5 grass products Besito founder Maggie Connors can’t live without it

Maggie Connors is the founder and CEO of Besito, a Los Angeles-based cannabis brand that specializes in “mini-joint” pre-rolls of classic California-grown strains. Besito was recently acquired by Bay Area vertically integrated cannabis operator SPARC, with Connors joining the SPARC leadership suite as VP of Brand Marketing.

Although Connors was a long-time and passionate cannabis user with a keen eye for brands and a business hunger, the idea of ​​getting into the cannabis business didn’t come straight to Connors. Her interest in people, how they think and what motivates them initially drove her to want to become a therapist, but her love of art and an integrated awareness of emerging brands and consumer conversations eventually led her to a position in brand management at Pepsi in 2009 .

In her five years at Pepsi, Connors had reached a level in the company that accepted MBAs, which made the idea of ​​returning to business school seem absurd. Still, she itched for a change, and she couldn’t get rid of the feeling that if she stayed on the Pepsi rails, her career would be bigger than she was.

So she switched and went to the Stanford Graduate School of Business in 2015.

“That was exactly when I was thinking, ‘I think I’m going to get into cannabis.’ Between my first and second year [at Stanford], I started diving [into cannabis] as a consumer. Someone said you can just get your card and go to pharmacies and buy weed and I was blown away. At the same time, my business acumen began to tick. These brands are all similar and there is a lot of black packaging out there, very masculine, strong, and I wanted a more accessible brand … It came together not only as a personal interest, but as a business asset.

Connors was one of a group of college students who loved smoking weed, but when she told them she was thinking of doing cannabis for a job during a session, the initial reaction was something like, “Dude, you are persistent “. The mood here. ”Research was also difficult at a school that was financed with federal funds. But she persevered and eventually turned all of her business and design interests into what would later become Besito.

“I think a lot of big companies turned to design back then,” said Connors. “I was also taught this idea of ​​human-led design thinking at Stanford. The way that great design can inspire innovation, new concepts, new brands and things you have never thought of before when you can really think creatively. ”

Everyone in the cannabis industry is well aware of the eternal tension between the OG culture of Lifers, who took unimaginable risks to facilitate cannabis use before it was legal, and the new generation of venture-backed brands and companies. For Connors, who couldn’t get out of money and, like many of us, had to go into debt for school, there was no other option but to raise venture capital.

“I was very lucky to find my first investor here who had several early, early cannabis deals and believed in me and what we were building,” said Connors. “Interestingly, our first investors in 2017 were a lot of international people. Americans knew the state of cannabis here, and it was too early and scary. Back then in 2017 there was no institutional money, but I had a few institutional” groups in the 2019 will be added. They were the best consumer funds in their class, and I was the first cannabis fund alongside their other investments in Warby Parker, etc.

Today, she’s still passionate about weed and continues to work to honor the communities who paved the way for the industry she occupied.

“I think the thing that always helps me keep track of this industry is that this wasn’t as tough as the queer community in California pushing for laws to help their friends die, and it is not as hard as hundreds and thousands of mostly. ” Black and tan men jailed for the same thing. I am very aware of the story and the privilege it was for me when I did it. So I always try to use our platform to educate and make sure everyone knows the history of this plant and the supporters before us and what a privilege it is to buy something for even one consumer. We are all privileged. “

Here are six products Maggie Connors can’t live without.

Gorilla glue from our own cultivation

“I grow, so I mostly smoke my Gorilla Glue from my garage in Venice. Only smoking a joint in the evening is my preferred method. I’m looking for that end-of-day relaxation but can still do a few emails. I have a little porch and I go out there and roll and smoke, so it’s a ritual and that perfect reset at the end of the day. “

Kiss minis

“I love our mini-packs for on the go, especially when they roll up in a group. ,It is so sweet!’ is usually the response. People say, ‘This is the perfect amount!’ You can end it in four big hits and you’ll be wonderfully high. Then for some of us I might have one more in 30 or 60 minutes. And it’s ten, so it’s perfect. Everyone has their own, no sharing and no throwing away grass. This is my party-on-the-go-one, I love taking her to a beach or garden moment. “

Marigold Dip & Dust

“Marigold has a Dip & Dust Pre-Roll that is dipped in oil and rolled in kief. It is so good. I like her one-gram and usually share it at a moment when it’s all about getting high.

“My sister and I shared one on April 20th in her garden in San Francisco and it was perfect. We’re both heavy consumers, but that took us to the next level. We giggled and our partners came back and we thought, ‘We can’t help you with dinner.’ Love this Dip’n Dust for a special occasion. “

Special room crystals

“I love the special pop-rocks. One of the favorite brands of the Besito team. Just a really sharp design and a great, different point of view. And that’s what it’s all about. I’m so impressed with the innovation. Everyone likes pop-rock, that gets you high. I love the idea of ​​nostalgic products. “

Rose joys

“My favorite food is Rose Los Angeles. You have a Turkish treat, and it’s no ordinary gummy bear. Similar to Turkish treat, less sweet, a different kind of texture. You have a dope brand and enjoy working with chefs and artists cultural touchpoints that appeal to me. That’s a great brand’s homework. They speak my language. “

Selected image courtesy of SPARC. Graphic by David Lozada / Weedmaps