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No, Celebrity Brands Don’t Outperform Traditional Cannabis Brands – The Mistake of Causation and Correlation in Statistics

Published

10 months ago

July 18, 2023

All data can be manipulated to get the results you want at the end, and this headline smelled fishy from day one.

MJ BIZ recently reported that celebrity-endorsed cannabis brands like Houseplant by Seth Rogan and Khalifa Kush by Wiz Khalifa have the undeniable advantage of leveraging their vast fan bases and social media followers to capture consumer attention and generate excitement.

Wait a minute, I thought celebrity brands and co-branding by celebrities didn’t move the needle much on cannabis sales?

Previous articles on Cannabis.net like “Your Celebrity Branding Doesn’t Mean S#$%#”, or the Bloomberg news piece called “Celebrity Star Power Has So Far Had a Limited Impact on Cannabis Sales” both paint a different picture of the effectiveness of celebrity brands in weed.

What is going on then? Do celebrities bring enough juice to a brand to boost sales over time? Every customer survey done of cannabis buyers says that consumers care about three things, price, effect, and distance or time needed to get the product. Consumers don’t remember logos or colors or brand names, they do remember how much they paid, did the product work as expected, and how long or how much hassle was it to get said product.

Let’s dissect the MJ BIZ article to see if the headline matches the data.

It didn’t take long to get past the headline and find some “ah-ha” moments. To start:

A recent analysis of retail sales data from Headset indicates that these inherent qualities and other factors, such as promotional events and partnerships, significantly drive consumer purchases.

The first noticeable “asterisks” to the story, if you will, is that promotional events and partnerships SIGNIFICANLY drive consumer purchases of these brands. Reading between the lines means if Mike Tyson shows up at a dispensary or venue, his brand sells out that day. If Justin Bieber shows up to promote his pre-rolls at an event, the pre-rolls sell out that day. So having the celebrity actually there signing autographs and pushing his or her product is a big sales driver. Makes sense, but not repeatable on a daily basis with consumers. This is the Amazon Prime day example, when Amazon runs a 48-hour July special to get a massive consumer spending push. It pulls revenue from past and future sales for Amazon as consumers wait for Prime Day to buy something, or speed up a future purchase to get the discounts from Prime. It is a push-pull effect on sales, robbing Peter to pay Paul as they say.

Then the smoking gun pops up on consumer preference and celebrity branding. To whit:

Interestingly, celebrity brands tend to offer lower price points than their traditional counterparts, with Headset data revealing that they charge less than the average of $23.14 per item set by traditional cannabis brands.

price points of celebrity cannabis brands

Hold the fort. That is data that is congruent to every consumer study and survey done in Canada or the US. Forget the word celebrity for a second, “brands that offer lower price points…get more sales”. So, are consumers buying celebrity brands or are they buying brands that offer lower price points? Past data says consumers care about price points very much, branding not so much. So, is this a cause of celebrity causation being confused with correlation? It is a common misconception in statistics gathering, causation and correlation, did something actually cause an effect or is it just correlated with the results you are looking at. In this case, it sure appears that celebrity branding is a correlation to consumer choosing the lower price point product, not a causation of why someone bought a product.

Did someone buy a Ric Flair Drip gummy because it was from Ric Flair or because it was 36% cheaper than the traditional, non-celebrity brand next to it on the shelf? ($14.91 vs. $23.14) If Ric Flair is at your dispensary that day promoting his product as mentioned above as an “event”, then it is a no-brainer what the 50-person line out the door is going to buy and get autographed that day. Again, a one-time event is not repeatable over time. If Ric Flair is not at the dispensary on a regular day, is the consumer buying X brand 10mg gummies for $14.91 or comparable product at $23.14? Data says the consumer will look at price point and effect first and foremost.

The MJ BIZ article reports that during the first three months of 2023, the study compared over 20 celebrity brands to a representative sample of more than 1,300 traditional marijuana brands.

