Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Scott Bryant. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Scott thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?

Prior to starting our ventures in the cannabis industry, I was working a career where I was challenged, but living comfortably and without much worry. The company was growing, I was successful in my position and things were good! On the other hand, I still felt like something was missing. I had always wanted to venture out and start a business where I could build something where I wasn’t limited by the confines of being an employee.

In 2012, after a job transfer from Seattle, WA to San Diego, CA, I discovered that cannabis was legal for medical use. After doing my research and due diligence, I saw a huge opportunity to bring branding and quality products to a market that was nearly untapped at the time.

Working my career during the day, I spent many long nights formulating a business plan to create the first pack of pre-rolled joints in the country. There were no existing competitors, but also no existing means (machinery) to manufacture the products.

Not too long after launching the brand, we dealt with some industry pushback, but the products were selling and business was growing. I realized that to be successful in the venture, I had to fully immerse myself in the business. That meant leaving my career, and learning new skills, like engineering, to manufacture the products. It was a huge risk to leave my steady paycheck and benefits, then to invest much of my savings and all of my time into the business….but I knew it was the route I wanted to take.

Aside from the financial risks, my partners and I were also entering a federally illegal market, involving a schedule 1 controlled substance (although legal at state level). We did everything by the books – setting up business entities, paying taxes, etc. – but we were always having to look over our shoulder. Companies in the industry were constantly being raided by law enforcement, and also dealing with burglary and theft from shady characters.

We dealt with an array of difficulties that come with launching a new type of product, using completely new types of manufacturing technologies, in an industry where everything was either regulated or disallowed (banking, IP protection, facility leases, and more).

Luckily, we’ve become battle hardened by all of these challenges over the years, but we’re still dealing with all sorts of regulatory changes and risks that could jeopardize our business, or our entire market. We’re still here, we’re still growing, and we’ve gained a lot of experience along the way!

Scott, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

After graduating from Washington State in 2008, I built a career in the alcoholic beverage industry, working for top beverage distributors, and later taking a Regional Management position with a supplier of hops to craft breweries.

Hops are a cousin of cannabis, so luckily I had a smooth transition into the industry in 2012. After visiting some medical dispensaries in Southern California (prior to recreational legalization), I knew I wanted to create the first pack of pre-rolled joints and help to normalize cannabis.

In 2013 we launched our first brand, which ended up being one of the first to hit the market. Then, in 2014, we launched the first white label pre-roll manufacturing company in the industry – Pineworx. We had spent nearly two years working on pioneering manufacturing equipment for pre-rolls, and have spent the past decade constantly improving our processes.

Pineworx specializes in white label manufacturing and co-packing for a range of hemp/cannabis products. Our specialty is pre-roll manufacturing, but we also provide services for flower, vaporizers, gummies and more. We work with various size clients, from small-to-large, helping to outsource production, increase product quality, consult on opportunities, and increase capacity to keep up with demand.

Okay – so how did you figure out the manufacturing part? Did you have prior experience?

When we entered the cannabis market in 2012, it was because we saw a niche that had huge potential, but no one in the industry was focusing on. At the time, pre-rolled joints were just vessels for dispensaries to grind up and sell their old, bottom-of-the-bag inventory. The ingredients sub-par, but the lack of manufacturing equipment meant that pre-rolls were all packed by hand – leading to low quality and inconsistencies across the board.

After partnering up with our President and Co-Founder, Victor Berrio, in 2012, we decided to purchase one of the first desktop 3D printers and start prototyping concepts. It took 3 months before we successfully printed our first piece to the manufacturing puzzle that set us on our journey. We continued to discover and create new methods to manufacture pre-rolls and have spent the last decade continuing to do exactly that.

In 2014, we brought on our Chief Technology Officer, Trevor Gilliam, who brought with him additional engineering expertise. We continued to innovate new methods, processes and technologies until we knew we had solidified our quality and set the new industry standard.

To-date, our processes and technologies continue to lead the pack in pre-roll quality, and we have patents pending in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. All of this has led us to connect with many of the top companies in the industry.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

After launching our first brand, investing resources, growing distribution, and leaving our full-time careers, we ended up hitting a brick wall that required us to shut down distribution. We were operating in a federally illegal market, which meant we were unable to trademark our IP (brand name, logo, etc.).

Unfortunately there was a company in the tobacco industry that had a somewhat similar trademark to our brand name, who ended up sending us a cease and desist letter about 2 years after launch. We had already gained distribution through Southern California, celebrity partnerships and invested in quite a bit of marketing. We were forced to shut down the brand and start from scratch.

We were preparing to build and launch another brand, but that takes time. Because we had already designed and built our own unique manufacturing equipment, where there was none other in the industry, we realized we could help create a new industry quality standard and push the market forward as a whole.

in 2014, we launched Pineworx as a white label manufacturing company, which utilized our equipment and technology to help build and scale 3rd party brands. The company became very successful and led us to work with some of the top brands in the industry.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.pineworx.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pineworx_prerolls/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PineworxPrerolls/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/pineworxprerolls/
• Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/pineworxusa
• Other: https://hightimes.com/business/good-old-american-ganjanuity-pre-roll-company-twists-up-success/ https://www.greenmarketreport.com/executive-spotlight-scott-bryant-co-founder-and-ceo-of-pineworx/ https://www.leafly.com/brands/pineworx

Image Credits
Pineworx