We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Rodney Walbecq a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Rodney thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What do you think Corporate America gets wrong in your industry?

It’s amazing to see all the changes in the Cannabis Industry since Oregon Decriminalized cannabis in 1973. From 1973-1978 twelve states decriminalized cannabis. There was only a minor movement on legalization or decriminalization until 1996 when CA legalized medical cannabis. Since then, 27 years in the making, 41 states, 3 territories, and the District of Columbia have legalized medical use and I believe its 21 States have legalized adult use. In 20115 Cannabis Industry was 3.1 billion. From 2015-2017 it doubled again to 13 billion. It doubled again from 2019 to 2021 to 27 billion and projected 2022 numbers to be 33 billion. Projections through to 2026 are at 25% each year to an estimated 52.6 billion. I think that is overly modest, I believe it will double every two years until all states are adult use by 2026 @ 162 billion at which point our incompetent politicians remove cannabis from Sched 1 drugs it still is today Corporate America went the wrong direction then and still getting it wrong today.

Because Cannabis was “frowned upon” since the turn of the 20th century, criminalizing its use and possession, Corporate America followed public sentiment and politician aspirations. The Pharmaceutical companies lobbied against medical and adult use until the turn of the 21st century. Had the pharmaceutical companies invested all those billions in lobbyist money, and instead taken the lead on research development and teaching the truth about the medicinal properties of cannabis, those billions would now be trillions. They could have been the first at everything Cannabis since the beginning of the “War on Drugs”!

So, let’s jump to today’s times Corporate America is back to its greedy ways by buying up all the smaller companies in every category of cannabis. MSO is saturating the market with junk week for cheap squeezing out caregivers, squeezing out the recreational private growers, squeezing out all the black-market sales of flower, so even the “smalls” people can’t get it cheaper than dispensaries can and they can’t grow it cheaper than the MSO’s. And now lastly, they are trying to squeeze out the mom-and-pop hydroponic grow stores, so that soon the only place to buy growing supplies will be at Canna Home Depot.

What they forget about are all the cannabis pioneers that have been growing and fighting for the rights of their brothers and sisters, blood, sweat, and tears for decades. Soon those pioneers and their younger ancestors are going to boycott the greed and corruption and get back to how it used to be, a buddy grew it in the backyard behind the fence and shared it with friends and family. Someday we may go back to the ’60s and 70’s when “A friend with weed is a friend indeed.”

I see a day that all of us still here will soon have enough, get really tired of corporate greed and with the souls of all our hippy ancestors and the internal fortitude of every OG growing cannabis lovers at our back a rebellion will rise and boycott anything that’s corporate and get back to it should have been 100 years ago…LEGAL…that would be Utopic!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Born in Detroit and raised right here in Michigan. I knew my future was not in that little town of Ortonville Michigan. In 1984 at the age of 19, I joined the United States Navy. After 10 amazing years as a Navy Hospital Corpsman. “Doc”, I hung up my uniform for the big money of civilian life. HAHA! Being a Hospital Corpsman helped me find my true calling…helping people! I landed a job as a Medicaid worker, working right in most of the hospitals in Southern Michigan. Helping people who were eligible for assistance in paying their hospital bills and getting the life-saving care they so desperately needed, for 11 years it was my Utopia. Suddenly losing 33% of our business, corporate America sent me on my way.

Fast forward another 15 years, I educated myself on the medicinal qualities and benefits of cannabis. Just like taking care of my shipmates with their STDs and other medical diagnoses, I started growing cannabis to help my wife who suffers from a host of debilitating medical issues. All of my life its been my passion to help others alleviate their pain and suffering, in any small way or large, and make their lives just a little better. That life’s “mission” lead me straight into Utopic Essential Nutrients.

How’d you meet your business partner?

The creator of our product, Chip Kepford came up to Michigan to meet the owners and employees of the hydroponic grow stores. In one of those stores was Steve Brewer. I was there but had a previous engagement I had to go to so I left and apparently Steve and Chip had about an Hour of conversation. The following day I called Chip to see how things went and Chip said that there was this one guy Steve at this one store “He knows a lot about Nutrients and how to grow but I don’t think he knows much about marketing and advertising in _____.” Chip said, “He’s got a lot of opinions, and you know what opinions are like.” We laughed about it and moved on.

Months later, I receive a text from Chip, a screenshot of a text he received from Steven Brewer, Chip had left Steve with a quart run of Utopic Essential Nutrients and apparently he finally got around to using it! Come to find out Steve had increased his yield by 52%.

The Text Read:

High Chip this is Steve I met you at (blank store) was wanting to buy some buts in bulk please lmk.

So on march 2nd 2022, I gave Steve a call, and we talked for a couple of hours that day, and kid you not, it was like we had been buddies our whole lives. We just hit it off. The next day we talked again and very soon after Steven Brewer and MacKenzie Brewer became Co-Founders of Utopic Essential Nutrients, the funny part of the story is Steve is our Director of Advertising and Marketing and National Sales.

Can you talk to us about manufacturing? How’d you figure it all out? We’d love to hear the story.

Funny you should ask that. The initial batches were manufactured by a very large well known agricultural fertilizer manufacturer in business for 40-50 years or more, then Chip decided to blend it himself, it was his formula and since Chip has been blending for decades it only seemed the right choice. So right now we are on a mission. Chip and his team can blend hundreds of bottles per day. The ____is Chip’s working on his own medical grow and dispensaries and he approached us about transferring the entire operation to Michigan and giving us full reigns in manufacturing.

The blender, the bottling machine, some trucks full of empty jugs and caps, the scales for bulk raw material, the scales for the minute measurement, shipping boxes, labels, supplies, etc. As soon as we can pull together the money through sales and/or a very intelligent silent investor, we will get our approvals from the State of Michigan, purchase the right building right here in Michigan, and move the entire Utopic operation to our home state!

Blending, bottling, labeling, boxing, and selling all here all Michigan homegrown. Good paying jobs right here in Michigan, providing Michigan and the world a chance at creating the most quality medicine they’ve ever before seen.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/utopicessentialnutrients/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UtopicEssentialNutrients/

Image Credits
Rodney Walbecq and MacKenzie Brewer