As more states begin to decriminalize recreational marijuana, businesses are starting to cater to the weed-smoking crowd.
Marley Natural, named after the legendary reggae singer, Bob Marley, has plans to open its first store in less than a year with a goal of expanding to meet increasing demand in the market for marijuana and related paraphernalia.
Privateer Holdings is the driving force behind this branding move that’s meant to put a globally recognized marijuana advocate’s face on a product that’s rapidly growing in demand around the globe and in states where marijuana is legal.
The company’s CEO Brendan Kennedy saw the writing on the wall in regard to the potential this industry might soon have and opened talks with Marley’s family more than two years ago to gain the rights to use his name and likeness for the project.
Kennedy and his team staged countless meetings with Marley’s survivors before inking a deal last August. The agreement was kept hush-hush until November, when the announcement of Kennedy’s vision was first made public.
As more locations across the globe embrace the concept of legalizing cannabis, Marley Natural is preparing for the opening of its first-ever brick-and-mortar location.
While Privateer Holdings isn’t saying exactly where that location will pop up, Kennedy is sharing his vision for the venture. It’s his dream that Marley Natural will one day be to the marijuana industry what Starbucks is to coffee.
Kennedy and Privateer Holdings have so much faith in the venture they’ve invested $75 million in the company so far.
The decision to make Marley the face and name behind the venture was a simple one, Kennedy explained.
Marley, long associated with marijuana use as much as music, is an enduring figure that gains newfound popularity with every generation despite his death more than 30 years ago.
“I knew that every new generation embraces Bob Marley like they discovered him,” Kennedy told Upstart Business Journal.
On its website, Marley Natural promises a late 2015 arrival of heirloom cannabis strains, including some of Marley’s “own Jamaican favorites,” topical lotions made with cannabis and hemp and other accessories.
The company is “committed to cultivating and crafting every product we will offer with respect for nature, responsibility and compassion.”
