensing crisis and where Khurshid sees things heading over the next year

[7:53] How Governor Newsom’s potential recall could affect California’s cannabis industry

[9:14] The Budget Trailer Bill and why it’s important

[12:24] Why Khurshid believes California’s regulatory landscape will evolve to become much more streamlined over the next few years

[15:29] The pending legislation around veterinary cannabis products

[17:17] The current regulation and taxation for non-cannabis cannabinoids

[20:08] What Sacramento regulators are saying about delta-8 THC, a hemp-derived cannabinoid that some states are banning due to its close relation to delta-9 THC

[26:30] What California business owners are excited about right now and the big opportunities that lie ahead

A corner of the cannabis marketplace quietly gaining popularity is CBD for pelvic pain and sexual wellness. Here to tell us more is Adina Leifer, a pelvic floor physical therapist and the founder of Silkx Society, the first medically-backed CBD lubricant for pelvic pain.

Learn more at https://www.silkxsociety.com 

Key Takeaways:

[1:07] Adina’s background as a pelvic floor physical therapist and her Atlanta-based practice, Able Therapy

[2:12] An inside look at Adina’s new company Silkx Society, a CBD lubricant designed specifically for pelvic pain

[7:20] How CBD can benefit different types of pelvic floor dysfunction

[11:56] The challenges of starting a CBD company and some valuable lessons Adina has learned along the way

[14:08] How Adina came up with the formulation for her CBD lubricant and what sets it apart from others on the market

[20:48] Where Adina sees this category heading over the next few years

Note from Adina: Men have pelvic muscles and can experience pelvic pain. It can present as a constant ache in their abdomen or below their testicles. Physical therapy is a great treatment for men with this pain, and this pelvic serum can help them as well.

What are Delta-8 THC and 5-MeO-DMT and what’s all the hype about? Here to help us understand is the cannabis whisper himself, Max Montrose of Trichome Institute.

Learn more at https://trichomeinstitute.com

Key Takeaways:

[00:43] An inside look at Trichome Institute, the leading cannabis education company

[2:06] Delta-8 THC and how it differs from its better-known cousin delta-9 THC

[3:45] Why delta-8 is surging in popularity

[13:36] Where Max sees delta-8 THC heading over the next 3-5 years

[16:44] Max’s partnership with Abstrax, an industry leader in the study and production of cannabis and botanically-derived terpenes

[23:39] 5-MeO-DMT, a psychedelic found in a variety of plant species and the glands of the Sonoran Desert toad

[27:39] Max’s work studying the Sonoran Desert toad and their unique venom glands

[41:12] How Max’s experiences with 5-MeO-DMT and ayahuasca have changed his philosophies and way of life

There’s been a lot of buzz around grocery dark stores and ghost kitchens, but not a lot of people are talking about the growing number of cannabis dark stores. Here to tell us more is Jeff Sampson, founder and CEO of Everscore.

Everscore’s marketplace: everscore.com 

Everscore for brands: everscoreconnect.com

Key Takeaways:

[1:02] An inside look at Everscore, the first direct-to-consumer marketplace for THC and CBD products

[2:25] Jeff’s background and how he came to start Everscore

[4:33] How the current dispensary model works against new brands trying to enter the market

[7:45] The rise in cannabis dark stores and where Jeff sees this trend heading over the next few years

[11:56] How dark stores will even the playing field for small brands and help diversify the industry

[18:47] Everscore’s extensive analytics and ad network of 40,000+ lifestyle publishers

[25:97] How Everscore offers ultra-tailored fulfillment with its large network of brands, growers, and manufacturers

[32:50] Jeff’s plans to expand Everscore throughout the US to provide brands the biggest footprint possible

Is cannabis the largest investment trend of this generation? Here to tell us why we’re about to see a wave of capital move into the industry is Todd Harrison of CB1 Capital.

Learn more at https://www.cb1cap.com 

Key Takeaways:

[00:50] An inside look at CB1 Capital, a New York-based investment manager and advisor that specializes in the supply chain of cannabinoid-based wellness solutions, products, and therapies

[1:13] Todd’s background and how he came to start CB1 Capital

[3:46] How cannabis investing has progressed over the last few years and where Todd sees it heading

[6:30] What Todd is most excited about as an investor in the cannabis industry right now

[7:51] Characteristics that make for a successful MSO or multi-state operator

[10:02] Todd’s thoughts on the federal legislation timeline

[14:05] Why cannabis is the investment opportunity of this generation

[15:53] How the US compares to Canada in terms of cannabis investing opportunities

[17:41] Todd’s advice to investors looking to get into cannabis

[20:27] Who makes up CB1 Capital’s advisory board, from Governor Gary Johnson to Lorne Gertner

[22:03] Why Todd feels we’re about to enter the next stage of cannabis growth and signs to look out for

Banking is one of the toughest problems for the US cannabis industry, but one company is about to change all that. Here to tell us more is Cooraez Keshvani, CEO of ReThink.

Learn more at https://www.rethinkpay.com 

Key Takeaways:

[1:41] An inside look at ReThink, the leading blockchain financial platform for cannabis and other high-risk industries

[2:26] Cooraez's background in biomedical engineering and how he came to start ReThink

[4:41] The biggest obstacles in cannabis banking right now

[8:54] How ReThink's KYC, anti-money laundering, and built-in compliance make it safer than other blockchains

[14:31] ReThink's payment options for apps, online, and in-person

[16:47] How cannabis retailers can easily integrate ReThink into their point-of-sale software and delivery apps

[18:48] Where Cooraez sees lending in cannabis heading over the next few years

[20:04] How ReThink's fees compare to other cannabis payment processors 

[25:09] ReThink's efforts to create a standard global currency country by country

Can cannabis culture and big business co-exist? Here to help us answer that is Andrew DeAngelo, co-founder of Harborside and Last Prisoner Project.

Learn more at https://andrewdeangelo.com

Key Takeaways:

[1:32] A look back at Andrew's 38 years in cannabis and where he sees the industry heading

[7:45] Why corporate cannabis and legacy cannabis need each other and what it will take to build a productive relationship

[23:47] Issues with bad public policy and "NIMBYism" at the local level in cannabis-legal states

[30:04] Andrew's work with Last Prisoner Project, a nonprofit leading the charge in cannabis criminal justice reform

Despite a global pandemic, cannabis is one of the few industries that has grown throughout 2020 and 2021 — and that’s nothing compared to the gangbuster growth expected through 2025.

Here to tell us more is Chris Walsh, President and CEO of Marijuana Business Daily.

Learn more at https://mjbizdaily.com

Key Takeaways:

[1:05] An inside look at Marijuana Business Daily, the most trusted business news outlet for professionals in the cannabis industry

[1:41] Chris’ background in business journalism and how he came to be CEO of Marijuana Business Daily

[4:04] How cannabis regulations have changed over the last five years and what that could mean for the industry going forward

[7:36] Surprising reasons cannabis managed to survive and adapt during Covid-19

[10:51] Why cannabis retail sales could double to put the industry at a 38 to 45 billion valuation by 2025

[13:23] Aspects of the market Chris believes investors and business owners might be underestimating

[17:14] Surprising new trends that are quietly taking hold in cannabis right now

[23:43] How more legalization for recreational cannabis could diminish the medical cannabis market

[30:24] The last states standing between the US and full cannabis acceptance

[34:59] How job growth in cannabis doubled from 2019 to 2021 despite Covid-19’s economic recession and spiking unemployment rates

As the push for recreational cannabis picks up steam in southern states, one company is working hard to make sure brands are primed and ready to get out on top. Here to tell us more is Brittany Phillips of Shake Collaboration.

Learn more at https://www.shakecolab.com

Use promo code "CANNAINSIDER" to get 25% off your entire order at shopcbdandme.com 

Key Takeaways:

[1:24] An inside look at Shake Brands, a southern-based cannabis branding and product development company

[3:07] Brittany's background in design and what led her to enter the cannabis space

[8:40] How Shake Brands is different from other full-service groups

[13:56] The biggest pain points for cannabis startups right now and how to navigate them

[17:39] How to develop a strong visual identity despite restrictions on language and advertising

[19:27] How federal legalization will impact cannabis branding

[20:53] Shake Brands' new Arkansas-based CBD and wellness company, CBD & Me

[26:56] Trending cannabis products in AR and other southern states right now

[28:32] AR's recreational cannabis legalization timeline

A long-debated bill establishing new hemp rules just gained final approval in California, ​​but what does this mean for the market and how should we prepare? Here to help us answer that is Jeffrey Welsh, Partner at Vicente Sederberg & co-founder of Composite Agency. 

Learn more at https://vicentesederberg.com 

Key Takeaways:

[1:37] An inside look at Vicente Sederberg, one of the largest cannabis law firms in the US

[4:56] Jeffrey's decorated background in entertainment and how he came to join Vicente Sederberg

[12:04] Emerging growth opportunities in entertainment and cannabis

[16:46] How celebrity brands could help destigmatize cannabis and draw in more consumers

[21:57] The Trailer Bill and what this means for California's cannabis industry

[25:41] Assembly Bill 45 and the end of prohibition on smokable hemp in California

As new studies shed light on the benefits of these powerful plant compounds, terpenes could become the biggest thing in wellness since CBD. Here to tell us more is Kevin Koby, co-founder and Chief Science Officer of Abstrax Tech.

Learn more at https://abstraxtech.com 

Key Takeaways:

[1:03] Kevin's background in chemistry and how he came to start Abstrax

[1:55] An inside look at Abstrax Tech, the leading innovator in terpene sensorial experience

[2:44] A breakdown of terpenes and how this segment has evolved over the last couple of years

[4:44] How terpenes enhance the flavor and effects of cannabis through the entourage effect

[6:51] Abstrax's Type 7 licensed lab testing versus standard cannabis testing

[10:50] Exciting takeaways from Abstrax's "Man vs. Machine" experiment with Max Montrose

[14:02] How Abstrax's terpene research is taking cannabis to new heights

[17:07] Abstrax's terpene infusion products and the biggest trends Kevin sees among wholesale clients

[20:32] Where Kevin sees the terpene market heading over the next 3-5 years 

With the demand for cannabis testing services on the rise, one company has found a way to provide top-tier equipment at a quarter of the price. Here to tell us more is Yvette Pagano of GenTech Scientific, a supplier of quality refurbished laboratory equipment for the cannabis industry. 

