We were lucky to catch up with Brent McDonald recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Brent, thanks for joining us today. One of the things we most admire about small businesses is their ability to diverge from the corporate/industry standard. Is there something that you or your brand do that differs from the industry standard? We’d love to hear about it as well as any stories you might have that illustrate how or why this difference matters.

In 2016 , the cannabis industry was booming and cannabis concentrates we’re making it’s way to the forefront, and eating away at the market share of smokeable flower. Apothecary Extracts / Farms was looking to take advantage of the surge in concentrate popularity. As passionate concentrate users and processors ourselves , we set out to open the first “concentrate – focused” dispensary here in Colorado. What is a concentrate focused dispensary? Our menu solely consisted of concentrates , produced in house at our cultivation facility. We focused on small batch concentrates made from unique cultivars. We spent many days and nights seeking out rare and exotic cultivars to showcase in our vertically integrated facility in Colorado Springs. Since then we have expanded to 8 retail locations, 4 cultivation facilities and 2 processing labs across Colorado and Oklahoma. We have always stuck to our same mission of providing connoisseur quality concentrates at affordable prices for all patients.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

My name is Brent McDonald, marketing and Sales Director for Apothecary Extracts.

I have been working in the cannabis industry for 10+ years. My career started after he completed a year-long internship with Flavor Group Marketing Agency in San Francisco, CA. Over the year I learned the ins and outs of traditional marketing techniques while working on marketing/branding and social media projects for fortune 500 companies like Red Bull, Scion, Hitachi and Adidas.

After the internship, as Colorado had just legalized recreational marijuana, I jumped all in opening up my own
digital marketing/branding company Woody Creek Supply Co. I identified a demand for marketing/branding in alternative industries including cannabis/smoking accessories. After three years and 100’s of projects involving some of the largest cannabis brands in Colorado, I was approached by Apothecary Farms / Extracts to take on a lead role as Marketing Director.

I closed down Woody Creek Supply Co to focus solely on the Apothecary Extracts project moving to Colorado Springs in the summer of 2016. Since then Apothecary Extracts has gone on to become one of the most recognized extraction companies in Colorado and Oklahoma. In 2018 Brent was nominated for Cannabis Business MVP in the National Cannabis Business Awards presented by Cloverleaf University. With the help of an All-Star Team of extraction experts and a dedicated team of over 150 employees, We have managed to accelerate this brand into the spotlight in Colorado, Oklahoma and beyond.

My ability to create brand recognition and passion for quality connoisseur concentrates creates an environment that constantly pushes the envelope for extract companies. With fresh ideas, unique products and clean and unique marketing and branding ideas, We have created a community feel that keeps customers and patients loyal and committed to the brand.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

In the cannabis industry, your ability to pivot and change course on the fly is what sets you apart from your competitors. The industry is an ever changing landscape, as new states come on line, new regulations changes the market is constantly changing. It’s important to understand and predict these changes.

A good example of a time we had to pivot quickly is with the current market in Oklahoma. This was a very quick boom and bust scenario due to an incredibly over saturated market. We started off strictly processing and wholesaling concentrates in OK, as the market progresses the wholesale concentrate market tanked, with the majority of concentrate being sold for below cost as processors and cultivations became desperate to move product. As an organization we had to quickly pivot from wholesale to retail. We opened up 5 retail locations in 2021, this was not the plan going into Q1 of that year. We had to quickly change directions as the market dropped of so rapidly. I’m happy to say we have successfully opened 5 stores, with more on the way! The transition has helped us maintain revenue, while offering incredibly affordable prices to all patients and consumers.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

What I think helped build our reputation in the market is our ability to build community. When you walk into Apothecary Farms it’s a family like feel, our budtenders make you feel welcome , and comfortable when making your purchase. We also throw lots of community events , which helps us connect directly with our customer base. It’s not often you can sit down with the cultivator who grew and
the extractor made your medicine and ask them any questions you want. I also believe transparency is huge, we are fully transparent in our operations and we deliver that to consumers. In Oklahoma, a QR code is on every single label that can be scanned for full access to Terpene, microbial , pesticide and residual solvent testing. Most competitors do not provide this information.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.aextracts.com
• Instagram: @apothecaryextracts.co
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brent.mcdonald.3517

Image Credits
Jefferson Abbott Brent McDonald