Forbes Interview by Warren Bobrow - 5 Questions
What attracted me to cannabis, initially, wasn’t the feeling of being stoned— far from. It was a curiosity about the plant because I’m attracted to cannabis for the effect it has on my brain. You see, it makes me smarter. After all, no dummy writes and publishes books or makes a living being a writer. It’s challenging enough to put pen to paper, and actually say something that resonates with the reader. Cannabis and the intellects that use this much maligned plant, sit in the catbird-seat of entrepreneurship. None are more intriguing than the individuals that can actually change the highly stigmatized world of canna-intellectualism. I find this part of life fascinating, and I want to share this very personal energy with my readers.
You can’t fault me for wanting to write about high-end cannabis either. It’s just what makes me feel comfortable. So when Confident Cannabis VP of Growth & Marketing Brad Bogus and I got on the phone recently, we talked about Confident Cannabis’ new wholesale platform and what it means for Oregon's cannabis industry. And, we chatted about Connect, their application that helps enthusiasts explore cannabis flower by their terpenes and cannabinoids. But mostly, we discussed the Texas Rosé of Syrah wines that I had tasted several years ago, and coveted ever since as a hidden secret. It wasn’t until that moment that I realized that I wasn’t the only one who was passionate about terroir and especially Texas Rose’ Wine. I’m a geek about this stuff— rocks, dry farming, organics and biodynamics in the growing cycle. Cannabis is the same way. There exists a really high end of the cannabis spectrum, in places like Oregon and Humboldt/Mendocino, California, where growing cannabis via the planet brings the end user to a higher level and people like Confident Cannabis help us understand the plant even better. But I digress, there is only so much space to tell this intriguing story. Brad kept me on task, introduced me to his colleague Steve Albarran, and this interview is the result. Cheers!
Forbes: Why Cannabis? What was your first introduction to the plant? How has that informed your path? What made you decide to get involved in the cannabis industry?
Steve Albarran: Hi, I'm Steve Albarran. I'm CEO/Co-Founder of Confident Cannabis. I grew up in Mexico City, went to college in Boston, worked in New York for nine years and moved to the Bay Area California four years ago. I decided to start a cannabis company because I've been a recreational consumer for a long time and I loved the idea of legal ethical businesses taking money from bad guys with guns in Mexico. Our company's vision statement is to foster a vibrant and sustainable ecosystem in which every ethical cannabis business thrives. The drug cartels in Mexico have been ruining the country for decades, so this is one small way I can give back.
Brad Bogus: I'm Brad, and I grew up in the southern United States. Born in Florida, but raised in Texas, although I'm loathe to call myself a Texan. I've always been a contrarian, an artist, and a punk rocker, yet somehow found my way into entrepreneurship and marketing. After 11 years of working in digital content marketing in Austin, I chose to escape Texas to join an industry that compelled and inspired me. I love proving people wrong, especially when it's grounded in undoing propaganda and stigma. Too many are in prisons. Too many are prescribed medications. Our industry can actually repair that, if we fight for it.
Forbes: Please tell Forbes readers about where you see your company, and the cannabis industry in six months, one year. Five years? How will Confident Cannabis’ Connect application and your new wholesale platform inform the future of the industry?
SA: Six months: Confident Cannabis: Presence in 18 U.S. states and Canada, 50 employees, thousands of happy customers. Industry: MA rec live, CA and MI on Metric, Canada mostly mature. One year: Confident Cannabis: Presence in 3-5 countries, 75 employees, tens of thousands of happy customers. Industry: US federal lifting of banking restrictions, Mexico and rest of EU legalize medical and/or rec. Five years: Confident Cannabis: Be the rails upon which the global cannabis industry runs. Industry: Full repeal of prohibition in the US, thriving global commerce. Together, Confident Cannabis Connect and Wholesale will (a) help consumers know what to buy, (b) enable retailers to actually buy it, (c) empower cultivators and manufacturers to stand out from the crowd, and (d) inform all operators about what they should make and buy next.
BB: Steve said it pretty well, but I'll add a little different color on my answer: In the next six months, we could see a real sea change in Congress. Pete Sessions just lost his seat, which means he's no longer going to block every single federal cannabis bill through the Ways & Means Committee. Hopefully, we'll see new bills introduced in six months. In one year, we'll continue to see more consumer adoption among seniors and "soccer parents,” particularly in newly regulated states. In five years, we'll see some of the states we never thought we'd see legalize cannabis join the party, including Texas. More products will offer micro-dosing. Some states will secure exports out of state to others, like Oregon exporting to Nevada or Utah, providing one of the first glimpses into true cannabis appellation being adopted nationwide.
Forbes: Do you cook? What is your favorite food memory from childhood? Who taught you if you do cook? TV? Mom? Dad? Grandparents?
SA: Yes, love it. I learned from my chef wife and watching Food Network in high school, mostly Iron Chef. My favorite thing to cook: anything that minimizes the number of ingredients and uses only the grill or one skillet, usually this is vegetables with rice or potatoes and maybe chicken or fish. I like the challenge of making minimalist dishes taste great. My favorite thing to eat: my wife's Ukrainian chicken buckwheat soup with toast and harissa. Love wine, really like Italian, especially Valpolicella, plus California cab and syrah.
BB: As a vegetarian in Texas, learning to cook was paramount to living well. I learned in the dark. Later, my partner Stephanie and I would learn our mutual love of it, and she honestly took off ahead of me skills-wise. She watches a lot of cooking shows (Chopped, The Kitchen, Barefoot Contessa) and takes inspiration from them that blows me away. Lately, of all things, I've gotten really into breakfast. We'll have from scratch pumpkin pancakes, avocado toast on sourdough, hash-browns with homemade Caribbean hot sauce, fresh figs from our garden, and French press coffee. We eat it on our back patio among the roses and marvel at the wonderful Cali weather. We got married at Becker Vineyards in Stonewall Texas, and their '08 Cabernet Reserve is a much coveted favorite (coincidentally, the year we married).
Forbes: Is there anything that brings a tear to your eye when you eat/drink/smoke it? Why?
SA: Tears? Not really. Ultimate joy? Absolutely. I don't really eat mammals anymore, but nothing beats a Wolfgang's steak and a Pride Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve. I also absolutely love Huckleberry Hill Farms' Fruit Loopz flower. I wish I could get a rosin of that.
BB: I recently ate a nine course vegan dinner at a fine dining restaurant in Aruba called Senses, prepared by a molecular chef in the school of cooking like you see at Noma. I teared up in that meal, whether the popped quinoa with dill oil, or the house made tempeh over cucumber salad with micro cucumbers and fermented cucumber foam; I've eaten nothing finer. Steve and I share the same favorite cannabis, as we discovered it together. That Fruit Loopz by Huckleberry Hill Farms is the best weed I've ever experienced worldwide. I would buy that weed at $100/eighth.
Forbes: If you could be anywhere in the world, right now, where would that be? Doing what? With whom?
SA: In the evergreen mountains of the Pacific Northwest trail-running back to my wife and two daughters chilling in an off-the-grid cabin by a crystal clear lake. Yeah, that's about as good as it gets...
BB: Stephanie and I just returned from the most perfect trip to Aruba, where we could zero out on the beach smoking fine cannabis, or see my best friend who lives there. Now, I'll amend my answer to say I would love to be with her in the British Isles, exploring history, theater, art and beautiful landscapes.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/warrenbobrow/2018/11/26/confident-cannabis-excelsiors-in-transparency/