Learn more at https://gentechscientific.com 

GenTech's $25K for 25 Years Giveaway: https://gentechscientific.com/25000-for-25-years

Key Takeaways:

[1:14] An inside look at GenTech Scientific

[1:52] Yvette's background in manufacturing and how she came to enter the cannabis space

[7:18] GenTech's biggest customers in cannabis and the company's wide selection of lab instruments

[10:26] Where GenTech sources its equipment

[12:48] How GenTech is able to save clients up to 70% on top tier lab equipment

[17:50] The first steps to starting a cannabis lab 

[20:48] GenTech's training and education programs for cannabis labs

[25:20] Where Yvette sees the cannabis testing market heading over the next few years

While not the most traditional path, equity crowdfunding can be a great way for cannabis brands to raise capital - but only if know what you’re doing. Here to walk us through how she’s successfully crowdfunding her CBD wellness brand is co-founder and CEO of Element Apothec Davina Kaonohi. 

Learn more at https://elementapothec.com 

Key Takeaways:

[1:05] Davina's background in e-commerce and how she came to start Element Apothec

[5:49] How Davina took inspiration from her aunt's homemade tinctures to formulate Element's CBD products

[7:48] Why Davina turned to equity crowdfunding and how she's successfully targeting investors

[11:36] Equity crowdfunding vs traditional crowdfunding

[13:38] How to create a killer marketing campaign through storytelling

[17:54] Element's efforts to bring transparency to CBD and do away with sketchy "proprietary blends" 

[24:04] Davina's goals to grow Element's product selection and expand the company over the next few years

[26:02] Where Davina sees the CBD skincare space heading over the next 3-5 years

What types of businesses are cannabis venture capitalists willing to fund, and how can you make yours one of them? Here to answer that question is Ross O'Brien of Bonaventure Equity.

Learn more at https://www.bvequity.com 

Key Takeaways:

[00:57] An inside look at Bonaventure Equity, a boutique venture capital firm focused on early-stage investments in the cannabis space

[1:54] Ross' background and how he came to start Bonaventure

[5:35] The two-step process Ross follows when choosing which companies to invest in

[9:22] Ross' portfolio of investments in cannabis to date, from research and development to health tech 

[11:55] Attributes that Ross looks for in a company founder

[13:43] Ross' advice to entrepreneurs looking to raise capital 

[23:13] Common mistakes people make when putting together a pitch deck and how to avoid them

[25:58] Exciting developments in the cannabis healthcare space and where Ross sees it heading over the next 3-5 years

After earning a spot on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in 2018, Scott Sundvor left a decorated career in the medical device industry to start a new venture in cannabis. In just three years, Space Coyote has become one of the top extract-infused pre-roll brands in all of California. Hear how he did it in this episode of CannaInsider.

Learn more at https://www.spacecoyote.org 

Key Takeaways:

[1:02] An inside look at Space Coyote, one of the best-selling high potency preroll brands in California

[1:46] Scott's background in the medical device industry and how he came to start Space Coyote

[12:32] Differences between Space Coyote's high potency infused pre-rolls and other pre-rolls on the market

[16:15] What customers are saying about Space Coyote

[17:26] How the company has developed strong brand loyalty through experiential events

[21:26] The pros and cons of a fully remote cannabis brand and how that influences work culture and performance

[25:27] Why Scott believes cannabis is an "infinite game"

[28:41] Space Coyote's efforts in sustainability and the best packaging options for cannabis brands right now

[34:12] Space Coyote's goals for the next few years, including a sativa preservation project and plans to expand to the east coast

With more states legalizing recreational cannabis and federal legalization on the horizon, the industry is gearing up for an influx of capital. Here to help us stay ahead of the curve is Jordan Tritt and Scott Berman of The Panther Group. 

Learn more at https://thepanthergroup.co 

Key Takeaways:

[00:56] An inside look at The Panther Group, a venture capital consulting firm for growth-stage cannabis companies

[1:42] Scott and Jordan's backgrounds in cannabis and how they came to start The Panther Group

[3:08] How cannabis investing is changing and the different factors driving those changes

[5:25] When we might see federal legalization in the US and how to prepare in advance

[6:48] How the SAFE Banking Act could impact cannabis investing over the next few years

[8:06] The characteristics Scott and Jordan look for when considering investing in a company

[10:22] The most promising sectors in cannabis right now

[12:32] The Panther Group's data-driven digital advertising approach

[15:44] The biggest pain points in digital advertising for cannabis companies and how to navigate them

[21:39] Interesting new gaps emerging in the cannabis marketplace right now

[27:05] Scott and Jordan's tips on how to develop a successful pitch

[28:54] What investors should look for in a pitch deck and where to spot red flags

On a mission to enter the cannabis space, siblings Marie Montmarquet and Allen Hackett left their homes in Tennessee to join the action in California. Just a few years later, they’re now co-founders of MD Numbers, one of the most successful vertically integrated cannabis brands in the country.

Learn more at https://www.mdnumbersinc.com

Key Takeaways:

[00:57] An inside look at MD Numbers and its subsidiaries, from MD Farms to Marie's Deliverables

[1:17] Marie and Allen's backgrounds in cannabis and how they came to start MD Numbers

[3:56] How Marie's Deliverables has evolved since its start in 2015

[6:24] Why Marie and Allen decided to launch MD Farms and how this has helped them better compete in the Socal market

[7:33] Consumer preferences in Southern California versus Northern California

[9:56] The types of strains and wholesale services provided at MD Farms

[12:41] MD Farms' mixed-light greenhouse facility and their plans for an extensive new indoor facility 

[17:52] MD Numbers' third company Legacy Coterie, a full-service cannabis consulting service focused on developing equity in cannabis

[18:44] The biggest compliance challenges cannabis brands face today and how to go about navigating them 

How can you use greenhouses and technology to take your cultivation to best in class? Here to tell us is Ryan Douglas, author of From Seed to Success.

Learn more at https://douglascultivation.com 

Key Takeaways:

[00:43] An inside look at Ryan's cultivation consulting company, Ryan Douglas Cultivation

[00:58] Ryan's background in cannabis cultivation

[1:41] The benefits of using a greenhouse to grow cannabis

[10:56] Why so many growers experience problems with mold and how to avoid this

[16:24] New greenhouse technologies in cannabis to look out for

[20:46] How to budget for an optimal greenhouse environment 

[22:28] Tricks of the trade Ryan has brought with him to cannabis from his long background in cultivation

[30:32] How Ryan sees greenhouses and automation changing cannabis cultivation in the next 3-5 years

What if you could turn your smartphone into a cannabis testing system that provides lab-accurate results in under ten seconds? Thanks to biotech company Purpl Scientific, such a device now exists. Here to tell us more is Purpl’s Global Sales Director, John Hunt.

Learn more at https://www.purplscientific.com 

Follow John on Instagram at @grimeygatsby

Key Takeaways:

[2:15] An inside look at Purpl Scientific, a portable testing device that measures cannabis potency with instant results

[3:46] John’s background in cannabis and what led him to join Purpl as Global Sales Director

[10:41] The college course John teaches on gaining certification to become a dispensary agent

[13:40] The Purpl Pro’s infrared spectroscopy and how it works to provide lab-accurate results 

[19:05] Advantages the Purpl Pro offers cultivators

[25:48] How the Purpl Pro stacks up against third party labs in terms of accuracy

[36:17] Purpl Scientific’s growing success in the Netherlands and the company’s goals to expand across Europe

[39:12] New upgrades to the Purpl Pro, from moisture content to extract measuring technology

[42:57] The Purpl Pro’s incredible ROI for everyone from cultivators to cannabis brokers

What are Delta-8 THC and 5-MeO-DMT and what's all the hype about? Here to help us understand is the cannabis whisper himself, Max Montrose of Trichome Institute.

Learn more at https://trichomeinstitute.com 

Key Takeaways:

[00:43] An inside look at Trichome Institute, the leading cannabis education company

[2:06] Delta-8 THC and how it differs from its better-known cousin delta-9 THC

[3:45] Why delta-8 is surging in popularity

[13:36] Where Max sees delta-8 THC heading over the next 3-5 years 

[16:44] Max's partnership with Abstrax, an industry leader in the study and production of cannabis and botanically-derived terpenes

[23:39] 5-MeO-DMT, a psychedelic found in a variety of plant species and the glands of the Sonoran Desert toad

[27:39] Max's work studying the Sonoran Desert toad and their unique venom glands

[41:12] How Max's experiences with 5-MeO-DMT and ayahuasca have changed his philosophies and way of life

The first cannabis event of its kind, MJ Unpacked places passionate retailers, THC CPG brands, and accredited investors at the center of it all with unique opportunities to connect, collaborate, and access capital.

Here to tell us more is revered cannabis executive and founder of MJ Unpacked, George Jage of Jage of Media.

Learn more at https://jagemedia.com and https://mjunpacked.com 

Key Takeaways:

[3:31] An inside look at Jage Media, a business to business company that produces distinctive events and focused content to help accelerate the growth and profitability of cannabis brands

[5:10] George’s background launching and leading some of the biggest media companies in the space 

[7:12] Exciting parallels between the tea and cannabis industries

[10:57] Lessons George took away from his time at MJBizDaily and Dope Magazine

[17:16] George’s new content platform MJ Brand Insights and the valuable intel it offers cannabis brands and retailers

[20:55] How brands can use generational marketing to target the best audience

[24:18] The thought-process behind MJ Unpacked’s unique format and what sets the conference apart from other CPG events

[28:05] What attendees can expect at this year’s MJ Unpacked, from investor pitches to a Blues Brothers concert

[34:19] George’s predictions for when cannabis will see its first national brand

[35:14] Things that take a pitch from good to great and George’s advice on how to secure investors

What happens when vertical farming meets cannabis? The highest quality, consistency, and yield at the lowest possible cost.​ 

Here to tell us more is Raymond Chang of Agrify, a developer of highly advanced grow solutions for the indoor agriculture marketplace.

