A Little Bud
A Little BudCanadian retail chain A Little Bud kicked off its monthly donations in a big way with $48,000 in donations to charitable groups in White Rock, South Surrey and Abbotsford.
“Part of our company’s philosophy is that we give 2.5% of our profits back to the communities we’re based in,” says A Little Bud director of marketing Nick Swanson. “We just wanted to start it off with a bang.”
The retail chain’s $48,000 donation is from the profits earned in 2022. The company selected four local nonprofits to each receive $12,000. Swanson says donations will be given monthly moving forward.
According to the company’s website, A Little Bud has donated more than $100,000 to more than 25 charities and company staff has volunteered more than 1,000 hours at local homeless shelters, collecting food donations and cleaning up White Rock beach.
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Item 9 Labs
Arizona based operator Item 9 Labs has garnered some high praise lately. Item 9 Labs recently ranked No. 3 in Cannabis Business Times’ 2023 “Best Cannabis Companies to Work For” list in the dispensary category. Data analytics firm BDSA also reported the company as one of the top 10 cannabis brands in Arizona for 2022, along with top-five placements across multiple vape categories.
In addition, Item 9 Labs also reported 30% year-over-year growth from January 2022 to January 2023.
“Our January performance demonstrates the power behind our Item 9 Labs brand and our team’s collective efforts to continue expanding its loyal following, and in turn, driving shareholder value,” Item 9 Labs Corp. CEO Mike Weinberger said in a statement announcing the company’s recent growth.
Illicit Gardens
Missouri’s Illicit Gardens was recently named as Brand of the Year by the readers of the cannabis enthusiast magazine Greenway. The cannabis producer also took home awards for Best Brand Design, Best Packaging Design, and Best Cultivator, as well as awards for Best Pre-roll for its Illicit Smokos Gorilla Pie, Best New Product for Illicit Live Resins and Best Vape Cartridge for its Live Resin KC Kush.
The company was selected from a pool of more than 400 Missouri operators.
In addition to its accolades, Illicit Gardens has donated more than $100,000 to local and national advocacy groups fighting to free prisoners serving time for cannabis-related convictions, according to the company’s website.
Green Ox Processing and Distribution
Green Ox Processing and DistributionFor a third year, the team at Green Ox Processing and Distribution in February joined Uplift Eureka and St. Vincent de Paul to help the Los Angeles based nonprofit Humanity Heroes distribute 300 backpacks filled with daily essentials to those in need.
“The first year we did it we distributed 100 backpacks, the second year 200 backpacks and this year it was 300,” Green Ox Processing and Distribution general manager Danielle Flores says.
The event was part of Eureka’s annual Day of Giving, in which area businesses, residents and institutions give back to the NorCal city’s residents in need.
“Humanity Heroes speaks to our hearts,” Flores says. “We’re a small community here and there is a high prevalence of community members without homes. It’s something we see everyday and we want to help.”
Solful
California dispensary chain Solful is donating 1% of sales of its Solful-branded product to nonprofit organizations as part of the company’s commitment to 1% for the Planet, an organization that channels donations to environmental groups around the world. Solful’s donations are specifically earmarked to go to environmental organizations that focus on sustainable agriculture and climate adaptation.
“Environmental sustainability in the cannabis industry is critical,” Solful CEO Eli Melrod said in a press release. “As this industry grows so does our footprint, and we have a duty to act responsibly and proactively.”
Solful is the first cannabis retailer and the fifth cannabis company to join the organization.