MJBizMag October 2021 - 50

MJBizCon 2021 Show Guide
Fortune Cookies
Rapper and marijuana entrepreneur shares thoughts about the importance
of branding for growth in the cannabis sector
By Bart Schaneman
T
he road from an entry-level
job at The Hemp Center in
San Francisco to opening a
marijuana retail store on the Las
Vegas Strip was a long one. But
Berner, a rapper and owner of the
Cookies cannabis brand, is not
done yet.
On Oct. 20, he'll join longtime
marijuana advocates and corporate
executives for the MJBizCon panel
Clash of the Titans: Can Cannabis
Culture and Big Business Co-Exist?
MJBizMagazine spoke with Berner
about how his early experience in the
cannabis industry helped shape his
multimillion-dollar business.
Let's talk about the growth of Cookies
as a national flower brand. How did
that come about?
It kind of stems from the Hemp
Center Days.
I remember when vendors used
to come in with a duffel bag with 30
pounds in it and have no name to it-
or they'd have a name, and it would
just be in the turkey bag. And it'd be
our job to put that weed in a plastic
jar and then create a sign for it on
the shelf.
That was one of my favorite
processes: getting creative with the
sign designs. Trying to draw people
in to buy the product, to see if there
was a logo or a vibe that would help
sell that weed.
So that was part of my strategy,
knowing that there was nothing
branded in the industry. I just felt like
it was missing. I think it's important
because it's Instagram and people
see it. They want to take pictures
48 MJBizMagazine | October 2021
Berner leads the ribbon-cutting ceremony at a new Cookies-branded
marijuana store. Courtesy Photo
of it. They want to show it off, and
it kind of spreads. The power of
packaging is so strong.
How do you keep that brand
reputation and trust in what Cookies
is doing?
We get to go state to state before
we pick a partner, see what they're
growing. Their fire, their passion. Do
they have experience? How is their
dry room? What are their (standard
operating procedures) on trimming?
The market is weird. They can
grow incredible flower and they can
be put on the shelf and never be
recognized because people want to
find brands.
So, when you find someone that
cultivates great flower and you put
a good brand in their hand, you're
empowering the hell out of them as
well. And helping them build and
expand their business.
How has your experience in the music
industry helped you as a cannabis
executive?
I feel like the music and internet
played a very big role in Cookies'
success. A lot of people now try to
mimic that same model. They try to
give musicians pounds for free and
be like, " Hey, rap about me. Tag me. "
It doesn't quite work the way that
we did it. You can't buy it. You can
try to do it, but it won't come across.
Bart Schaneman is an editor for
MJBizDaily. You can reach him at bart.
schaneman@mjbizdaily.com.
https://mjbizconference.com/
MJBizMag October 2021

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