Cannabis and Business: Creative Ways Black Women Innovate

Let’s just take a moment to imagine all our favorite products integrating cannabis in some way— literally a stoner dream. That’s the future the present is shifting to. From beauty products to food science, Black women are finding creative ways to fuse business and cannabis. What’s most unique about this is that most of these ideas are not necessarily “plant-touching”. Big shoutout to all the ancillary canna-baes! 

[Ancillary cannabis business: all the companies in the space needed to support the actual growth, processing and sale of cannabis products]

When most people think of being a boss in the cannabis space they think of plant-touching roles. For example: running a dispensary, owning a consumable cannabis brand, working at a farm. But, there are more avenues into the space, not only those that require immediate licensing and mass amounts of capital. There are opportunities that live on the ancillary side with less barriers to entry. For example: providing services to other cannabis brands, incorporating hemp in your ideas, catering to an audience of people who consume. 

[Plant-touching cannabis business: working directly with the plant (cultivation, distribution, etc)] 

In reality, it takes a lot to be a legal plant-touching business. A lot of money, a lot of connections, a lot of ownership, a lot of red tape, a lot of sh*t. You get it.  Not everyone wants to be but quite frankly not everyone can be plant-touching as easily either.  We already know white males take up most of the space within the industry, unfortunately. Access to capital, barriers of licensing, and stigma are a few reasons why Black folks and other people of color are emerging in the industry in smaller numbers than their white counterparts. 

Odds aside, Black woman-owned businesses continue to rise and thrive in cannabis. There are actually so many brands we love that this article will be a series! We have to celebrate more Black Women in the space. We’ve got our eyes on a few different categories we see creating seamless intersections in cannabis: beauty, retail, culinary, marketing. So let’s start with five amazing Black women-owned brands you should know: 

Beauty 

Imania Beauty (@imaniabeauty)

Who knew you needed hemp on your scalp? Nia did. Imania Beauty by natural hair and beauty influencer Nia Imani is a holistic and wellness-conscious hair care brand for textured tresses. The brand’s  ‘high maintenance elixir’ has all the natural hair girls incorporating hemp in their hair care routine. The elixir is a natural quality scalp oil highlighting 100mg of CBD paired with other stimulating herbs. 

Retail/Boutique 

Brown Box (@brwnbox)

Are they valid? Yes. Legal? Yes. Brown Box is a New Jersey based CBD retail store with the mission of making cannabinoids easy to understand. They provide access to hemp-based products that are actually effective for the community. Vapes, flower, tinctures, topicals, gummies, and pre-rolls--- all hemp. CBD *that actually works* seems difficult to come by these days so quality products are appreciated!

Dose of De (@thedoseofde)

Luxurious cannabis consumption lovers, this one’s for you. Dose of De is a boutique of vintage and handmade smokeware, home décor, and wellness products for the sophisticated stoner and homebody. Custom ceramic one-hitters, molded ashtrays, and crystal pipes are some gems you can expect to find shopping here. Do you really consume if you don’t have a decent accessory collection? Just saying. 

Culinary

Chef Amanda & Co. (@chefamanda.co)

Elevated quality dining, chefs kiss. But literally. Chef Amanda & Co-founded by Amanda Jackson is an intention-driven culinary arts firm. Chef Amanda is the executive chef of the firm leading a team that produces artistic culinary experiences in various formats. Among cooking for dinner parties, demonstrations, and events, she elevates some of her dining experiences with cannabis infusions. Artisan meals properly and consciously infused aren’t as common as you’d think. 

Marketing

Black Dragon Breakfast Club @blackdragonbreakfastclub

Need help growing your cannabis brand’s community? *waves* You know we had to shout the home team out! Black Dragon Breakfast Club is a diverse collective of marketers, creatives, and advocates disrupting marketing standards and reclaiming tired narratives to create engaging content that heals our community and promotes conscious consumption. The main intention of BDBC is to change the perception of cannabis. 

Now you have five more quality cannabis-brands led and run by Black women to add to your lists, share with your loved ones and support! Love that for you and you’re welcome. Hopefully, this inspires more Black women to push through with innovation in cannabis. We can do anything and we deserve to be here. Imagine what the next few years will look like for us. Thank you to the women doing the work and paving the way. We appreciate you being the example while simultaneously making history.