Learn more at https://www.agrify.com 

Key Takeaways:

[1:01] An inside look at Agrify and its proprietary vertical farming solutions

[1:53] Raymond’s background as a serial entrepreneur and how he came to be CEO of Agrify

[4:17] The different components that make up Agrify’s automated cannabis grows, from vertical farmings units (VFUs) to advanced cultivation software  

[9:25] The ROI per square foot for a facility with vertical farming units versus one without

[11:45] The price range for Agrify’s vertical farming units and how they pay for themselves in less than a few months

[16:08] Agrify’s fine-tuned SaaS component and the insights growers are loving most

[19:45] Agrify University, a 3,500 square foot vertical farming facility in MA that offers extensive hands-on training for new Agrify growers

[20:27] Opportunities for cultivators to license their grow recipes to other cultivators through Agrify’s platform

[24:49] Where Raymond sees the cannabis’ grow tech and automation space heading over the next 3-5 years

Does indoor cannabis cultivation have to come with environmental drawbacks? Not anymore.

One company has found a way to minimize its emissions AND cut costs in half - all with the power of the sun. Here to tell us about it is Edward Dow of Solar Therapeutics, the first energy-independent dispensary in the world.

Learn more at https://solarthera.com 

Key Takeaways:

[2:17] An inside look at Solar Therapeutics, the world’s first energy-independent cannabis cultivation and retail facility based in Somerset, MA

[2:57] Ed’s background in engineering and what led him to become CEO of Solar Therapeutics

[5:55] Solar’s unique indoor cultivation facility, including its extensive solar arrays and centralized heating and cooling systems

[8:32] How Solar implemented its own microgrid to create a 100% self-sufficient, energy-independent facility

[10:40] How Ed was able to bootstrap what’s now a multi-million dollar operation entirely from private investors

[15:25] Solar’s collaboration with Fluence to earn over $1 million in energy efficiency rebates

[17:30] The advantages of broad-spectrum LEDs for energy costs and crop yields

[19:56] How Solar significantly offsets its costs through its heating and cooling systems

[22:36] Solar’s energy costs versus other similar vertically-integrated dispensaries

[25:15] The cannabis industry’s growing carbon footprint and what it will take for companies to implement more sustainable practices

[28:21] The best-selling products in Massachusetts and new trends to look out for

[30:12] Solar Therapeutics’ goals to become a multi-state operator, from Rhode Island to New York and beyond

While cannabis banking still has its challenges, Safe Harbor Financial is on course to make those challenges a thing of the past. Here to tell us about it is Safe Harbor CEO Sundie Seefried.

Learn more at https://shfinancial.org 

Key Takeaways:

[00:57] An inside look at Safe Harbor Financial, a fintech banking platform that provides cannabis companies a safe and 100% compliant place to bank

[1:22] Sundie’s background in the credit union industry and how she came to start Safe Harbor

[2:21] How cannabis banking has evolved over the last few years and where Sundie sees it heading

[4:46] The Safe Banking Act and what it means for cannabis banking

[7:36] Compliance challenges cannabis companies are facing right now

[9:08] What lending in cannabis banking could look like in the next few years

[14:06] How Safe Harbor Financial has grown since its inception in 2015 to manage over 500 cannabis banking accounts

[14:54] Safe Harbor’s onboarding process for new clients

[19:14] How cryptocurrency and stablecoin are changing the cannabis banking landscape

Some of California’s most sought-after cannabis flower also happens to come from one of the most sustainable companies in the US. Here to tell us about it and share a few of her secrets is Julia Jacobson of Aster Farms.

Learn more at https://www.asterfarms.com 

Key Takeaways:

[2:02] An inside look at Aster Farms, a sustainable cannabis brand based in northern California

[2:20] Julia’s background as an entrepreneur in the tech space and how she came to start Aster Farms

[3:40] Aster’s unique proprietary genetics and how they curate their popular line of flower

[7:49] The “5 phase approach” at Aster Farms and how this allows them to grow smaller, more high-quality batches

[11:29] The substantial damage Aster Farms suffered during the 2018 Mendocino Complex Fire and how the company successfully rebuilt themselves

[15:48] The pros and cons of being vertically integrated in the cannabis industry

[17:33] Why Aster Farms chooses more sustainable practices despite various challenges

[22:19] Why we’re seeing an upswing in craft cannabis brands across the US and where Julia sees this sector heading over the next few years

[25:08] The challenges in scaling a sustainable, small-batch cannabis company and how Aster Farms has gone about navigating this

[27:54] How Aster Farms differentiates themselves through unique branding and marketing

[29:58] Julia’s advice on how to build unbreakable brand loyalty

Planet 13 is the largest cannabis dispensary and retail experience in the world, and it just got bigger. Here to tell us about it is Co-CEO Bob Groesbeck.

Learn more at https://www.planet13lasvegas.com 

Key Takeaways:

[00:56] An inside look at Planet 13's 112,000-square-foot cannabis superstore in Las Vegas

[2:27] Bob's background and how he got into the cannabis space

[4:53] How Planet 13 merges cannabis and entertainment for a unique retail experience 

[9:30] The organizational tools Planet 13 uses to keep its dispensary running smoothly

[16:17] How Planet 13 decides which products to offer and the best ways to display them

[17:43] Surprising new consumer habits Bob has noticed over the last year

[21:19] Bob's predictions for when we'll see the first national brand in cannabis

Is cannabis the largest investment trend of this generation? Here to tell us why we’re about to see a wave of capital move into the industry is Todd Harrison of CB1 Capital.

Learn more at https://www.cb1cap.com 

Key Takeaways:

[00:50] An inside look at CB1 Capital, a New York-based investment manager and advisor that specializes in the supply chain of cannabinoid-based wellness solutions, products and therapies

[1:13] Todd’s background and how he came to start CB1 Capital

[3:46] How cannabis investing has progressed over the last few years and where Todd sees it heading

[6:30] What Todd is most excited about as an investor in the cannabis industry right now

[7:51] Characteristics that make for a successful MSO or multi-state operator

[10:02] Todd’s thoughts on the federal legislation timeline

[14:05] Why cannabis is the investment opportunity of this generation

[15:53] How the US compares to Canada in terms of cannabis investing opportunities

[17:41] Todd’s advice to investors looking to get into cannabis

[20:27] Who makes up CB1 Capital’s advisory board, from Governor Gary Johnson to Lorne Gertner

[22:03] Why Todd feels we’re about to enter the next stage of cannabis growth and signs to look out for

Maine cannabis sales are booming after dispensaries were finally given the green light to sell recreational cannabis last fall, but this new market isn't without its challenges.

Here to tell us about it is Brandon Pollock of Theory Wellness.

Learn more at https://theorywellness.org 

Key Takeaways:

[2:14] An inside look at Theory Wellness, a small batch cannabis company with recreational and medical dispensaries in Massachusetts and Maine

[2:57] Brandon’s background in cannabis and how he came to start Theory Wellness

[4:36] Lessons Brandon learned during his time working for Harborside and how they’ve influenced his approach at Theory Wellness

[7:11] The pros and cons of being vertically integrated in the cannabis industry right now

[8:53] Why Maine dispensaries are having a difficult time meeting their supply needs

[10:25] The best selling products in Maine right now

[11:25] Unique aspects of the east coast cannabis market and where Brandon sees it heading over the next few years

[13:53] What it means to be a “small batch” cannabis company and how that sets Theory Wellness apart from other dispensaries

[15:03] How Theory Wellness is expanding into new states despite difficulties scaling a small batch cannabis company

[17:38] The inspiration for Theory Wellness’ successful new product Hi5, a low-dose THC seltzer

[19:02] How Hi5 compares to similar alcoholic seltzers in onset and overall effect

[19:59] Why Brandon believes cannabis beverages like Hi5 will surpass alcohol over the next few years

[22:26] Challenges Theory Wellness has faced in distributing their cannabis drinks

[24:02] How Theory Wellness is helping more entrepreneurs get into the cannabis space through its social equity programs in Maine and Massachusetts

California is the world’s largest cannabis market, and that means navigating everything that’s happening on the legal and regulatory front can be tricky. Here to help us is Khurshid Khoja of Greenbridge Corporate Counsel.

Learn more at http://www.greenbridgelaw.com 

Key Takeaways:

[00:54] An inside look at Greenbridge Corporate Counsel, a California business and regulatory law boutique that provides industry-focused legal expertise to cannabis companies

[1:24] Khurshid’s day-to-day interfacing with Sacramento regulators and politicians to help his clients see what’s just around the corner

[3:54] California’s provisional licensing crisis and where Khurshid sees things heading over the next year

[7:53] How Governor Newsom’s potential recall could affect California’s cannabis industry

[9:14] The Budget Trailer Bill and why it’s important

[12:24] Why Khurshid believes California’s regulatory landscape will evolve to become much more streamlined over the next few years

[15:29] The pending legislation around veterinary cannabis products

[17:17] The current regulation and taxation for non-cannabis cannabinoids

[20:08] What Sacramento regulators are saying about delta-8 THC, a hemp-derived cannabinoid that some states are banning due to its close relation to delta-9 THC

[26:30] What California business owners are excited about right now and the big opportunities that lie ahead

A new hemp seed vodka is winning taste tests and garnering devotees across Texas. Here to tell us about it is Ben Williams, founder of Highway Vodka.

Learn more at https://www.highwayvodka.com

Key Takeaways:

[00:45] An inside look at Highway Vodka, the first vodka created from hemp

[1:12] Ben’s background in the restaurant and bar industry and how he came to start Highway Vodka

[2:11] Why hemp produces a smoother vodka than most traditional grains and how Ben figured this out over years of experimentation

[7:08] The permits required to sell hemp-based alcohol

[13:43] Highway vodka’s unique flavor profile and how it compares to other spirits

[18:44] How Highway Vodka contains virtually no congeners, making the drink low-calorie and less likely to cause a hangover

[24:27] Books that have had a big impact on Ben’s life and way of thinking

[28:16] Ben’s thoughts on legalization in Texas and other southern states

Some investors are seeing big opportunities in post-seed stage investing. Here to tell us about it is Patrick Rea of the Poseidon Garden Fund. 