So, comparing the top 20 celebrity brands to the entire field of 1,300 marijuana brands is a fair statistical parameter? Seems like someone is cooking the books to get the results they want from the survey. Why not do the top 20 celebrity brands vs. the top 20 or 40 traditional brands to make it a fair fight, or to get a statically accurate “apples to apples” comparison? I’ll take Backwoods vs any celebrity brand, let’s compare numbers. You want to have an educated discussion about branding in the cannabis industry, let’s talk Cookies, not Justin Bieber’s Peaches.

There are well known lists of “zombie” brands that have run out of money and don’t do any marketing in California. Keeping them in the data pool will certainly bring down the numbers of traditional brands and boost the “appeal” number of celebrity brands.

Comparing 20 celebrity brands to 1,300 traditional brands isn’t a fair comparison. Someone should have cut it to at least the top 50 selling traditional, non-celebrity brands, to get an accurate comparison on how much influence a celebrity really has on consumer choices in a dispensary.

In the first quarter, celebrity brands in the California market, including Cann, Houseplant, and Mirayo by Santana, outperformed traditional cannabis brands by a significant margin, as reported by Headset, a cannabis analytics provider based in Seattle.

Headset’s findings indicate that traditional brands achieved an average monthly sales figure of $26,591. However, at least nine celebrity brands surpassed this figure, with five generating monthly revenues well above the $100,000 mark.

Again, would love to know the above sales number for just the top 50 traditional brands like Backwoods. What are we guessing that number jumps up to we eliminate 1,000 zombie brands in California? Well over the $100,000 mark just like the top 10 celebrity brands are doing I would bet.

The Celebrity Phenomenon in California’s Marijuana Market

Cann, a popular marijuana beverage producer endorsed by Hollywood celebrities, influencers, and professional athletes, has far outperformed traditional cannabis brands by a staggering margin of almost 30-to-1.

This one is probably true because Cann is a carbonated infused beverage. High moats in that area, capital intensive to get started, tough for competitors to ramp up in that area. Is Cann super successful due to the celebrity part or just because they are “the only game in town” in that niche and well capitalized. Did the execute a successful business plan or get the right celebrity? I am going the latter.

Notable investors and brand ambassadors for Cann include actress Gwyneth Paltrow, entertainer and comedian Rebel Wilson, and former NBA player Baron Davis.

Mitchell Laferla, a data analyst at Headset, shared via email with MJBizDaily, “From my perspective, several celebrity-affiliated brands have achieved remarkable success compared to typical cannabis brands in California.”

Are those several celebrity brands selling at a 36% discount to the market like Ric Flair Drips, as well? If so, that may help explain their “remarkable success”.

From a business standpoint, celebrity-endorsed brands have a unique advantage in opening doors and establishing connections with potential partners, enabling them to create distinctive promotions and foster meaningful customer interactions. Drew Punjabi, the brand manager of 22Red, a California cannabis lifestyle brand founded by entrepreneur and System of a Down bassist Shavo Odadjian, emphasized this point.

From the consumer perspective, the presence of celebrities in retail stores is highly sought after and plays a crucial role in driving engagement and, ultimately, sales, according to Punjabi. He highlighted the significance of influence in 2023, stating, “Celebrities possess that valuable connection with their fans and followers.”

Ahhh, the presence of the actual celebrity in the retail store is a highly sought after thing and plays a crucial role in sales for that celebrity brand. Well, yeah, if Mike Tyson will be your budtender Monday to Friday, 8 to 5, you are going to sell a lot of Tyson Bites and his brand will sell very well.

“In an industry where physical, in-person retail sales remain paramount, having the ability to attract hundreds of people to a dispensary for meet-and-greets or events tied to product promotions or new releases is a massive advantage,” Punjabi added.

Beating a dead horse now, game, set, match.

A New Approach to Celebrity-Backed Cannabis Brands

According to Headset, Los Angeles-based Cann has established itself as the dominant brand in celebrity endorsements, achieving impressive average monthly sales of $751,760 in California during the first quarter.

