Grassroots Marketing

Grassroots Marketing discusses Hospitality for the Cannabis Aficionado with Chris Chiari, CEO and Founder of The 420 Hotels.

The 420 Hotels just became the first hospitality business in the country to receive a provisional license allowing it to operate a cannabis consumption lounge as an amenity to its hotel located in Denver, CO. Clearing this major cannabis consumption hurdle marks a new era of safe and legal cannabis consumption.

Patterson Inn, a part of The 420 Hotels, is a Victorian-era boutique inn located in the heart of Capitol Hill, with a lounge that will soon be converted into a consumption space for guests staying at the hotel. 

Chris Chiari is a driven entrepreneur and award-winning film producer with a wealth of experience in corporate strategy and regional politics. Skilled in marketing and messaging, he has engaged exclusively with the cannabis industry since 2011 and is a tireless advocate for cannabis policy reform and fostering industry growth.

Chris owns and operates Denver’s historic Patterson Inn, the keystone of The 420 Hotels portfolio. As CEO, he uses his expertise in hospitality, operations and community outreach to address the stigmas and ignorance that still exist around cannabis use while creating a unique and upscale environment for cannabis consumption.

With a deep appreciation for the power of collaboration, Chris has built a wide-ranging network throughout his career spanning corporate boardrooms and the entertainment industry. Public Enemy Number One, a film by Chris Chiari, is a feature documentary about the War on Drugs, and counts entertainer Ice-T as one of its executive producers. The film won awards for Best Producer and Best Storyteller at its world premiere at DOC LA 2019 and Best Documentary at the 2020 Seattle Film Festival. It is currently available for rent on Amazon Prime and streaming on Pluto TV and Tubi. Chris is a former Deputy Director of Colorado NORML, serving for over eight years.. When not working on The 420 Hotels portfolio, Chris likes to stay involved with grassroots advocacy and advancing social reform; he was one of the five members of the petitioners committee of Denver’s successful 2019 psilocybin ballot initiative. In his free time Chris can be found on the rail at a Twiddle show.

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Grassroots Marketing showcases Papers + Ink: Products for the Sophisticated Smoker with their Founder and CEO Carolyn Chu. 

As 4/20 approaches, millions of smokers are gearing up to light-up in celebration. This year, style can be brought to the sesh with patterned rolling papers from Papers + Ink! The brand was founded in 2019 to introduce fashion to the cannabis industry. With designs derived from vintage art, travel and nature, the beautifully designed rolling papers offer smokers the chance to show their personality as they puff.

In addition to the stylish, unbleached, and organic hemp rolling paper kits, Papers + Ink offers a variety of smoking accessories including grinders, rechargeable electronic lighters, travel cases, ashtrays, nug sweepers and more! The AAPI woman-run brand has all the goodies needed to sesh in style this 4/20.



Papers + Ink is bringing style to smoking by challenging stigmas around cannabis usage, with fashion-focused, printed rolling papers for the sophisticated smoker. The AAPI woman-owned brand incorporates artistic designs and social activism with classic accessories in the cannabis industry for smokers to make a statement while enjoying plant-based medicine. The brand creates designs in-house and in collaboration with artists to print onto the 100% organic hemp papers, and often partners with fashion and cannabis companies for brand collaborations.

Website: https://papersandink.com/collections/accessories

IG: https://www.instagram.com/papersandinksesh/?hl=en

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Grassroots Marketing speaks with Tsehaitu Abye, MBA · Founder of Black Dragon Breakfast Club,  A BLK WMN Led Creative Agency and Lifestyle Brand Servicing Cannabis and Hemp Industries.

Tsehaitu Abye, is the founder and CEO of Black Dragon Breakfast Club, a community organization focused on platforming and positioning WOC in positions of leadership and enterprise within the cannabis industry. 

Tsehaitu Abye (pronounced Say-Hi-Too Ah-Bee), is a Philly based former labor organizer turned marketing consultant and entrepreneurial thought leader within the cannabis space and beyond. 