Learn more at https://www.poseidonassetmanagement.com

Key Takeaways:

[00:44] An inside look at the Poseidon Garden Fund, a $50 million fund supporting post-seed stage cannabis businesses

[1:39] Patrick’s background in cannabis, including his popular business-accelerator and venture capital fund, CanopyBoulder

[2:49] The current cannabis investing landscape and Patrick’s advice to investors looking to enter the space

[7:02] The benefits of post-seed stage investing versus earlier stages

[10:08] How the Poseidon Garden Fund helps springboard companies through its mastermind groups and large network of industry leaders

[13:53] The Garden Fund’s process for follow-on investments

[15:08] Parallels between the cannabis and supplements industries, including a new trend in product technology

[16:40] The Garden Fund investments Patrick is most excited about right now

[21:19] Patrick’s advice to entrepreneurs on the dos and don’ts of pitching your company

The Michigan cannabis market isn’t on everyone’s radar, but it’s large and growing faster than you might think. Here to tell us about it is Fabian Monaco of Gage Cannabis.

Learn more at https://gageusa.com 

Key Takeaways:

[1:17] An inside look at Gage Cannabis, one of the largest vertically-integrated cannabis companies in Michigan

[1:45] Fabian’s background in investment banking and how he came to be president and CEO of Gage Cannabis

[3:01] Michigan’s history in medical marijuana and how the state’s cannabis market has evolved over recent years

[5:18] Why Fabian believes every cannabis brand needs to be vertically integrated right now

[7:05] The pros and cons of contract growing versus buying wholesale

[11:05] The most popular cannabis products in Michigan right now and surprising new trends to look out for

[17:49] How Gage Cannabis has successfully employed curbside pickup to gross almost 99 percent of their profit

[21:29] The importance of brand continuity and how this has helped Gage grow so quickly

[24:38] Cookies aka the “Coca-Cola of cannabis,” a popular California-based cannabis brand that has partnered with Gage to expand into Michigan

Despite a global pandemic, cannabis is one of the few industries that has grown throughout 2020 and 2021 — and that’s nothing compared to the gangbuster growth expected through 2025.

Here to tell us more is Chris Walsh, President and CEO of Marijuana Business Daily.

Learn more at https://mjbizdaily.com 

Key Takeaways:

[1:05] An inside look at Marijuana Business Daily, the most trusted business news outlet for professionals in the cannabis industry

[1:41] Chris’ background in business journalism and how he came to be CEO of Marijuana Business Daily

[4:04] How cannabis regulations have changed over the last five years and what that could mean for the industry going forward

[7:36] Surprising reasons cannabis managed to survive and adapt during Covid-19

[10:51] Why cannabis retail sales could double to put the industry at a 38 to 45 billion valuation by 2025

[13:23] Aspects of the market Chris believes investors and business owners might be underestimating

[17:14] Surprising new trends that are quietly taking hold in cannabis right now 

[23:43] How more legalization for recreational cannabis could diminish the medical cannabis market

[30:24] The last states standing between the US and full cannabis acceptance

[34:59] How job growth in cannabis doubled from 2019 to 2021 despite Covid-19’s economic recession and spiking unemployment rates

How do you stand out as a CBD company in a crowded and noisy market? Here to help us answer that question is Josh Haupt of Plant Love Naturals.

Learn more at https://plantlovenaturals.com 

Key Takeaways:

[1:17] An inside look at Plant Love, a USDA certified organic full spectrum hemp extract company based in Denver, Colorado

[1:31] Josh’s decorated background in cannabis, including his popular cannabis growing guide “Three A Light”

[4:36] The unique growing process behind Josh’s top-shelf cannabis flower that sets it apart from others on the market

[7:18] Why the price of CBD has dropped significantly over the last five years

[8:30] Common mistakes CBD companies make when trying to gain traction in today’s noisy industry

[9:35] Why Plant Love only sources its hemp from USDA certified organic farms

[11:04] How Plant Love’s subcritical extraction method preserves cannabinoids and terpenes better than the popular supercritical methods

[12:23] The growing interest in minor cannabinoids including THCV, CBG, and CBN

[13:36] How Josh uses CBD to successfully treat his epilepsy

We hear a lot about what’s going on in the west coast cannabis market, but what about the midwest? Here to fill us in is Tim Schuler of Cannalicious and Detroit Edible Company.

Learn more at:

www.cannaliciouslabs.com 

www.detroitediblecompany.com 

Key Takeaways:

[1:09] An inside look at Cannalicious and Detroit Edible Company, two of Michigan’s most successful cannabis businesses

[2:00] Tim’s background working for Anheuser Busch and how he got into the cannabis space

[3:42] How the cannabis market in Michigan has evolved over the last ten years

[8:35] How Tim and his team decide the best cannabis extracts to produce at Cannalicious

[11:23] The types of products sold at Detroit Edible Company, from gummies to brownies

[17:44] Detroit Edible’s latest partnership with Eaze and why the California-based delivery app is expanding into Michigan

[21:31] How Tim manages his inventory using LeafLink, cannabis’ largest wholesale management platform

[25:51] Where Tim sees the cannabis market in Michigan heading over the next 3-5 years

The products being purchased in cannabis retail stores are changing, and this leaves cannabis companies with two options: adapt and look ahead...or get left behind.

Here to help us stay on the right side of that equation is Cy Scott of Headset.

Learn more at https://www.headset.io 

Key Takeaways:

[00:55] An inside look at Headset, the leading cannabis data analytics company

[1:34] Cy’s background as a co-founder of Leafly and how that led him to start Headset

[3:43] The fast-evolving cannabis beverage market

[11:16] Cross-category attachment rates for cannabis drinks and the product categories that sell most frequently with beverages

[14:59] Why the California vapor pen market is becoming more and more popular among younger generations

[20:24] How new celebrity-led cannabis brands could influence the industry

[25:44] Cy’s advice to new brands trying to get shelf space in an increasingly competitive market

[30:26] How Headset helps businesses leverage real-time cannabis market data to grow and stay ahead of the curve

With extracted cannabis-derived products making up about 50 percent of all cannabis products sold, extraction equipment is in high demand. Here to tell us more is Nick Tennant of Precision Extraction.

Learn more at https://precisionextraction.com 

Key Takeaways:

[00:52] An inside look at Precision Extraction, the industry leader in cannabis extraction equipment, C1D1 lab planning, and extraction training

[1:40] Nick’s background in cannabis and what led him to start Precision Extraction

[4:28] Biomass and why it’s a critical component of cannabis extraction

[9:04] How Precision Extraction’s diverse line of equipment is designed to accommodate different production needs

[13:14] Shifting consumer trends in cannabis-derived products and how Precision Extraction’s clients are able to adapt more quickly 

[22:34] Why Precision Extraction freezes biomass before the extraction process

[25:09] The most common mistakes Nick sees new business owners make when trying to develop cannabis-derived products 

[27:32] How Precision Extraction’s premade C1D1 lab containers known as “Extraction Pods” are saving businesses time and money

[29:35] How Nick sees the cannabis extraction market evolving over the next 3-5 years

The Congo Club is one of the only places that carry the Red Congolese, an heirloom strain of cannabis that provides an electrifying, thought-provoking, and optimistic high.

Here to tell us more about it is Amber Senter, founder of The Congo Club and Breeze Distro.

Learn more at https://www.breezedistro.com 

Key Takeaways:

[1:11] An inside look at The Congo Club and Breeze Distro, a distributor of high-quality cannabis products in California

[2:31] Amber’s background and how she got into the cannabis space

[5:18] Unique characteristics of the Red Congolese strain and why it’s gained so much popularity

[11:04] Why California’s regulated market is struggling to compete with the unregulated market and what it will take to change that

[15:04] Amber’s latest venture EquityWorks! Incubator, one of Oakland’s first publicly-funded social equity manufacturing facilities

[19:23] The many different cannabis licenses required in California and the challenges they pose to everyone from cultivators to distributors

[25:40] How Amber sees the California cannabis landscape evolving over the next 3-5 years

If you have a business serving cannabis growers, it can be hard to get funding. Here to walk us through her nontraditional path to funding is Liz Wald of Good Earth Organics.

Learn more at goodearthorganics.com

Seedinvest: https://www.seedinvest.com/goodearthorganics/series.a

Email: liz@goodearthorganics.com

Key Takeaways:

[00:46] An inside look at Good Earth Organics, one of the nation’s leading organic soil brands

[1:05] Liz’s background and how she got into the cannabis space

[2:33] What today’s cannabis cultivators are looking for when purchasing soil

[7:59] Difficulties in shipping soil across the country and how Good Earth Organics is working to minimize these challenges

[12:15] Good Earth Organics’ history serving cannabis growers and why the company is the go-to choice for so many cultivators

[15:22] Lessons Liz learned during her time working for IndieGoGo and her advice to those interested in crowd-funding

[24:21] How Good Earth Organics is raising capital through crowd-funding for both product development and national expansion

[25:49] How inflation is affecting cannabis and why Liz believes “the upside opportunity is 10x the expected increase in cost”

How do you take the fragmented cannabis retail supply business and consolidate it to provide both commercial and home-growers with everything they want under one roof?

Here to help us answer that is Michael Salaman, president and co-founder of GrowGeneration. 

Learn more at https://growgeneration.com 

Key Takeaways:

[00:50] An inside look at GrowGeneration, the nation's largest chain of specialty hydroponic and organic garden centers

[1:33] Michael’s background and how he got into the cannabis space

[6:48] How GrowGeneration decides which states and cities to place their grow stores

[15:10] The difference in purchasing patterns between average customers and MSOs (multi-state operators)

[20:13] How GrowGeneration has created a resilient supply chain that can withstand market disruptions

[26:26] The fastest-evolving product categories at GrowGeneration and why Michael believes they're gaining traction

[32:24] How former Home Depot CEO Bob Nardelli has helped GrowGeneration as a strategic advisor

[34:48] What cannabis banking could mean for the industry over the next few years

For cannabis cultivators, failing microbial and pesticide testing can be a death sentence.

Here to show us how to pass these tests with flying colors is Shawn Grey of Gard’nClean.

Learn more at https://gardnclean.com 

Key Takeaways:

[00:47] An inside look at Gard’nClean, the world’s most user-friendly, point-of-use biocide for environmental sanitation

[1:18] Shawn’s background and how he got into the cannabis space

[4:33] The different government tests cannabis cultivators are required to pass

[6:53] Why so many cultivators fail these tests

[8:16] The most common mistakes cultivators make when trying to create a clean growing environment

[13:21] Chlorine dioxide and how it’s different from other cleaning agents

[16:10] How Gard’nClean yields pure chlorine dioxide to safely protect a grow environment with their just-add-water sachet technology

[21:46] The step-by-step process of cleaning a grow with Gard’nClean

[29:51] Shawn’s biggest takeaways for business owners and cultivators on how to keep grows clean and pass tests every time

How do you take lessons learned from Silicon Valley and apply them to cannabis POS software to help retailers save time and money? Here to help us answer that question is Barry Saik, CEO of Greenbits.