Early in its journey, the company partnered with Imaginary Ventures, a New York-based venture capital firm renowned for its successful contributions to Good American and Skims celebrity apparel brands.

Interestingly, Good American was co-founded by Khloé Kardashian, while Kim Kardashian founded Skims.

Rather than relying on celebrities already associated with cannabis, such as rapper Snoop Dogg or country music icon Willie Nelson, Cann opted for a different approach.

“We believed that if we could secure a mainstream celebrity who isn’t typically associated with cannabis, we could revolutionize the conversation and normalize it in a fresh and impactful manner,” explained Luke Anderson, co-founder of Cann.

“We successfully conveyed that cannabis is for everyone, not exclusively for those seeking an intense high.”

Ahh, low dose cannabis beverages are very popular and a booming niche, agreed. Celebrity causation or correlation here?

Challenges of Sustaining a Celebrity Brand

Working with celebrities poses unique challenges beyond the typical obstacles faced by cannabis companies.

According to Black, one of the top challenges is overcoming consumer perceptions. These perceptions cover a wide range of factors, including product quality, brand authenticity and celebrity partnership authenticity, retail prices, and celebrity involvement in the company’s operations.

Wait, consumers are questioning if celebrities are really involved in a brand or just sold their likeness and image to a brand for a quick buck? No way!

For Black, brand stewardship and the “do no harm” principal guide most of his decisions. He aims to preserve the 52-year legacy of Cheech and Chong without making any detrimental missteps.

Running a celebrity brand comes with immense pressure, with unexpected incidents, scandals, and the potential threat of “cancel culture” being significant concerns for operators in this space.

Last year, Tyson was involved in a physical altercation with an unruly passenger before Tress invested in Tyson 2.0. Despite the incident receiving national attention, Tyson’s image remained largely unscathed, showcasing his enduring popularity.

However, despite the pull of celebrities, consumer awareness of celebrity-endorsed brands varies across different markets. According to Madeline Scanlon, cannabis insights manager at Brightfield Group, over 80% of California cannabis consumers are unaware of brands like Cann and Houseplant and their celebrity affiliations. This suggests that factors like product positioning, marketing strategies, and operational efficiency play a more significant role in achieving success, as Scanlon emphasizes.

Wowza! The headline of the article is celebrity brands are killing it because of celebrities! What does Madeline mean that most consumers are unaware of what celebrities promote what brands, but instead look at product placement, pricing, and how easy or hard it is to get the product. How dare she! That would be 100% the opposite of the article headline would leave you to believe.

Being a celebrity alone is not enough to succeed; a truly successful brand requires additional components beyond celebrity endorsement, Scanlon asserts. A celebrity brand’s relevance often depends on the longevity and continued significance of the celebrity associated with it.

You mean no one under the age of 30 knows who Ric Flair or Cheech and Chong are right now? That could be a longevity problem for a brand, too.

This challenge is consistently faced by the executives behind Garcia’s Hand Picked, which ranks No. 7 on the list with monthly sales of $80,587 in the first quarter.

The brand, a division of the vertically integrated company Holistic Industries, pays tribute to Jerry Garcia, the iconic frontman of the Grateful Dead and a symbol of counterculture. Garcia passed away from a heart attack in 1995.

Winning over Deadheads, a famously opinionated and anti-corporate community, is impossible. They demand high-quality cannabis flowers, unique strains, and a constant flow of new products, known as SKUs (stock-keeping units), according to Kyle Barich, the chief marketing officer at Holistic, based in Maryland.

“Much of my professional life involves catering to this challenging audience,” Barich noted.

Recently, the brand wrapped up significant sponsorship at The Peach Music Festival in Scranton, Pennsylvania, where its logo was prominently displayed on signage and on one of the main stages. This marked a significant milestone for the company as it crossed into mainstream music events.

Ahhh, one time music festival push, got it.

Holistic takes responsibility seriously in the Grateful Dead realm and collaborates closely with the Garcia family trust and foundation on matters such as SKUs, merchandise, branding, marketing, and other business decisions.

