Cookies & Cream: Berner is the first cannabis CEO to cover Forbes
Cash rules everything about the sudden acceptance of pot in America’s mainstream – from boardrooms to courtrooms to living rooms – Berner is at the intersection of it all.
Cannabis is the country’s fifth most important crop and employs nearly half a million people.
That’s why it’s high time Forbes toasted the industry with a cover story about its marquee mogul: Cookie CEO and founder Berner.
“Very humbled and blessed to be one of the faces for federal legalization in our country!” Berner wrote on Twitter yesterday, linking to the new article. “That’s the definition of life goal shit!” he added on Instagram.
The Forbes report called for the end of the federal ban and criticized politicians’ previous handling of the issue. The title of the story is Weed vs. Greed: How America Botched Legalizing Pot.
On the cover, Forbes names Berner a $150 million cannabis king and cites his admission that “legal weed is difficult to sell.”
Whether you think greed is good for the weed game or not, Berner, born Gilbert Anthony Milam Jr., has officially emerged as the Gordon Gekko of the current green onslaught.
That’s why it had to be Berner
Berner’s rare presence at the intersection of boardrooms, courtrooms and living rooms puts him in the driver’s seat of America’s hottest industry.
Its Cookies brand is multinational, with locations stretching from San Francisco to Thailand and market penetration everywhere in between.
He could have cashed out years ago if money had been his only motive. Instead, he maintains control of his operations and uses them to empower others while pushing the boundaries of the industry at every turn.
His pedigree includes Yung LB (Chief Marketer of Leafly 2020 Strain of the Year Runtz), Wiz Khalifa (whose Khalifa Kush brand was originally endorsed by Berner), and NYC legacy operator Branson (who is currently working with Berner to license The to obtain Big Apple).
But he doesn’t just pay fees or help his homies. With ventures like Cookies U and partnerships with incumbent operators across the country, Berner is planting seeds that should yield huge returns for decades to come, whether or not the FBI heeds Forbes’ advice and ends the ban.
More game from industry giants
The recession-proof investment
As we enter recession territory, Forbes endorsement shows that weed is one of the fastest growing industries in the world.
After a decade of limited legal markets and more decades of illegal activity, many large corporations are no longer ashamed to openly use or exploit cannabis. However, there are still many behind-the-scenes lobbyists against legalization.
Legal cannabis sales in the U.S. totaled $25 billion in 2021, even with a huge illicit market, and even larger margins are expected by the end of 2022.
The anecdotal evidence is Cookies’ rise from a Bay Area breeder collective to a cultural institution. In doing so, the team has adapted to both written and unwritten laws that have evolved to govern the current market.
To learn how to lead the charge, Berner wore many hats over the years. From fashion designer to independent artist to dispensary clerk in the early days of medical marijuana. He stayed close to the facility and now it’s paying off in more ways than even Forbes can count.
From here it only goes up
Cookies was also named one of the hottest brands of 2021 in any industry by Ad Age – the first cannabis brand to make the list. 2022 was arguably the best year yet for cookies.
Later this month, Cookies Thailand will open its first store in Asia. And in June, the brand opened a 10,000-square-foot pharmacy in Be’er Sheva, Israel, after launching products in two pharmacies in New Jersey. A Florida location is also in the works and many varieties of Cookies are now available in Missouri.
But Berner’s biggest win this year was over colon cancer. He was diagnosed last fall but has since shared that he is in remission and says he wants to raise awareness about cancer while making medical resources more accessible.
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