Learn more at https://www.greenbits.com 

Key Takeaways:

[00:53] An inside look at Greenbits, a cannabis retail POS software solution that provides compliance and marijuana inventory management

[1:07] Barry’s background working for Intuit and how he got into the cannabis space

[2:19] Greenbits versus other POS systems for cannabis retailers

[5:54] How Greenbits automates different workflows within a cannabis dispensary

[8:26] The types of platforms Greenbits integrates with, from online menu companies to delivery services

[9:31] Intuit’s “follow me home” strategy and how Barry is using it to optimize user experience at Greenbits

[15:18] Scaling challenges POS systems often face on 420 and how Greenbits has overcome those challenges

[19:42] How Covid-19 has changed how cannabis retailers use tech

Covid-19 has not only accelerated advancements in technology but also the types of jobs needed to support the cannabis industry. Here to tell us more is Yoko Miyashita, CEO of Leafly.

Learn more at https://www.leafly.com 

Key Takeaways:

[48:11] An inside look at Leafly, the world’s largest cannabis information resource

[1:41] Yoko Miyashita’s background as a lawyer and how she got into the cannabis space

[4:20] How consumer behavior has shifted in cannabis over the last five years and where Yoko sees it heading

[5:37] How dispensaries leverage Leafly to increase foot traffic and drive sales

[9:41] Leafly’s partnership with Jane Technologies to create the most comprehensive and customizable product catalog in cannabis

[13:20] Leafly’s annual jobs report and how it’s making jobs in cannabis more accessible

[15:39] How cannabis jobs have exploded over the last few years to outstrip professions in dentistry, electrical engineering, and more

[23:04] The most hirable skills in cannabis right now and Yoko’s advice for those looking to enter the space

At a time when most cannabis cultivators are competing on price, this company is commanding a premium on their sought-after flower. Here to tell us about it is Sam Ghods of Connected Cannabis.

Learn more at https://www.connectedcannabisco.com 

Key Takeaways:

[1:00] An inside look at Connected Cannabis, the largest branded flower company in California

[1:27] Sam’s background in tech and how he got into the cannabis space

[5:01] How Connected Cannabis commands a premium on their flower in a competitive market

[11:26] Differences between the cannabis market in California vs Arizona

[12:07] Connected Cannabis’ unique cultivation team

[15:37] Why most retailers don’t cultivate their own cannabis

[19:29] How California’s notorious black market is changing thanks to developments in the legal market

[21:37] The grow technology Sam finds most useful

[23:53] Where Sam sees cannabis cultivation heading in the next 3-5 years

What will the cannabis industry look like after COVID-19? CannaInsider host Matthew Kind forecasts the 7 disruptive changes that will take place in the years to come.

Check out an infographic on these 7 changes at https://www.cannainsider.com/covid 

Key Takeaways:

• How COVID-19 will impact cannabis in the next few years, including:
• Automated grow rooms
• Pathogen detection policies
• Contactless delivery and payment
• Pre-purchase of discounts cards and gift cards
• Results-only business partners
• Commercial drones for cultivation
• VR education

Commercial cannabis growers are notoriously tight-lipped when it comes to their growing methods, but not Ryan Douglas.

Today this master grower shares all the secrets you need to take your grow to the next level (including what not to do).

Learn more at https://douglascultivation.com/about 

Key Takeaways:

[00:54] An inside look at Ryan’s new book, From Seed To Success

[1:35] Ryan’s background as CanopyGrowth’s expert cultivator when the company was still named Tweed

[3:01] How Ryan helped CanopyGrowth get its start as one of Canada’s first and largest licensed growers

[6:05] How Ryan went about choosing the best genetics to grow at CanopyGrowth

[7:42] The efficiencies required for a large commercial grow

[11:37] The most common mistakes commercial growers make and how to avoid them

[14:33] Ryan’s advice on how to approach a commercial grow and determine what needs to be done on a high level

[17:22] How to determine a reasonable budget for your commercial grow

[19:02] Best hiring practices for commercial grows and what to look for in staff members

[20:34] How to mitigate pest issues

[26:34] The best type of lights for indoor grows

[27:57] Where Ryan sees commercial cannabis grows heading over the next 3-5 years

The end of federal prohibition of cannabis is on the horizon as we enter a new, more mature phase of growth for retailers and growers.

Here to tell us more is Matt Hawkins of Harborside and Entourage Effect Capital.

Learn more at https://shopharborside.com 

Key Takeaways:

[1:20] An inside look at Matt’s work as Chairman of Harborside and Managing Partner of Entourage Effect Capital

[3:56] How Matt’s background in private equity has helped him make Harborside a success

[8:14] The potential for reverse takeovers in cannabis over the next few years

[11:41] Why Matt urges cannabis companies to “be more humble and get deals done”

[14:16] What would happen to the cannabis market if we eliminated 280E, a regulation that prevents cannabis companies from deducting normal business expenses

[17:15] What the new administration in DC could mean for cannabis

[18:32] Vertical integration versus specialization and which will gain more popularity as the cannabis landscape continues to shift

[23:55] Why Matt predicts the first national cannabis brand will either be in the edible or liquid categories

How do you find real estate for cannabis businesses? Here to answer that question is Ryan George of 420 Property, the Zillow of cannabis.

Learn more at https://www.420property.com

Key Takeaways:

[1:43] An inside look at 420 Property, the world’s largest hemp and cannabis real estate marketplace

[2:06] Ryan’s background in cannabis and how he came to start 420 Property

[8:51] “Green zones” and where to find them

[10:06] Why both businesses and investors are choosing Ryan’s platform as the place to buy and sell cannabis and marijuana businesses

[11:36] The most active locations on 420 Property, including cities in California and Oklahoma

[15:15] Key considerations when selling a cannabis property and how to get your listing noticed

[18:20] Practical advice for buyers on what to look out for when searching for a cannabis property

[20:50] Where Ryan sees the cannabis retail space heading in the next few years

Retail design and brand identity are pivotal to creating a successful cannabis dispensary.

Here to give us some pointers is one of the industry’s top experts: Megan Stone of High Road Design Studio.

Learn more at https://www.highroadstudio.com 

Key Takeaways:

[00:46] An inside look at High Road Studio, an award-winning interior design, branding, and consulting studio for cannabis dispensaries

[1:20] Megan’s background in cannabis and how she came to start High Road

[4:08] How cannabis retail design has changed over the last five years

[8:02] The two big things you have to get right when creating a retail design

[8:51] The biggest mistakes Megan sees companies make in cannabis retail design

[12:26] The importance of leaving room for experimentation in retail design and how to do that in a safe way

[16:22] Challenges Megan encounters when moving from the design phase to the build-out phase and how she overcomes them

[20:58] What kind of budget you need to achieve a thriving retail environment and how to spend money for the biggest ROI

[31:40] Examples of brands that successfully resonate with their customers and what we can learn from them

[34:05] Where Megan sees cannabis retail heading over the next 3-5 years

Cannabis and hemp beverages are exploding, and it’s all thanks to new breakthroughs in infusion technology. Here to tell us about it is Harold Han of Vertosa.

Learn more at https://vertosa.com 

Key Takeaways:

[00:45] An inside look at Vertosa, the infusion technology startup behind Pabst’s new THC seltzers

[1:15] Harold’s background and how he came to start Vertosa

[4:31] How Vertosa creates water-soluble cannabinoids through advanced nanoemulsion

[9:05] Important factors Vertosa considers when creating infusions including bioavailability, clarity, and taste

[11:08] Vertosa’s partnership with Pabst to create low-dose THC seltzers 

[19:39] How Vertosa provides guidance to companies interested in entering the infused beverage market

[23:11] Can liners and their importance to the quality of cannabis drinks

[26:07] Vertosa’s different emulsion formulas and how they work with brands to create various products

[34:19] Where Harold sees the infused cannabis product space heading in the next 3-5 years

We just reached possibly one of the largest milestones in creating pure, consistent cannabinoids in a lab. Here to tell us about it is Kevin Chen of Hyasynth Bio.

Learn more at https://hyasynthbio.com 

Key Takeaways: 

[1:32] An inside look at Hyasynth Bio and its work creating biosynthesized cannabis compounds

[3:05] Hyasynth Bio’s first product, an ultra-pure CBD oil created using cultured cannabinoids

[7:44] How Hyasynth Bio is improving CBD production in terms of both speed and purity

[9:12] Why multinational companies are gravitating towards biosynthesized cannabinoids for better consistency and supply chain performance

[13:14] 

[16:55] How biosynthesized cannabinoids are paving the way for international cannabis brands and which products Kevin believes will go global first

[21:23] How cellular agriculture is giving us better access to rare cannabinoids

[27:48] Why cellular agriculture is easier to automate and how this might influence prices in the cannabis industry

[32:21] Hyasynth Bio’s strategy to profit primarily through intellectual property licensing

[36:24] Where Hyasynth Bio currently is in the capital-raising process

If you hand most people a cannabis drink, their first question is probably, “How high will this make me?” 

This one unknown might just be what’s holding cannabis beverages back. Until now.

Listen in as Luke Anderson of Cann discusses the state of cannabis drinks and where he sees the category heading.

Learn more at http://www.drinkcann.com/

Key Takeaways:

• Luke’s background in cannabis and how he came to start Cann
• An inside look at Cann and its mission to become the standard for cannabis-infused tonics
• Why Cann produces only low-THC tonics to target consumers that don’t wish to experience a high
• The type of effect consumers can expect from Cann’s social tonics
• Why Luke believes it’s important to take out the guesswork in cannabis beverages 
• Cann’s social tonics versus beer and wine in terms of time and effect
• How Cann decided on its unique THC/CBD concentration profile
• How Luke and his team overcame challenges with emulsion and dispersion to ensure consistency in every sip
• Where Luke sees cannabis micro-dosing heading in the next few years

While thousands of new cannabis products hit the market each year, most fail to create product-market fit due to a lack of differentiation or clear-cut benefits. 

Today’s guest is CEO of Dosist Gunner Winston, who has simplified cannabis consumption with targeted formulas and precise dosing to create a product that is catapulting cannabis into the wellness arena.

