Today we’d like to introduce you to Scott Bryant.
Scott, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I always knew I wanted to go the entrepreneurial route – I just never considered it would lead me to an industry like cannabis or hemp.
Spending most of my young adult life in Seattle, WA, I graduated/survived from Washington State University with a BA in Marketing and entered the job market during the recession in 2008.
I began my career working in sales for a beverage distributor in the PNW and eventually landed a position in the craft brewing industry with a grower-owned hops supplier – Hop Union / YCH Hops. Luckily, it was the right place, right time (during the early craft beer boom). In just a few years, our team helped grow the company to the world’s largest hops supplier to craft breweries.
In 2012, I transferred to San Diego, CA to manage the Southwest U.S. region and caught wind that medical cannabis was a thing in California. Hops and cannabis are close relatives, so I figured there may be some synergy.
While checking out dispensaries, I noticed a lot of low-quality products and a complete lack of branding – which turned out to be a huge opportunity. I knew immediately that I wanted to create the first branded pack of premium pre-rolled joints.
The business plan was built out during long nights over the next few months, and I teamed up with our Co-Founder and President, Victor Berrio to bring the plan to fruition. At the time, pre-roll manufacturing equipment literally didn’t exist, so we put our engineering hats on, purchased one of the first desktop 3D printers, and started prototyping.
The product was the first of its kind and turned out to be quite successful! We were bringing quality branded products to the market, working with celebrities, collaborating with large industry names, and dominating search engines for the product category.
Unfortunately, we went through plenty of speedbumps, eventually having to discontinue the brand due to trademark issues with a tobacco company.
In 2013, we continued to see tons of market growth in the pre-roll category and realized we had another opportunity – using our technology to help other brands with their pre-roll manufacturing. In 2014, we brought on a Chief Technology Officer (Trevor Gilliam), and Creative Director (Derek Muller), scaled up our equipment, built out a website, and in 2014, Pineworx was born. The company was a pioneer in pre-roll manufacturing and our quality was quickly recognized in the industry – being featured in High Times, and a range of other publications.
We continued the momentum by expanding our executive team with Chief Operating Officer, Suzanne Frontz, scaled our labor force, added Marketing positions, and developed new offerings including vaporizers, gummies, and more
To date we’ve produced millions of pre-rolls, have business relationships with some of the industry’s top brands, and are proud to continue leading the pack in pre-roll quality!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I’m sure most business owners will say the same thing – no, definitely not a smooth road.
Although legal at the state level, we had chosen to enter a highly unregulated and federally illegal industry.
Some notable events:
– About 2 years after we launched our first pre-roll brand, we ran into trademark issues with a large tobacco company. Because cannabis was federally illegal, we were unable to trademark the name and had to completely shut down sales of the brand.
– Banking – even now that adult-use cannabis is legal, banking is a nightmare.
– Regulations – In the time period where the state was transitioning from medical to adult-use cannabis, regulators were introducing new rules on a regular basis. We lost a substantial amount of resources for various reasons, including packaging, labeling, and distribution requirements.
– Pre-Roll Stigma – at the time of launch, most dispensaries were using pre-rolls as a vessel to get rid of their old, bottom-of-the-barrel cannabis. It was a whole different market back then. We spent a considerable amount time and effort to build trust and show the industry what a quality pre-roll can be.
– Partnerships – back in the medical cannabis days, there were some shady players. We learned our lessons with various partnerships that caused a lot of headaches and nearly cost us the company.
– Equipment – We were not mechanical / automation engineers by trade, and building an entirely new form of manufacturing equipment took years of research and work to perfect. We’ve gone through thousands of prototypes and have a laundry list of improvements we’re continuously working to perfect.
As you know, we’re big fans of Pineworx. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Pineworx is the original white-label manufacturer of pre-rolled joint products for the hemp and cannabis industries. Our patent-pending equipment and processes produce the finest quality pre-roll products on the planet! We work with brands, farms, and retailers nationwide as a one-stop solution to design, manufacture, and package shelf-ready products. Since inception we’ve evolved with the market, expanding our services to include full-flower products, vaporizers, edibles, packaging, and more.
We’re most proud of being innovators in the space and helping to drive industry progress. Since 2014, we’ve showed the world that store-bought pre-rolls can actually be premium quality – and we work hard to continue driving the needle forward.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
Starting a business is not cut and dry. There are way more speedbumps than you can anticipate, and each seemingly catastrophic event presents an opportunity for growth. Surround yourself with motivated people, delegate tasks, and always be prepared to pivot.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.pineworx.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pineworx_prerolls/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PineworxPrerolls/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/pineworxusa/
- Other: https://www.greenmarketreport.com/executive-spotlight-scott-bryant-co-founder-and-ceo-of-pineworx/
Image Credits
Greg Chapman
The Gentleman Gorilla