“We are incredibly privileged to have the opportunity to honor the legacy of Jerry Garcia, whom we all deeply admire,” Barich expressed enthusiastically.

Bottom Line

The headline highlights the significant impact of celebrity endorsements in the cannabis industry. By reading through the article the reality of the data supports what we already know and what consumers are saying in surveys. Celebrity brands have demonstrated their ability to attract consumer attention, drive sales at events the celebrity is at, and outperform traditional brands when every traditional brand is put in the data set, but is not a true comparison when you compare the top 20 celebrity brands to 1,300 non-celebrity brands. Leveraging the influence of celebrities, some brands have successfully navigated challenges, including consumer perceptions and market awareness. However, it is crucial to recognize that celebrity endorsement alone does not guarantee success, in fact, just the opposite. Additional factors such as product positioning, pricing, marketing strategies, and operational efficiency also play a vital role in achieving sustained growth and brand recognition. Celebrity brands must adapt and maintain relevance as the industry continues to evolve to ensure long-term success in this competitive landscape.

Source: https://cannabis.net/blog/opinion/no-celebrity-brands-dont-outperform-traditional-cannabis-brands-the-mistake-of-causation-and-co

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Border sales a boost for most marijuana retailers across US

Published

8 months ago

September 8, 2023

ghsGFsre564

Marijuana sales along state lines are key revenue generators for retail operators in the United States, and new insights suggest a similar business bump along international borders, particularly Mexico.

Data compiled by New York-based wholesale technology platform LeafLink – as well as information gathered from state agencies, quarterly reports and interviews with several cannabis companies – bear that out.

LeafLink analyzed hundreds of ZIP codes at the request of MJBizDaily and found strong links that when new recreational markets open, retailers near borders stock up on inventory significantly more than operators located elsewhere in a state.

Data from the past three years revealed wholesale marijuana products purchased by border stores jumped 140% after the launch of adult-use sales, while retailers located in more interior areas increased purchases by about 80%.

“The growth when a state launches adult-use sales at a border store in terms of purchasing activity is around double the growth of the remainder of the state,” LeafLink Strategy Analyst Ben Burstein told MJBizDaily.

Of course, numerous factors are at play – perhaps none more impactful than the marijuana policies of neighboring states.

That’s why Illinois retailers near Wisconsin, where marijuana possession is illegal, are still attracting Wisconsinites nearly four years after the launch of recreational sales.

There also are retail sales-tax implications, a big reason why St. Louis-areas operators are seeing an influx of shoppers from southern Illinois, where cannabis taxes are at least three times higher than in Missouri.

Meanwhile, border retail in New Mexico is boosting depressed economies along hundreds of miles of its shared borders, drawing stampedes of consumers from neighboring Texas and, more recently, cross-border buyers from Mexico.

Retail shakeup in the heartland

The February launch of adult-use sales in Missouri has caused ripple effects throughout the Midwest.

Missouri holds the rare distinction of bordering eight states, with only Illinois offering recreational marijuana sales.

Missouri’s 6% retail tax on recreational marijuana purchases is also among the lowest in the nation, drawing Illinois consumers across the Mississippi River in droves to buy much cheaper weed.

All in, cannabis sales taxes in neighboring Illinois eclipse 30%, second only to Washington state. And in Chicago, sales taxes can easily top 40%.

Demand is booming in western Missouri, too.

In April, Missouri retailers near the border of Kansas, where marijuana possession is also illegal, told MJBizDaily they were seeing foot traffic increase ninefold after expanding into recreational sales.

The rush of new customers, coupled with cultivation-capacity lags, has led to big spikes in wholesale flower prices and inventory shortages throughout the supply chain.

Retailers, for their part, are trying to keep pace.

To meet consumer demand, wholesale purchases per store in the Kansas City, Missouri, market increased from $97,000 in the quarter before the launch of recreational sales to $491,000 in the quarter after, a whopping 406% jump, according to LeafLink data.