Learn more at https://dosist.com 

Key Takeaways:

• Gunner’s background in cannabis and how he came to start Dosist
• An inside look at Dosist and its mission to simplify cannabis consumption with innovative delivery devices
• How taking the guesswork out of cannabis is attracting more people to the category
• Variables that are important to luxury brand consumers
• Customer reactions to Dosist’s new dose pen and dose dial
• The thought process behind Dosist’s high-end yet minimalist retail environment
• Why Gunner believes brick and mortar stores remain valuable in the age of online shopping 
• Where Dosist is in the capital-raising process
• How Gunner is planning to evolve Dosist in the coming years as consumer preferences change

An area of the cannabis marketplace gaining steam in a big way is women’s health. Here to tell us more about it is Cyo Nystrom of Quim, CBD-infused products for vaginal health and sexual wellness.

Learn more at https://itsquim.com/shop/ 

Key Takeaways:

[00:43] An inside look at Quim, a line of CBD-infused lubricants and everyday proactive vaginal health products

[00:58] Cyo’s background and how she came to start Quim

[10:44] The benefits of cannabis for female vaginal health and sexual wellness

[13:05] How Quim's cannabis-infused lube increases vasodilation for heightened sensation and pleasure

[15:31] What customers are saying about Quim’s serums and oils

[18:47] How Cyo and her co-founder Rachel Washtien successfully bootstrapped Quim and landed a feature on Viceland

[25:17] Cyo’s plans to expand Quim both across the US and internationally

[30:40] Where Cyo sees the cannabis women’s health space heading over the next 3-5 years

A critical component of any cannabis cultivator’s business is establishing best practices around breeding plants. Here to tell us how to create thriving genetic nurseries is Matt Gaboury of House of Cultivar.

Learn more at https://www.seattlecannabis.co/house-of-cultivar/ 

Key Takeaways:

[1:04] An inside look at House of Cultivar, the largest cultivator in Seattle, WA

[2:03] Why Matt has shifted his focus from designing grow facilities to plant breeding

[4:51] Types of clients House of Cultivar works with, including I-502 licensed growers and processors

[7:24] A breakdown of propagation through cloning, mother plants, and tissue culture

[16:14] How House of Cultivar validates genetics to ensure they’re the best expression of the plant possible

[19:31] What it means to “reinvigorate” a plant

[24:11] The behind-the-scenes on how House of Cultivar delivers their clones to customers

[29:18] Where Matt sees the cannabis industry heading as it undergoes more specialization across the supply chain 

[33:17] How large-scale nurseries will revolutionize cannabis from home growers to commercial cultivators

[34:16] How grow room technology has evolved and where Matt sees it advancing in the next few years

Entrepreneurs are bringing pharmaceutical science to the cannabis world to create products that provide consistent and predictable benefits.

Here to tell us more about it is Andreas Boeckl, founder and CEO of Dispersa Labs.

Learn more at https://www.breathesula.com 

Key Takeaways:

[1:14] An inside look at Dispersa Labs, a biotech company using dry powder inhalation technology to create breathable cannabis

[1:54] Andreas’ background and how he came to start Dispersa Labs

[6:43] Why inhaling cannabis in powder form is better than smoking flower

[11:05] Spray-drying and why it’s important to Dispersa’s manufacturing process

[12:47] How Dispersa Labs suspends cannabinoids inside tiny aerosol particles to create Sula, a patented cannabis powder for pulmonary delivery

[14:15] Examples of commercial inhalants similar to Sula, including the popular asthma drug Advair

[22:20] How Sula is more discreet than other cannabis consumption methods

[31:42] Where Dispersa Labs currently is in the capital-raising process

What will the cannabis industry look like in the next few years? Paul Rosen of Global Go shares the nine trends shaping cannabis worldwide (and wait till you hear #4).

Learn more at https://globalgo.consulting 

Key Takeaways:

[2:22] An inside look at Global Go, one of the world’s leading consulting firms for cannabis and hemp businesses

[4:34] Paul’s background and how he got into the cannabis space

[10:03] The nine trends shaping cannabis on a global scale, beginning with catastrophic failure 

[16:20] The divergence of medical and recreational markets

[21:36] The end of Canadian domination in cannabis and the rise of the US

[29:02] New FDA rulings on CBD

[35:39] Biosynthesis and what it could mean for the cannabis industry

[40:57] Why “cash remains king” in cannabis

Is it better to produce your own cannabis products? Or outsource to expert manufacturers while you focus on your brand? Here to tell us is Alex Rowland, CEO of NewTropic.

Learn more at https://www.newtropic.com 

Key Takeaways:

[00:51] An inside look at NewTropic, a leading cannabis manufacturer based in Santa Rosa, California

[1:18] Alex’s background in cannabis and how he came to start NewTropic

[5:56] Examples of NewTopic’s average clientele - particularly unlicensed brands looking to overcome California’s strict regulatory hurdles 

[7:47] How NewTropic helps relieve two of the biggest pain points for cannabis companies: financial resources and compliance

[17:05] Why removing the regulatory overhead of fulfillment allows companies to focus their attention on core competencies

[18:45] NewTropic’s extensive onboarding process and how the company’s team works to ensure all your needs are met as a client

[20:30] Alex’s plans to expand NewTropic across the US

[25:21] The requirements a company needs to meet before working with NewTropic

[30:16] Alex’s advice to new entrepreneurs on how to develop a successful business plan and pitch to investors

[33:11] Alex’s thoughts on the federal rescheduling of cannabis and where he sees the industry heading in the next few years

As the cannabis industry matures, new and innovative ways are emerging that allow investors to capture a stake in the growth of young cannabis companies.

Here to tell us about it is Jeffrey Finkle of Arcview Ventures.

Learn more at https://arcviewgroup.com 

Key Takeaways: 

[00:52] An inside look at Arcview Ventures, the leading private investment network and market research firm in the cannabis space

[1:34] Jeffrey’s background and how he got into the cannabis space

[4:39] How Arcview’s new member-managed cannabis fund is giving investors access to deals with greater ease and flexibility 

[8:42] The requirements an investor needs to meet in order to join Arcview Collective Fund

[10:03] A breakdown of the different investor archetypes and how Arcview Collective Fund benefits each

[20:57] Jeffrey’s advice to entrepreneurs on how to successfully pitch their companies to investors

[25:33] Arcview’s process for follow-on investments and liquidity events

[31:03] Gaps emerging in the cannabis marketplace right now and where Jeffrey sees the industry heading over the next few years

We just reached possibly one of the largest milestones in creating pure, consistent cannabinoids in a lab. Here to tell us about it is Kevin Chen of Hyasynth Bio.

Learn more at https://hyasynthbio.com 

Key Takeaways: 

[1:32] An inside look at Hyasynth Bio and its work creating biosynthesized cannabis compounds

[3:05] Hyasynth Bio’s first product, an ultra-pure CBD oil created using cultured cannabinoids

[7:44] How Hyasynth Bio is improving CBD production in terms of both speed and purity

[9:12] Why multinational companies are gravitating towards biosynthesized cannabinoids for better consistency and supply chain performance

[13:14] 

[16:55] How biosynthesized cannabinoids are paving the way for international cannabis brands and which products Kevin believes will go global first

[21:23] How cellular agriculture is giving us better access to rare cannabinoids

[27:48] Why cellular agriculture is easier to automate and how this might influence prices in the cannabis industry

[32:21] Hyasynth Bio’s strategy to profit primarily through intellectual property licensing

[36:24] Where Hyasynth Bio currently is in the capital-raising process

Just as oil powered the old economy of atoms, data powers the new economy of bits. Here to tell us how to leverage our cannabis business data and market more effectively is Nicholas Paschal of Alpine IQ.

Learn more at https://alpineiq.com 

Key Takeaways: 

[1:02] An inside look at Alpine IQ, a data analytics and marketing platform for cannabis companies

[1:27] Nick’s personal background and how he got into the cannabis space

[7:24] Why it’s important for companies to take protective measures with their business data

[11:18] How Alpine IQ not only offers analytics tools but also helps businesses determine the best ways to act on data

[18:32] What companies can expect during Alpine IQ’s onboarding process, from integrating apps to ensuring compliance across the board

[21:36] Alpine IQ’s audience feature and how companies are using it to generate ROI

[31:45] How streamlining analytics tools using Alpine IQ can provide incredible value for cannabis companies

[35:35] Alpine IQ’s journey achieving product-market fit and how the company got its first customers

[39:26] Where Alpine IQ currently is in the capital-raising process

This startup took away all the complexity of growing your first cannabis plant at home and found product-market fit. Here to delve into the story of A Pot For Pot is founder Joshua Mezher.

Get a 10% discount by using the coupon code "insider" at check out at https://www.apotforpot.com

Key Takeaways: 

[00:59] An inside look at A Pot For Pot, the best outdoor and indoor growing kits for marijuana, cannabis, and other fresh herbs

[1:18] Joshua’s background and how he came to start A Pot For Pot 

[4:49] What comes with A Pot For Pot’s growing kits that make them the easiest to use for home growers

[8:54] How much plant A Pot For Pot can yield and why this makes it more cost-effective for the customer than purchasing flower

[11:49] What auto-flowering is and why it’s important for home growers

[17:44] Joshua’s advice to home growers on how to achieve the perfect harvest

[25:32] How Joshua successfully bootstrapped A Pot For Pot and the story behind how he got his first hundred customers

[32:47] What Joshua finds most interesting about the cannabis industry right now and where he sees it heading in the years to come

What will the cannabis industry look like after COVID-19? CannaInsider host Matthew Kind forecasts the 7 disruptive changes that will take place in the years to come.

Check out an infographic on these 7 changes at https://www.cannainsider.com/covid 

Key Takeaways:

• How COVID-19 will impact cannabis in the next few years, including:
• Automated grow rooms
• Pathogen detection policies
• Contactless delivery and payment
• Pre-purchase of discounts cards and gift cards
• Results-only business partners
• Commercial drones for cultivation
• VR education

Are cannabis and hemp beverages on the verge of explosion? It all comes down to the fickle whims of beverage consumers. Here to tell us more about it is Jonathan Schultz of Backyard Soda.

