Canadian Competition & Pot Girl Summer
Launches and drops of note.
The Broccoli Report
Monday, April 25, 2022
Time to read: 4 minutes, 24 seconds. Contains 880 words
Good morning!
I know the kief dust is still settling since we put another 4/20 in the books, but I hope you all had a fulfilling holiday week. It was amazing to see the celebrations kick off in so many places across the U.S., read fresh takes on facets of our industry, and marvel at another round of weed-inspired manicures. And the industry is only speeding up as we head into spring.
This week is a catch-up time for yours truly, allowing me to put the finishing touches on some fire Reports ahead. April is always a moment to bring things back to the people—a time for discussing cannabis culture, reflecting upon how far we’ve come, and acknowledging what still needs to happen. While those themes factor into every newsletter, the coming weeks will feature some helpful business tools we’ve had in the works for a while that I’m very excited to share.
First up: This Friday, look for an affiliate network side-by-side comparison featuring perspectives from three brands on their experiences using Skimlinks, Impact, and ShareaSale to learn more about how these relationships work with the different platforms and how to get the most out of them.
Coming soon: A dive into the disconnected world of cannabis influencers and the next installment of our ask-an-expert-anything Zoom sessions—this time, we’ll talk public relations. That one-on-one advice—and all of our Friday newsletters—are only available to paid subscribers. Consider signing up today to stay in the loop and support independent journalism.
One-Hitters: Cannabis News at a Glance
As COVID-19 restrictions wane, so do restrictions on exploratory cannabis businesses. At The Annex, Canadian retailer Superette’s newest location on Dupont St. in Toronto, shoppers can set up at the “deli counter” and legally consume product onsite. Visitors can even whip out their laptops and get some work done on the free Wi-Fi—a novel experience in any North American cannabis market.
On the event side of things, Northern Nights (July 15th to 17th) will be the first major music festival to sell legal cannabis products via multiple onsite dispensaries. Located in the middle of a redwood forest three-and-a-half hours north of San Francisco, the electronic dance music event sounds like a mini, more nature-inclined Coachella experience—and perhaps a cool opportunity for any brands looking for partnerships in that realm.
The New York Times spotlighted the challenges of running a dispensary along Toronto’s Queen Street West. Shops there can only purchase from the same government wholesaler, making it hard for any shop to distinguish itself from the many others carrying the exact same products. This context illuminates why brands like Superette invest in unique decor and in-store experiences. In Portland, Oregon, we have a “Green Mile” along Sandy Boulevard, with a dozen or so dispensaries a minimum of 1000 feet from each other. These shops are pretty aesthetically interchangeable (save for the tree hovering above reception in Collective Awakenings). Still, because they can choose from such a wide array of products to stock, each offers something a little different for consumers.
Georgia hasn’t yet legalized adult-use cannabis, but you can go to a real, fake dispensary in Atlanta right now. The energetic artists behind experimental cannabis accessory brand Theodore Musa built “a smoke shop out of scratch,” renovating a small trailer into a functioning store with Italian porcelain floors, white marble shelves, and a river-rock mosaic. Currently, it’s stocking paraphernalia and hemp products.
What started as an MJ BizCon-adjacent ladies’ brunch has evolved into a major touring networking event. Blunt Brunch, the brainchild of Arizona-based co-founders Parisa Rad and Adelia Carrillo, took the show on the road to Chicago earlier this month. The event drew over 150 local entrepreneurs to the Godfrey Hotel’s rooftop for a tasty, leisurely breakfast and opportunities to meet and connect with industry peers. The next stop is Los Angeles on July 27th, then Arizona and Nevada.
If you missed Fort Makers opening party for their weed-inspired installation celebrating the intersection between cannabis culture and art, craft, and high-end design, fear not—you can still catch “Look It’s 420!” in the New York space through May 31st.
Beautiful ceramic bongs from Europe: WEED'D is a new accessory brand out of Milan with unexpected, artful shapes, while Dublin’s High Minds makes elegantly minimal bongs inspired by Irish design pioneer Eileen Gray and her signature Bibendum chair.
This 4/20 brought the debut of Pot-Pourri—a weed-focused room freshener from the makers of Poo-Pourri. I haven’t been able to conduct a side-by-side comparison with OG sprays Cannabolish and Veil, but the lemon-and-clove formula does a decent job disseminating suspect clouds, and it’s nice for us frequent users to have more fragrance option choices.
By now, you’ve probably seen some shots from Edie Parker’s extremely fun, Virginia Slims-inspired ad campaign: “Weed’s Come a Long Way, Baby.” If my great-grandma Kiyo was still around, she most likely would disapprove of my career choices—but this most definitely would’ve made her smile.
Weed fits that make me smile: Stevie’s latest fashion collaboration with eco-minded fashion brand MAVRANS on MJ-powered mesh and resort-ready weed print sets. This pot girl summer is sure to be the best dressed yet.
To many more green gatherings this year,
Lauren Yoshiko