In the St. Louis market, which borders southwestern Illinois, wholesale purchases per store increased nearly 57%, to $610,000, after adult-use sales began.

“The demand’s been bigger than anyone expected,” Burstein said.

A zero-sum game

In marijuana retail, particularly near state borders, it’s a zero-sum game.

The sales boom in the St. Louis market, which has more than 70 stores, has deflated business on the Illinois side of the border, where retailers have lost millions of dollars in sales since Missouri’s adult-use launch, according to quarterly reports and earnings calls.

Top executives at New York-based multistate operator Ascend Wellness Holdings, which has two shops near the Missouri border, cited revenue declines at its southern Illinois stores in recent earnings, saying it has led to suppressed margins that are expected to linger for much of the year.

Florida-based MSO Jushi Holdings, which also operates two Illinois stores near the Missouri border, reported an 8.8% year-over-year revenue decline to $66.4 million in its second quarter, partially attributing the slide to adult-use sales in Missouri.

In an Aug. 11 second-quarter earnings call, Jushi CEO James Cacioppo said total Illinois sales declined 20% from the first quarter and 40% year-over-year.

“I think we under-anticipated the pricing power initially out of the gate that retailers were going to have in Missouri,” Jushi Chief Strategy Director Trent Woloveck told MJBizDaily in an interview.

“The impact was a little bit greater than then we had thought due to that pricing for flower, vapes and infused products.”

In response, Jushi has implemented several initiatives, including adding new promotions and diversifying product SKUs (stock-keeping units) to ease the impact of declines sales in Illinois.

Northern exposure

Market dynamics in northern Illinois, particularly along the Wisconsin border, are a different story.

Wisconsin is among 10 states without a medical or recreational marijuana program.

Illinois counties bordering Wisconsin – including Lake, McHenry, Jo Daviess and Winnebago – accounted for 15.4%, or $239.7 million, of the nearly $1.6 billion in cannabis sales last year in the state, according to a fiscal analysis requested by pro marijuana-legalization lawmakers in Wisconsin.

The Wisconsin Legislative Fiscal Bureau report, which was released in March, cited annual statistics from the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation.

Moreover, the report estimated about 7.8% of marijuana sales in Illinois in 2022, roughly $36.1 million, were generated by out-of-state residents traveling from Wisconsin.

Under Illinois law, out-of-state residents can only purchase recreational cannabis.

Two of Chicago-based multistate operator Cresco Labs’ 10 stores in Illinois are located near the Wisconsin border: a Sunnyside outlet in South Beloit at the border and one in Rockford, about a 30-minute drive away.

The South Beloit store often draws up to 1,000 daily visitors, according to Cresco’s national retail president, Cory Rothschild – traffic on par with the nation’s busiest marijuana retailers in highly populated areas.

It’s all the more impressive, considering that South Beloit has a population of roughly 8,000 and is more than 40 miles from Madison, the nearest city and Wisconsin’s state capital.

“It’s an extremely high-volume retail location,” Rothschild told MJBizDaily.

“South Beloit and Rockford as well are probably (among the) top dispensaries in the country.”

Maryland

Maryland is the newest recreational cannabis market, with nearly 100 medical marijuana dispensaries having converted to adult-use retail in late June.

While LeafLink wholesale data suggests about a 10% increase in wholesale product purchases statewide after the launch of adult-use sales, some retailers along Maryland’s south and eastern borders are doubling orders to meet demand.

In Elkton, near the Delaware border, stores are ordering about $41,000 in wholesale products per month, up 115% since the launch of recreational sales on July 1.

In the Rockville/Germantown area – outside of Washington DC and near the Virginia and West Virginia borders – monthly wholesale purchases have increased about 42%, to $54,000 per store, since recreational sales began.

Though MMJ dispensaries opened in West Virginia in 2021, the state still has some of the harshest marijuana laws in the country, according to the Marijuana Policy Project.

Meanwhile, Virginia’s adult-use rollout has been put on ice by Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin.