Learn more at https://www.backyardsodas.com 

Key Takeaways: 

[2:09] An inside look at Backyard Soda, a Denver-based startup creating all-natural, non-alcoholic, CBD-infused sodas and cocktail syrups

[3:28] Jonathan’s background and how he came to start Backyard Soda

[9:36] What beverage consumers are looking for in cannabinoid beverages right now

[14:44] Why Backyard Soda chooses to use whole ingredients even though this drives up price points for customers

[21:10] How Backyard Soda is partnering up with restaurants and hotels looking to add CBD cocktails to their menus

[23:46] Why Backyard Soda uses full-spectrum CBD unlike most other cannabis beverage brands that use CBD isolate

[29:03] The challenges of distributing CBD beverages and how Backyard Soda has overcome them

[37:38] Where Backyard Soda currently is in the capital-raising process

We’ve seen some hemp skincare products, but now entrepreneurs are developing skin and beauty products with THC above the 0.3% threshold.

Here to tell us about it is Bridget May of Green Bee Botanicals.

Learn more at https://greenbeebotanicals.com 

Key Takeaways:

[1:10] An inside look at Green Bee Botanicals and its mission to revolutionize the beauty and wellness industries

[2:27] Bridget’s background in the biopharmaceutical industry and how she came to start Green Bee Botanicals

[7:37] Why Bridget decided to formulate Green Bee’s products with more than 0.3% THC

[10:14] The most popular products at Green Bee Botanicals

[11:00] Why Green Bee creates “clean” products and how this sets the company apart from other skincare brands

[13:47] How Green Bee’s serums and lotions nourish skin from the inside out

[16:45] What customers are saying about Green Bee’s THC products

[24:04] Why skincare products with THC do not produce a high when applied to the skin

[25:27] Bridget’s advice to entrepreneurs on how to distribute their products

[28:11] What research is saying about CBG and its benefits for the skin

[29:49] Where Bridget sees the cannabis skincare space heading over the next 3-5 years

Green Bee Botanicals is partnering with the Clean Label Project which is a national nonprofit with the mission to bring truth and transparency to food and consumer product labeling.

Can you mix together compounds like caffeine and THC to create a thriving new market category? Here to help us answer that question is Peter Barsoom of 1906.

Learn more at https://1906newhighs.com 

Key Takeaways:

[00:48] An inside look at 1906 and its mission to redefine the edibles category with better-tasting, more effective products

[1:28] Peter’s background and how he came to start 1906

[3:19] How cannabis use changed after the Pure Food and Drugs Act of 1906

[4:12] 1906’s unique “drops” and how they’re formulated to meet different needs

[6:29] 1906 versus other wellness experience brands like LucidMood and Dosist

[11:15] Why Midnight Dark Chocolate for Sleep is the number one product at 1906

[13:29] How the products at 1906 provide a quicker onset than competing edibles

[16:48] 1906’s plans to create an extended-release formula of Midnight to help consumers not only fall asleep but stay asleep

[20:55] Where Peter sees the cannabis wellness experience category heading in the next 3-5 years

[24:28] Peter’s plans to expand 1906 beyond Colorado and Oklahoma

[25:57] Where 1906 currently is in the capital-raising process

Advertising cannabis is banned in most of the US, so how can a cannabis company get the word out?

Here to help us find solutions to this problem is Chad Bronstein of Fyllo.

Learn more at https://hellofyllo.com 

Key Takeaways:

[00:56] An inside look at Fyllo, the world's first single-solution regulatory technology for cannabis

[2:25] Chad’s background and how he came to start Fyllo

[3:53] How Fyllo’s data ecosystem helps cannabis companies streamline regulatory tasks and target customers legally

[9:51] What different cannabis companies can expect when using Fyllo

[13:07] Success stories Chad has seen so far and how clients are using Fyllo to advance their companies

[15:04] Chad’s advice on how to determine a good marketing budget for your brand

[16:34] How Fyllo provides direct access to cannabis audience data through the Lotame, the world's largest marketplace for second- and third-party data

[19:35] Requirements companies must meet before working with Fyllo, including becoming CCPA compliant

[20:25] Chad’s tips on how to build a dynamite marketing team for up-and-coming cannabis brands

[23:55] Where Chad sees customer acquisition and brand awareness evolving in cannabis over the next 3-5 years

While thousands of new cannabis products hit the market each year, most fail to create product-market fit due to a lack of differentiation or clear-cut benefits. 

Today’s guest is CEO of Dosist Gunner Winston, who has simplified cannabis consumption with targeted formulas and precise dosing to create a product that is catapulting cannabis into the wellness arena.

Learn more at https://dosist.com 

Key Takeaways:

• Gunner’s background in cannabis and how he came to start Dosist
• An inside look at Dosist and its mission to simplify cannabis consumption with innovative delivery devices
• How taking the guesswork out of cannabis is attracting more people to the category
• Variables that are important to luxury brand consumers
• Customer reactions to Dosist’s new dose pen and dose dial
• The thought process behind Dosist’s high-end yet minimalist retail environment
• Why Gunner believes brick and mortar stores remain valuable in the age of online shopping 
• Where Dosist is in the capital-raising process
• How Gunner is planning to evolve Dosist in the coming years as consumer preferences change

Cannabis delivery platforms are evolving quickly as they find better ways to retain customers and reduce churn, and Emjay might just have the best approach yet.

Here to tell us more about it is Chris Vaughn, CEO of Emjay.

Learn more at https://heyemjay.com 

Key Takeaways:

[00:51] An inside look at Emjay, a premier cannabis delivery and retail company in Los Angeles, CA

[1:48] Chris’ background in the alcohol industry and how he came to start Emjay

[12:27] Emjay’s hub-and-spoke business model and how the company functions both as a retailer and delivery service

[17:40] How Chris’ experience in the alcohol industry has influenced his approach to cannabis

[23:08] Unplanned versus planned purchases and how this differs between alcohol and cannabis

[26:25] The advantages of owning your own supply chain as a cannabis retailer or delivery service

[38:39] Regulations around the types of vehicles that can be used to deliver cannabis 

[40:12] Where Emjay currently is in the capital-raising process

While hemp is a huge and growing part of the cannabis legalization story, it’s often overlooked. 

Here to tell us why we should be paying closer attention to hemp is John Manlove, CEO of Bushel44.

Learn more at https://www.bushel44.com 

Key Takeaways:

[00:53] An inside look at Bushel44, a wholesale hemp software platform designed for businesses across the hemp supply chain

[1:51] John’s background and how he got into the hemp space

[4:16] How the hemp industry has evolved over the last few years and where it is right now

[5:53] How different types of businesses from farmers to retailers use Bushel44 

[10:35] Key differences between Bushel44 and Leaflink 

[14:23] Ways in which the hemp space is developing the same way cannabis did

[21:19] What buyers are looking for when purchasing hemp

[25:23] How Bushel44 is advancing the hemp industry by holding companies to higher standards 

[28:10] Why smokable hemp is trending and where John sees it heading

[33:01] Success stories John has seen at Bushel44 and his advice on how hemp companies can maximize the platform

Cannabis banking has long been heavily regulated, but one company is weaving through the regulatory madness to create a service that delights both businesses and customers.

Here to tell us about it is Tyler Beuerlein of Hypur.

Learn more at https://www.hypur.com 

Key Takeaways:

[1:25] An inside look at Hypur, a payment and banking technology platform for the cannabis industry

[1:51] Tyler’s background and how he got into the cannabis space

[6:27] Obstacles the cannabis industry has faced in payments and banking and how Hypur is working to overcome them

[10:32] Similarities between Hypur and Venmo

[17:13] How Hypur profits off merchants, banks, and credit unions

[19:44] Ways in which Hypur helps merchants market the service to customers 

[22:13] How cannabis retailers can easily integrate Hypur into their point-of-sale software and delivery apps

[23:22] Success stories Tyler’s seen among Hypur clients and his advice to retailers interested in using the service

Delivery and curbside pickup sales are booming as cannabis retailers seek new ways to accommodate customers during COVID-19. Here to tell us about it is Socrates Rosenfeld, CEO of I Heart Jane.

Learn more at https://www.iheartjane.com 

Key Takeaways:

[00:54] An inside look at I Heart Jane, the first cannabis e-commerce marketplace

[1:25] Socrates’ background and how he got into the cannabis space

[8:32] The type of retailer I Heart Jane typically works with and how the company has grown over the last year

[13:10] How I Heart Jane helps retailers streamline their businesses with automation and real-time integration

[15:50] How dispensary delivery and curbside pickup sales jumped from 17 to 50 percent overnight and what that means for the future of cannabis

[20:55] How I Heart Jane is helping retailers overcome obstacles with delivery and curbside pickup

[23:24] Why I Heart Jane’s business model is superior to GrubHub’s

[29:34] I Heart Jane’s integration services for retailers, including everything from point of sale to CRM

[34:31] Where Socrates sees cannabis e-commerce heading over the next 3-5 years

[39:46] Where I Heart Jane currently is in the capital-raising process

Founded in 2015, cannabis accessories company Hemper has quickly become an industry leader - and all thanks to their monthly subscription box. Here to tell us about it is Bryan Gerber, CEO of Hemper.

Learn more at www.Hemper.co

Key Takeaways:

[1:56] An inside look at Hemper, a premium monthly subscription box for smoking essentials

[2:25] Bryan’s background and how he got into the cannabis space

[7:39] How influencer marketing helped Hemper get its start

[10:59] Ways in which Hemper uses their subscription box to collect real-time data on customer behavior and preference

[21:39] How COVID is affecting the community aspect of smoking and ways in which Bryan plans to bolster that community virtually

[26:55] How Hemper became one of the largest pre-rolled cone manufacturers in the world

[38:01] Why Bryan believes you must control the price in order to secure your place in the market 

[40:56] How Hemper is working to become a leading manufacturer in different smoking accessory products

[41:46] Where Hemper currently is in the capital-raising process

A critical component of any cannabis cultivator’s business is establishing best practices around breeding plants.

Here to tell us how to create thriving genetic nurseries is Matt Gaboury of House of Cultivar.