In advancing the discussion surrounding POC and WOC and their seats at the table within the cannabis community, Tsehaitu  shares her story about what she and Black Dragon Breakfast Club are working to accomplish.  \

Founded in 2016, Black Dragon Breakfast Club’s main objective has been to help BIPOC and women reclaim their agency and take control of the hemp and cannabis industry. Ever since its conception, Black Dragon Breakfast Club has intentionally branded its mission by mobilizing Women of Color to buy into the health and wellness lifestyle of a Dragon Bae by curating educational-based cannabis content, giving Black women an outlet to learn about the benefits of cannabis and how to get involved in cannabis advocacy.

Tsehaitu Abye is an Ethiopian-American cannabis entrepreneur, political organizer, artist and PA Farmers Union member advocating for equitable cannabis legislation. She is the daughter of an immigrant farmer who was deported for cannabis cultivation and the daughter of an immigrant urban farmer in Philadelphia. Tsehaitu brings her hospitality and labor organizing experience to connect restaurant professionals to the developing cannabis industry. In 2019, Tsehaitu launched Black Dragon Breakfast Club (BDBC) to help womxn and the BIPOC community reclaim agency, change the perception of cannabis and take control of the hemp and cannabis industry. She does this work through disruptive marketing, creative story-telling, and culinary experiences across the US and digitally. In January 2022, Tsehaitu launched the “Flower Puff Crew”, a Cannabis Wellness Series, in partnership with Black-owned businesses and practitioners to address the inequities in the health and wellness space for Black Womxn.

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Steven Phan, owner and founder of New York City’s premiere educational CBD retail hub, Come Back Daily, and advocate for cannabis legalization, discusses what challenges the industry and legalization face, including reopening after COVID, his plans for entering New York’s adult-use market, and what can be done to improve cannabis and cannabinoid education and dismantle existing stigmas.

Steven also heavily credits the benefits of CBD and cannabis in his own personal journey of overcoming addiction and has experienced the positive effects they can have on mental health and wellness firsthand. These experiences are what inspired him to open Come Back Daily and become an advocate for cannabis education.

New York City-based entrepreneur Steven Phan has been an activist in the cannabis space for nearly a decade, where he also spent time working for a CBD company and noticed a need for peer-to-peer interaction. While operating the company’s live chat, even after providing extensive customer service, individuals still wanted to see and speak to someone physically. Overcoming decades of stigma and re-familiarizing people with the cannabis plant became the driving force behind Phan's first business QuadDeuceNil (QDN) which he launched in 2014. The urban cannabis lifestyle brand became a platform and collective to educate and change misperceptions creating an even more enlightened community. In 2018, he opened Come Back Daily, an experiential CBD retail store in Tribeca. Using a hands-on approach supported by knowledgeable staff, customers are encouraged to sample CBD products and learn about how cannabis can benefit their lifestyle. Since then, Come Back Daily has opened two more locations in Manhattan and Phan has continued to play an active role as a leader in the community.

His opinions on industry topics and issues such as hemp legalization, the FDA’s crackdown on CBD, and earning support to legalize cannabis from legislators of color have been published media outlets that includes Crains NY, Gotham Gazette, Business Insider, the Daily Marijuana Observer, Marijuana Business Magazine among others. He participates in panel discussions; from Decoded Future, a major change-makers summit held in NYC and London to more intimate conversations about entering the cannabis industry, where he spoke with interested students at Columbia’s Business School on how to develop a successful business and brand. In October of 2019, Come Back Daily received the award for best CBD company at the NYC NORML Awards show that also highlighted Steven’s continued work in the industry.

https://www.instagram.com/comebackdaily/
https://twitter.com/ComeBackDailyNY
https://www.facebook.com/comebackdaily

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Grassroots Marketing discusses Cannabis High-end Genetics and Breeding with Anthony Scotti and Jason McLean, co-founders of Cherry cannabis.




Anthony Scotti and Jason McLean, co-founders and co-creators of Cherry, discuss high-end breeding and genetics in the cannabis industry. Cherry is a native Colorado brand founded nearly a decade ago during the initial wave of legalization focused on curating unique strains and cultivars for cannabis connoisseurs. Now with plans to expand outside of CO, the brand will be operational in Oklahoma later this year with cultivation and retail and intend to expand to the East Coast as well, with aspirations in New Jersey, New York and Florida.