MSO MariMed’s wholesale business serving retailers in Maryland has benefited from increased demand from neighboring states, according to Jeff Jones, director of operations.

“We have retail customers that are very close to Virginia, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, and I’m sure that’s driving a significant amount of their business,” he said.

The Massachusetts-based company supplies every retailer in the state with its product brands.

MariMed is planning to double its cultivation and canopy space in Maryland, with product from that expansion expected to hit the wholesale and retail markets in the first quarter of 2024, Jones said.

Its retail operation in Annapolis – the state capital is about a 45-minute drive from Pennsylvania or West Virginia – hasn’t experienced the same type of uptick from border business but is still performing well, according to Jones.

A tale of two borders

The small town of Sunland Park, New Mexico, has racked up outsized sales since the state launched recreational retail in April 2022.

The sparsely populated bedroom community is situated across the border from El Paso, Texas, and Jaurez, Mexico, which have a combined population of more than 2.2 million.

That purchasing power has helped Sunland Park’s 88063 ZIP code top the state for per-capita adult-use spending, a sales metric that divides dollars spent for cannabis by population.

Per-person recreational marijuana spending in Sunland Park was $1,044, according to an MJBizDaily analysis of data from the New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department.

Its 88063 ZIP code also houses two of New Mexico’s leading cannabis stores.

Ultra Health and Everest Cannabis Co. generated nearly $6.1 million in combined sales from August 2022 to February 2023, according to MJBizDaily research.

Because business has been so strong at that Sunland Park store, Ultra Health last summer opened an adjacent location that handles only online orders for pickups.

The majority of its 42 stores were strategically aligned to capture business along New Mexico’s more than 600-mile border with Texas, the second-most-populated state.

“I would say half our business is Texas-related,” Ultra Health CEO Duke Rodriguez told MJBizDaily.

As part of that strategy, the company is planning to open an outlet in Lordsburg with hopes of drawing customers from Mexico, Texas and Arizona.

Mexico border towns share more than commerce, including family, culture and language.

Some residents own commercial properties and homes on either side of the border.

And residents tend to travel freely between Juarez, El Paso and Sunland Park to shop, dine and visit friends and family, according to Rodriguez.

Many also buy regulated marijuana, which might come as a surprise to some industry watchers, especially those unfamiliar with border business in the Southwest.

Though transporting licensed cannabis across the U.S.-Mexico border is barred under federal law, it’s fairly common, industry insiders tell MJBizDaily.

“The product is intended to be consumed within the state of New Mexico and should not cross state or international boundaries,” Ultra Health’s Rodriguez advised.

“The reality is some consumers cross these boundaries intentionally or by not being fully aware of the risk and prohibition.”

Sales in other border communities, such as Clovis and Hobbs – where Ultra Health also has stores – are also outpacing the field, another sign that Texans, and some Mexicans, are crossing the border to purchase marijuana from New Mexico marijuana retailers.

Source: https://mjbizdaily.com/border-sales-a-boost-for-most-cannabis-retailers-across-us/

Blogs

Cannabis Art Is Flourishing On Etsy

Published

8 months ago

September 4, 2023

ghsGFsre564

Although there is an available and thriving market for cannabis art, most e-commerce websites and platforms prohibit artists from selling art that depicts cannabis.

Is there any section or industry without cannabis influence? It’s starting to look like there isn’t any, as, throughout history, cannabis users have displayed their creative capabilities in various ways. And now cannabis art is flourishing on Etsy

Cannabis users and enthusiasts are some of the most innovative people you’ll ever meet, and their inspiring works of art have been admired for decades. Most of the works created by cannabis enthusiasts have also sparked debate for centuries, dating William Shakespeare’s times.

Cannabis and the creative arts

Research has shown a fantastic connection between cannabis and creativity, an intriguing relationship that is attributed to the plant’s remarkable properties. Cannabis interacts with the human brain through the endocannabinoid system and receptors in the brain.