Learn more at https://www.seattlecannabis.co/house-of-cultivar/ 

Key Takeaways:

[1:04] An inside look at House of Cultivar, the largest cultivator in Seattle, WA

[2:03] Why Matt has shifted his focus from designing grow facilities to plant breeding

[4:51] Types of clients House of Cultivar works with, including I-502 licensed growers and processors

[7:24] A breakdown of propagation through cloning, mother plants, and tissue culture

[16:14] How House of Cultivar validates genetics to ensure they’re the best expression of the plant possible

[19:31] What it means to “reinvigorate” a plant

[24:11] The behind-the-scenes on how House of Cultivar delivers their clones to customers

[29:18] Where Matt sees the cannabis industry heading as it undergoes more specialization across the supply chain 

[33:17] How large-scale nurseries will revolutionize cannabis from home growers to commercial cultivators

[34:16] How grow room technology has evolved and where Matt sees it advancing in the next few years

Can we deconstruct cannabis in the lab, reduce costs, and unlock a myriad of new applications and benefits? Here to help us answer this is Benjamin Chiarelli of Cellibre. 

Learn more at https://www.cellibre.com 

Key Takeaways:

[00:51] An inside look at Cellibre, a cellular agriculture company that specializes in cannabis

[3:10] Ben’s background and how he came to start Cellibre

[8:07] How Cellibre “mimics” the cannabis plant to make cells that create specific isolates

[13:02] How price points will shift in the cannabis industry as cannabinoid biosynthesis grows

[21:20] The evolution of cellular agriculture and the obstacles it’s faced in commodity industries like cannabis

[30:29] Why CBG will be the first product available from cellular agriculture

[33:03] Where Cellibre fits into the cannabinoid market

[35:51] Why Ben agrees cannabis is “the new vanilla”

[41:40] Where Cellibre currently is in the capital-raising process

With more and more dispensaries turning to Altopa's innovative oil blending platform Oblend, the company has decided to pivot from B2C to B2B.

Here to tell us about it is Nicole Wicker, CEO of Altopa.

Learn more at https://www.oblend.com 

Key Takeaways:

• Nicole's background and how she came to start Altopa
• An inside look at Altopa and its "portable dispensary device" Oblend
• How the Oblend creates CBD formulas for specific needs and preferences
• Why Altopa is transitioning from a consumer-focused company to a business-focused company
• How Altopa partners with dispensaries looking to implement the Oblend
• Increasing demand for the Oblend among healthcare providers, formulators, and patients 
• Where Altopa currently is in the capital-raising process and where Nicole sees the company heading in the next few years

Cannabis license holders are using an interesting new way to free up capital and grow their business. Here to give us the details is Anthony Coniglio of New Lake Capital Partners.

Learn more at https://www.newlake.com 

Key Takeaways:

• Anthony’s background in real estate and how he came to start New Lake
• An inside look at New Lake, a newly-formed Maryland real estate partner that leases industrial and retail properties to state-licensed cannabis operators
• Why cannabis has been deemed essential across the country and how this is influencing investors and license-holders
• Factors to consider when choosing the most valuable states and cities to buy real estate for the cannabis market 
• How New Lake has raised $100 million in capital to build its diversified portfolio
• How much New Lake’s investors can expect in returns and Anthony’s predictions for where dividends are heading in the next few years
• What Anthony looks for when considering cannabis operators looking to lease his properties, from their business strategy to their ability to raise capital
• How COVID-19 has affected the commercial real estate market in the US and where Anthony sees it heading

Technological advances not only bring efficiency, but they’re also profoundly deflationary. 

But could that deflation actually be key to an abundant future? Here to tell us is Jeff Booth, author of The Price of Tomorrow.

Jeff's book: https://www.amazon.com/Price-Tomorrow-Deflation-Abundant-Future/dp/1999257405

Jeff's Twitter: https://twitter.com/JeffBooth

Key Takeaways:

• Goods and services that are inflationary versus those that are deflationary
• What a deflation economy looks like and examples of when we’ve seen deflation in the past
• The natural deflationary process that’s occurring right now thanks to advancing technologies like AI
• The deceptive power of exponential technologies and how they gain traction
• How central bankers are fighting a losing battle by taking on more debt to create inflation
• The power of network effects for business owners, investors, and employees
• Where Jeff sees bitcoin heading in the next few years and his advice for those looking to get in
• Why Jeff believes AI will eventually force us to embrace deflation and how that could benefit society as a whole

How can cannabis retailers adapt to the new post-pandemic environment and create customer comfort?

Here to help us answer this question is Matt Cutone of Seed Technology.

Learn more at http://www.getseed.io

Key Takeaways:

• Matt’s background in cannabis and how he came to start Seed Technology
• An inside look at Seed and how it provides dispensaries with in-store displays that improve customer experience
• How cannabis retailers have been impacted by the pandemic and what Seed is doing to help them adapt their retail environments
• Matt’s advice on how dispensaries can create a successful in-store “flow” and where curbside pickup fits into that
• How dispensaries can use handheld tablets to significantly increase profits and customer satisfaction
• The most popular cannabis products on the market right now
• How dispensaries can benefit from in-store displays
• The mature and emerging markets in the US and how they differ from state to state

What’s it like to immigrate from Nigeria, grow up in the US, and put yourself at the forefront of the cannabis industry in multiple states?

Here to help us answer that question is Seun Adedeji, CEO of Elev8 Cannabis.

Learn more at https://elev8cannabis.com 

Key Takeaways:

• Seun’s background in cannabis and how he came to start Elev8
• An inside look at Elev8 and its dispensaries across the US
• Where Elev8 currently is in the capital-raising process
• Why Seun decided to open dispensaries in Oregon, Massachusetts, and now Illinois
• Oregon’s shifting supply and demand and how Seun is working around it
• How Elev8 partners with local businesses to get customers in the door
• Seun’s advice to those trying to get into the cannabis industry
• Where Seun sees the cannabis market heading in the next few years

Taxes, regulations, a thriving black market, and then COVID-19. How can cannabis retailers in California survive in this environment and serve their community?

Here to help answer these questions is Dennis O’Malley, CEO of Caliva.

Learn more at https://www.gocaliva.com

Key Takeaways:

• Dennis’ background in cannabis and how he came to start Caliva
• An inside look at Caliva and how it compares to other cannabis dispensaries in California
• Why Dennis decided to end his partnership with Eaze and create his own delivery app for Caliva
• Pros and cons to using your own delivery app
• Why Dennis has partnered with Hypur to provide contactless payment options for customers
• How COVID-19 has impacted Caliva and where Dennis sees the company heading in the months ahead
• How cannabis consumer behavior has changed during COVID-19 including popular products and curbside pickup versus delivery
• Incentives and disincentives in the California marketplace that are making the black market three times bigger than the legal market
• Where Dennis sees cannabis heading in California and across the US in the next 3-5 years

Consumer packaged goods companies are in stealth mode waiting to capitalize on CBD the moment the regulatory fog clears. Here to tell us about it is Justin Singer of Caliper Foods.

Learn more at https://www.caliperfoods.life 

Key Takeaways:

• Justin’s background in cannabis and how he came to start Caliper Foods
• How Justin’s core brand Ripple has become the best-selling soluble cannabinoid powder in the US
• Why consumer packaged goods companies (CPGs) are waiting for regulatory clarity in the CBD industry
• How Caliper Foods provides soluble CBD ingredients at scale to some of the nation’s largest food, beverage, and supplement companies
• Where Justin sees CBD heading as an active ingredient comparable to caffeine
• An inside look at Caliper Foods and how it provides soluble CBD ingredients at scale to CPG manufacturers
• Caliper Foods’ research on how the solubility of CBD affects onset and impact
• Where Caliper Foods currently is in the capital-raising process

As cannabis cultivators pour billions of dollars into developing cutting-edge, efficient grows, we need to ask: is there a hidden disruptor that could steal their business in the years ahead?

Here to help us answer this is Kevin Chen of Hyasynth Bio, one of just a few companies experimenting with non-plant-derived cannabinoids.

Learn more at https://hyasynthbio.com 

Key Takeaways:

• Kevin’s background in cannabis and how he came to start Hyasynth Bio
• An inside look at Hyasynth Bio and its work with non-plant-derived cannabinoids
• A deep dive into biosynthesis and how Hyasynth Bio uses this process to grow cannabis compounds inside yeast cells
• How Hyasynth Bio has successfully overcome challenges with biosynthesis
• The history of biosynthesis and cannabis and where Kevin sees this relationship evolving in the years to come 
• The different types of end products we’ll start to see for sale in dispensaries that use biosynthesis
• How biosynthesis will affect cannabis prices
• Hyasynth Bio’s intellectual property strategy and how Kevin manages the company’s patents
• The traditional cannabis companies that are investing in biosynthesis
• Where Kevin sees cannabinoid biosynthesis heading in the next 3-5 years

Is the market for CBD and THC products saturated or is it just too much of the same products? Could it be a matter of creating a unique product and achieving product-market-fit?

Chris Abbott from Botanica is here today to help us answer these questions.

Learn more at https://www.mrmoxeys.com 

Key Takeaways:

• Chris’ background in cannabis and how he came to start Botanica
• An inside look at Botanica and its popular cannabis-mint brand Mr Moxey’s
• What to expect when you eat Mr Moxey’s mints
• Why microdosing is gaining popularity 
• When and why people typically eat Mr Moxey’s mints to enhance their state and take the edge off
• Mistakes Chris has made as an entrepreneur and what he learned from them
• Chris’ advice on how to get a brand into distribution and on retailers’ shelves
• Why Botanica uses a specific extraction process for the hemp oil that goes into Mr Moxey’s
• Where Chris sees cannabis and low-dose edibles heading over the next few years

While hemp-derived products are already big business, they’re set to skyrocket as hemp begins to take market share from traditional wellness and household brands. 

Here to tell us about it is Michael Cammarata of Neptune Wellness Solutions, one of Canada’s leading cannabinoid extraction companies.

Learn more at https://neptunecorp.com 

Key Takeaways:

• Michael’s background in hemp and how he came to be the CEO of Neptune Wellness
• An inside look at Neptune and how it’s evolved from biotech to health and wellness since founded in 1998
• Why hemp is becoming so popular as an ingredient in consumer packaged goods
• The most popular hemp-derived products in the wellness industry right now
• Neptune’s partnership with Jane Goodall and their upcoming line of hemp-derived hand sanitizers and essential oils
• How Neptune is innovating new technology that will make hemp goods more cost-effective for customers
• How COVID-19 is affecting the hemp wellness and household industries
• Where Michael sees the hemp industry heading over the next few years as it continues to make its way into the wellness arena