They discuss how the company’s history and experience has allowed them to create beautiful, top-quality cannabis products and how important it is for the East Coast to have access to superior genetics from established brands as recreational cannabis will swiftly emerge in the coming year. He can also discuss the company's collaboration with rapper N.O.R.E. to name one of its strains, Super Thug, which led to an ongoing partnership and brand ambassadorship.

They discuss their background in the cannabis industry, their history in Colorado, their expansion plans, as well as their dedication and focus on high-end genetics and breeding.

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Learn how Cann is Pioneering a Tech-Driven Path in the Cannabis Industry with  Sebastian Richard, the Senior Director at cannabis-infused social tonic brand Cann.

The cannabis industry is expanding rapidly, but an industry-wide understanding of the retail/dispensary market is still in its infancy. Sebastian Richard, the Senior Director at cannabis-infused social tonic brand Cann, states:

“Cannabis data is old or misaligned and lacks a centralized structure. There are 600-900 accounts in California alone, and many are single-site operators who wear multiple hats.”

Since its founding by a data-driven executive team, Cann has sought to command an exceptional understanding of cannabis retail conditions, and the best account-based marketing strategies for establishing shelf dominance at dispensaries. The company’s process for creating this insight can be found in this case study, How Cann Pioneered a Tech-Driven Path in an Uncharted Industry, and I feel this case would be a natural fit for your audience. 

Cann is attacking the market in innovative ways, including: 

Upleveling their brand ambassadors with smart, targeted selling
Forecasting strategic outcomes more clearly, empowering sales and marketing leadership to pivot toward the best revenue-driving initiatives.
Empowering their teams with visual merchandising and material distribution

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We follow up on the continued growth of Glass House Brands with their Co-founder, President & Chief Cannabis Officer Graham Farrar.



Graham is a serial entrepreneur who began his career as part of the original team at Software.com, taking the company public in 1999. Shortly thereafter, he served on the board of Seacology and was part of the founding team at Sonos, where he was involved with product design, development, sales, and customer support. After Sonos, Farrar served as a board member for Heal the Ocean, was a founder and partner of ebook publishers iStoryTime Inc. and zuuka, and founded a Santa Barbara luxury rental company. He first ventured into the regulated cannabis industry by founding Elite Garden Wholesale, an agriculture technology company focused on developing products for the hydroponics industry. Farrar currently sits on the Board of Directors of The Santa Barbara Bowl Foundation.

Glass House is one of the fastest-growing, vertically integrated cannabis and hemp companies in the U.S., with a decisive focus on the California market and building leading, lasting brands to serve consumers across all segments. The company just completed its acquisition of a 5.5 million sqft greenhouse in Southern California, which will be the largest cannabis greenhouse in the world once fully operational.

Portfolio of brands, include Glass House Farms, Forbidden Flowers, and Mama Sue Wellness, Glass House is committed to realizing its vision of excellence: outstanding cannabis products, produced sustainably, for the benefit of all. For more information and company updates,  visit www.glasshousegroup.com.

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A legacy cultivator intends to save the small farmers of Mendocino by paving The Emerald Road. We learn more from Justin Calvino.

Justin Calvino is an Emerald Triangle entrepreneur on a personal mission to save the small cannabis farmers and artisans of the region through his imaginative regenerative economics model, The Emerald Road.

Calvino believes that Mendocino possesses all the creative genius it needs to solve its own problems and build a vibrant, sustainable, local, living economy. Small cannabis farmers didn’t get into the business to build brands and compete with multinational corporations. The Emerald Road was born out of necessity, to help save this industry but also to support all of the diverse artisans of Mendocino.

The Emerald Road is a crypto-exclusive California lifestyle platform that will leverage decades of local cultural experiences with emergent technologies. When launched in June, this revolutionary platform will be a unique bazaar-like marketplace that allows users to engage with brands, artists, creators, teachers, and practitioners via web/mobile devices and live events.

The platform empowers a renaissance of the California lifestyle by developing a digital marketplace for community exchange utilizing blockchain technology. Users/members will have access to exclusive opportunities to engage with and purchase goods, services, and experiences that support the community using emerging currencies like NFTs. This approach lets money go back into the hands of artisans.

The site will be used by Crypto enthusiasts, Festival-goers, Cannabis consumers, Music lovers, Wellness aficionados, and Knowledge seekers.