Extensive works of research show that creative prowess and imagination heighten when users consume cannabis, thus enabling divergent and distinct thought patterns. Hence the reason great men and women like Maya Angelou and Louis Armstrong celebrated the impact of cannabis on their creative careers.A more significant percentage of the creative industry is also full of trailblazers who have affirmed that cannabis is a significant influence on their success. For such artists, marijuana inspires the way they hone their crafts and showcase their ideas.

Despite such a show of artistic brilliance, some artists struggle with finding a place to showcase their works. Why is this the case? Why can’t artist showcase their cannabis-inspired art?

The problem with finding a market showcase

Although there is an available and thriving market for cannabis art, most e-commerce websites and platforms prohibit artists from selling art that depicts cannabis. Some of these merchant shops also flag items such as CBD paraphernalia and insist that such things cannot be sold.

With such restrictions, creative artists fail to get an adequate space to share their creations with the world. Artists feel shut out of the market space, and then COVID-19 happened.

The Coronavirus Pandemic made everything worse for cannabis artists and businesses to maintain operations, which created a disturbing gap in the market.

The Solution: A cannabis-themed marketplace

As the challenge became increasingly worse, two outspoken cannabis advocates co-founded an online marketplace called The Artsy Leaf. Space was set-up as a multi-vendor marketplace to make it possible for artists to display their works.

The co-founders Abbey Weintraub Sklar and Rebecca Goldberg discovered that there were many international craftsmen, women, and artists with products that weren’t shared on any platform. The artists’ products are unique cannabis-friendly items that were mostly scattered on censored tech platforms that limited their exposure to the world.

Goldberg and Skylar understood the importance of an online vendor marketplace created for creators and buyers in the cannabis industry. COVID-19 and its resultant impact was also the inspiration behind an online space.

Initially, it was supposed to be an in-person CBD marketplace, but the pandemic made physical meetings impossible for buying and selling purposes. Hence the reason the co-founders made it an online space with a highly functional website.

The Artsy Leaf

The Artsy Leaf marketplace replaces other online platforms that were too restrictive for those in the cannabis industry. Some of those unfriendly sites didn’t provide room for tagging, describing, and listing CBD products, making it difficult for artists to advertise their products.

But with the Artsy Leaf marketplace, vendors and small business owners have maximum freedom to advertise their cannabis items. The platform also incorporates advertising with SEO consulting and doesn’t hide its processing fees.

The co-founders maintain that their desire to help all cannabis vendors succeed drives the marketplace. The website launched with an initial 14 vendors, and with its viable operational approach, more vendors are expected to join this revolutionary idea.

A virtual cannabis marketplace is what the world needs right now to bridge the gap between artists and buyers. Cannabis-inspired pieces will always remain relevant globally because of how unique and disruptive they can be. The Artsy Leaf is the right incubation place for ideas, purchases, and value exchange.

The future of the online marketplace

The future of the online cannabis marketplace for artists looks promising, and why is this so important? Well, cannabis is gaining a lot of momentum in America, with more states legalizing marijuana more people will gain access to weed, and when they do, they may be inspired to create unique art pieces or be looking to purchase unique cannabis inspired works.

Either way, the cannabis world needs an outlet for artists to share their works, and this is where platforms like the Artsy Leaf become crucial. Other online platforms may start to look into adjusting their policies regarding this issue because this sector is about to explode.

It is time to change the current status quo on the other E-commerce sites not allowing cannabis artists to showcase their genius.

Bottom line

The world is awakening to the ever-increasing potentials of cannabis. Through marketplaces like the Artsy Leaf, cannabis artists and art lovers can meet, interact and sustain the cannabis industry.

Without platforms like these, cannabis-inspired art will gradually decline, and that isn’t good for the cannabis industry at all. We must all continue to encourage the establishments of platforms (online and offline) where artists can thrive. Budding cannabis artists need more places to express themselves, and the Artsy Leaf is a suitable platform.

