We recently connected with Roni Melton and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Roni, thanks for joining us today. One of the most important things small businesses can do, in our view, is to serve underserved communities that are ignored by giant corporations who often are just creating mass-market, one-size-fits-all solutions. Talk to us about how you serve an underserved community.

We are a WOMAN OWNED/ BLACK MEXICAN OWNED/ MINORITY OWNED L.A based brand .We take pride in our Mexican heritage and giving back to our community through Cannabis , and We stand behind our PREMIUM indoor flower at an affordable cost; we give you QUALITY and QUANTITY. All of our flower is tested and weighed accurately from our licensed facility in Los Angeles, CA. We grow and source flower from premium growers only to have the BEST QUALITY FLOWER ON THE MARKET!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Meet the Founder & CEO of Zapata Cannabis Co. Her name is Roni Solis Melton, Black and Mexican , she is 28 She started the Cannabis company in 2020 with the idea of breaking the stigma of “Mexican dirt weed”. She alone has been in the cannabis industry for about ten years helping out brands/dispensaries alike to succeed in the business. Using her own knowledge and no investment capital. She went out and started her brand Zapata Cannabis CO and managed to get into stores throughout Southern California within the first year. She continues to beat the odds and is expanding more and getting Zapata nationwide and more. She has managed to get Zapata recognize in different magazines and streaming services alike 🇲🇽🇲🇽

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Definitely from the start of my company Zapata Cannabis Co, was trying to get off the ground .

I had to deal with not having any funding for the business ,
to rejecting investment offers ,

and even dropping my business partner all before actually getting my brand into stores was a very challenging time .

And being a black woman representing an Hispanic brand I definitely got a lot of black lash , and I have been pushed out of a lot opportunity and business venture due to racism with in the cannabis industry.

Even Down to people copying my brand and try to flip it and make their own copy cat version .

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

I definitely had a pivotal point in my life when my brand Zapata cannabis co was doing really well , and for some reason my mental health turned for the worst . To where I had to take a break and reevaluate what was really important and how I can get my brand to next level     

Contact Info:

• Website: www.zapatacannabisco.com
• Instagram: www.Instagram.com/zapatacannabiscompany_