Tokyo Smoke
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Cannabis |
| Founded | 2015; Toronto, Canada |
| Founder | Lorne Gertner, Alan Gertner |
| Products | Third wave coffee, Cannabis, lifestyle products, |
Tokyo Smoke is a Canadian lifestyle brand that focuses on the legal cannabis industry. The company was co-founded by father and son Lorne and Alan Gertner following the Canadian decision to proceed to legalize cannabis.[1]
History
Tokyo Smoke chairman Lorne Gertner co-founded Canada’s first legal medical marijuana grower, Cannasat Therapeutics in 2004.[2] Alan and Lorne Gertner founded Tokyo Smoke in 2015 as one of the first third-wave cannabis brands. They are attempting to de-stigmatize cannabis through lifestyle branding.[3]
Alan had decided to quit his job at Google in order to establish the business.[4] He has been named one of the top 10 influencers in Cannabis[5][6] and has been referred to as the Steve Jobs of cannabis.[7]
The brand’s first location, Tokyo Smoke Found, opened in April 2015 in Toronto’s West Queen West neighbourhood. The property was built in the leftover space between two converted warehouses. A bisected shipping container houses the walk-up espresso bar, while the interior of the space is equipped with cannabis accessories.[8] The store has received numerous design awards, including as one of the Top 4 designed coffee shops in the world by Interior Design.[9]
In September 2016, Tokyo Smoke became the first brand in Canada to partner with a medical-marijuana producer to offer legally branded Cannabis. Partnered with Aphria, Tokyo Smoke offers consumers four proprietary cannabis products: Go, Relax, Relief and Balance.[10][11]
In January 2017, Tokyo Smoke became the first Canadian cannabis consumer brand to raise capital. There Series A funding round included notable investors Brett Wilson, Chuck Rifici and Globalive Capital Inc.[12][13]
See also
External links
References
- ^ "Justin Trudeau Makes a Surprising Case for Legalizing Marijuana". Cady Lang, Time. June 13, 2016. Retrieved January 6, 2017
- ^ "Just don't call it pot". David Dias, Financial Post Magazine. October 7, 2008. Retrieved January 6, 2017
- ^ "Ex-Googler's New Venture: Turning Weed Into A Hip Lifestyle Brand". Diana Budds, Co. Design. January 15, 2016. Retrieved January 6, 2017
- ^ "Tokyo Smoke will use product from Leamington's Aphria greenhouses". Louis Pin, Chatham Daily News. October 21, 2016. Retrieved January 15, 2017
- ^ "Why I quit my dream job at Google to launch a marijuana business". Alan Gertner, The Globe and Mail. February 22, 2016. Retrieved January 6, 2017
- ^ "These 10 influencers used to work at Bose, Apple, GoPro, Google and Aveda. Now they work in weed". Katie Shapiro, The Cannabist. August 15, 2016. Retrieved January 9, 2017
- ^ "Q/A with the Founder of Tokyo Smoke". The Tweed Vault
- ^ "Cannabis And Conspicuous Consumption: New Luxury Cannabis Brands Bring Fashion, Accessories And Boutique Hotels". Dave Paleschuck, Dope Magazine. November 7, 2016. Retrieved January 6, 2017
- ^ "Best of Year 2015: Project Winners". Interior Design Magazine. December 4, 2015. Retrieved January 9, 2017
- ^ "Aphria Hints at Recreational Strategy with Tokyo Smoke Partnership". Alan Brochstein, New Cannabis Ventures. September 7, 2016. Retrieved January 15, 2017
- ^ "Aphria Inc Is Today's Cannabis Focus". Alex Carlson, Insider Financial. November 2, 2016. Retrieved January 15, 2017
- ^ "Tokyo Smoke Becomes Canada's First Cannabis-Related Brand to Raise Capital". Notable. January 18 2017. Retrieved January 20 2017
- ^ "Cannabis lifestyle brand Tokyo Smoke raises $3 mln Series A". Kirk Falconer, PE Hub Network. January 17 2017. Retrieved January 20 2017