If you are a cannabis-themed artist, an aspiring one, or a small business owner and you struggle with promoting your work, you can visit The Artsy Leaf.

Source: https://thefreshtoast.com/cannabusiness/cannabis-art-is-flourishing-on-etsy/

Blogs

Beer Lingo, A Guide To Becoming A Better Patron

Published

9 months ago

August 24, 2023

ghsGFsre564

Bars are wondrous places full of beer, chatter, celebration, ways to get drunk and opportunities to meet friends. But they are also tricky. As with most niche scenes, there is lingo you need to know, terms you should memorize and slang with which you should show facility. What’s Imperial mean? How do you pronounce “weisse?” And how much should I tip my bartender? Hang on, because you’re about to find out the answers to all of these. Here is your beer lingo, a guide to becoming a better patron. BTW, the Slavic word ‘beer’ came from the verb ‘to drink’. Initially, beer was any kind of drink.

Hops

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Small green pine cone-like buds that grow on vines. Their oils and acids preserve and flavor beer.

Hoppy

The thing snobby people refer to about beer, and what people who hardly ever drink beer say they don’t like. Hoppy is often used as a synonym for the word ‘bitter,’ but there are plenty of beers that use loads of hops and don’t taste the least bit bitter.

Malt

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The sugars used to sweeten beer.

Malty

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That syrupy, sweet flavor in beer drunk by amateurs.

Perry

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A cider-like drink made exclusively with pears.

Imperial

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A word out in front of certain beer styles (Stout, IPA) meaning they’re much stronger.

Mead

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Beer produced from honey, water and yeast.

Ale

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Ale is brewed using a warm fermentation method, resulting in a sweet, full-bodied and fruity taste. It is a maltier, top-fermented beer.

Lager

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A beer that is effervescent and light in color and body. it is a dry, bottom-fermented drink.

IPA

Stands for India Pale Ale because it was originally brewed in the United Kingdom and shipped to British soldiers in India during colonization (which is still basically happening). It is made with more hops, to give it a stronger flavor. There’s no standardised threshold at which a pale ale becomes an IPA, though.

Cask-Conditioned

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The process in which a draught beer retains yeast to enable a secondary fermentation to take place in a cask in the pub cellar. Cask conditioned beer is the traditional drink of the British pub, and served properly, it can be among the most subtle and beguiling of beer types.

Fresh Hop

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Beer made with recently picked hops that haven’t been dried. It provides distinctively grassy, plant-like, and “green” flavor profiles without the bitterness associated with IPAs and other beers featuring copious dried hops.

Weisse

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Pronounced ‘Vice’ is the counterpart in German for “white,” most commonly used in reference to the sour Berliner type of beer, but also sometimes to the Bavarian type, as in weissbier. Weizen is the German word for “wheat,” most often applied to the Bavarian wheat beer style.

Microbrew

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Compared to macrobreweries, which produce millions of barrels per year, microbreweries produce a relatively small amount of beer—between 1,000 to no more than 15,000 barrels annually. But aside from their size, what makes microbreweries special is that they’re known for brewing specialty beers.

The type of beer you do not use for beer pong unless you make more money than your bartender.

Pint

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The size of glass most beers are served in, and also the thing you dropped and smashed when you were trying to text your Uber driver.

Dive Bar

The kind of bar you actually really like going to, unless you’re trying to impress a date or a friend. It is typically a small, unglamorous, eclectic, old-style drinking establishment with inexpensive yet strong drinks; it may feature dim lighting, shabby or dated decor, neon beer signs, packaged beer sales, cash-only service, and local clientele

BTW, the strongest beer in the world has a strength of 67.5%. It was created in 2017 by the Scottish brewery Brewmeister. The beer is called Snake Venom

Pickup Line

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The thing you should never say because it never works.

Tip

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The amount of money you give a bartender after a transaction, which should be more than you initially think to give because A) most bartenders are relatively poor and deserve dough, and B) if you tip a lot you’ll be remembered C) if you tip too little you’ll be remembered D )

How do you want to be remembered?