Coins and currency will launch in May. The Emerald Road will be paved for access in June.

https://www.emeraldroad.io/

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EzHire Cannabis is planning on launching a brand new platform to help with hiring. Our goal is to make the process of getting noticed, interviewed and hired in the cannabis industry. We speak with Jacob Carlson. 

Our Co-Founders met at HubSpot (HUBS) and have been able to grow a team of proven experts on growing and scaling a product. Our co-founder just left HubSpot to focus on full time and we are expecting for massive growth in 2022. We are also a black-owned and founded business by Jacob's family being from Ethiopia, we believe we are the only or one of the only business who can claim that in our space.

EzHire announced today the launch of a professional hiring enablement platform serving the cannabis industry. EzHire is poised to change the way candidates and employers engage in the rapidly developing industry, with a focus on increasing diversity and reducing hiring costs for U.S. cannabis companies.

To date, EzHire has managed to build an expansive candidate database of over 3,000 curated candidates, each with a personal video introduction. Projected to reach $43 billion by 2025, the cannabis industry is plagued by employee turnover, with companies seeing an average of 40-60% of staff leave within just two months (The National Cannabis Industry Association). EzHire’s proprietary platform offers employees video introductions, which can be shared and rated across HR professionals.

“The idea that upwards of 60% of candidates churn in their first 120 days is a failure in how candidates are currently evaluated,” said Jacob Carlson, founder, and CEO, EzHire. We saw an opportunity in 2020 to present better, more complete candidates to a growing industry.”

Over the past several months, upstarts in the cannabis staffing space, including Vangst, which is backed by Snoop Dogg’s Casa Verde, have raised significant funding to help improve hiring in the space.

Carlson is adamant that those platforms are missing the mark and EzHire is bootstrapping the company’s platform launch after exceeding six-figure profit in 2020, despite interest from venture capital firms. “We started EzHire to remove recruiters from the equation and connect candidates with real employment opportunities, not simply to fill ‘gigs’ in the space. We believe that combining our technology with the creation of a candidate-centric experience will trump VC-backed recruiters.”

The subscription-based EzHire platform helps startups and multi-state operators grow by connecting cannabis businesses to high-quality candidates. The platform’s free online job search tools connect professional applicants with high-quality employment opportunities that meet their individual skills and experience.
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According to research firm Benzinga, the U.S. cannabis industry is not meeting diverse hiring goals, with just 17% of executive positions occupied by minority team members. Minority entrepreneurs are also underrepresented in the industry. Around 400,000 U.S. workers are employed by the cannabis industry, with that number projected to grow to 750,000 by 2025.

A leading U.S. cannabis company challenged EzHire with meeting its accelerated growth goals in preparation for IPO. In three months, the platform filled 100% of the company’s 40 open positions, attracted 8,000+ applicants and oversaw 200+ interviews. To strengthen the applicant pool, EzHire offers candidate development tools designed specifically for the cannabis industry,
including a virtual learning center and local Community Managers.

Labor is the highest expense impacting U.S. cannabis companies, according to the National Cannabis Industry Association. Professional interest in joining the field is high, with cannabis job postings receiving an average of 150+ applicants within one day. The cost to replace an entry-level team member in the industry is 30-50% of the position’s annual salary.

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Grassroots Marketing showcases the original Bento Bong with Sam Freedman, Founder of Bento Bong.

Bento Bong comes in two sizes. The Single comes with one honeycomb percolator disc while The Double comes with two for extra percolation. It's a no-nonsense straight tube bong that disassembles in seconds for easy traveling, is dishwasher safe, and is fully modular - so you can make it as short or tall as you like.

Sam set out to build a better bong to solve smoke circle party fouls like: grimy bongs too difficult to clean and shattered pieces that force you to invest in a whole new bong.

In August 2021, Bento Bong, a modular and customizable bong made of nearly unbreakable BPA/BPS-free Tritan plastic was born. Depending on the model, Bento Bong comes apart into 6-9 separate pieces for easy cleaning– even better– it's dishwasher safe.

Ahead of 4/20 we're preparing to launch some add-on pieces and percolators to make the customizable bento bong experience even better.

Use Promo code grassroots for 10% off sitewide at bentobong.com.

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