TILT Partnership Puts Black Buddha Cannabis Brand On Track For National Expansion

The origin story of Black Buddha Cannabis is a case study in the healing properties of plant medicine. The company’s founder, Roz McCarthy, was involved in a car wreck in 2021 that left her with a concussion, whiplash, and traumatic brain injury. Her recovery journey led McCarthy to cannabis and later the start of Black Buddha Cannabis, a social impact-driven cannabis wellness brand. 

After the accident, McCarthy learned first-hand the benefits consuming cannabis could have for those suffering from certain medical conditions. “Throughout my healing, my caregiver came to live with me and talked me through the use of the plant when I had episodes,” said McCarthy, who already had started the nonprofit Minorities 4 Medical Marijuana in May 2016.

By October 2021, she launched Black Buddha Cannabis. This undertaking was driven by a passion to support healing for all with an emphasis on reaching women. McCarthy was introduced to TILT Holdings Inc. (($TILT, TLLTF) in early 2022 and by May had an agreement with the multistate operator to help launch her brand in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania.

Phoenix-based TILT helps cannabis businesses build brands and has intentionally cultivated a diverse portfolio of brand partners. At the year’s end, 145 brand SKUs from across TILT’s partner base had hit the markets they operate in. Outside of its partner initiatives that include cultivation and production, TILT serves brands and cannabis retailers in 37 states, Canada, Israel, South America and Europe through its business unit Jupiter by providing inhalation technology and hardware. 

“I wanted a partner who cares about our long-term viability and growth,” McCarthy said. “I shared with Gary Santo, the CEO, the passion and the drive that I have for equity and opportunity, but also to build a brand that women can be proud of no matter what demographic you come from. He was like - we need you to be a part of TILT and we want to help bring your vision to life. And that's how it started.”

Ahead Of The Learning Curve

Black Buddha Cannabis is TILT’s eighth brand partner and the sixth brand the company has brought to Massachusetts. TILT has launched a ninth partner brand already in 2023 with one more on the horizon. McCarthy continued, “Having that MSO partner who is already in the marketplace helps us. TILT provides the resources for marketing and education. It has relationships with existing dispensaries that really shorten our learning curve and build rapport with their buyers.” 

Among the lessons McCarthy has learned through launching Black Buddha Cannabis and partnering with TILT is the importance of access to capital. Although as a brand, Black Buddha Cannabis doesn’t need as much outside funding as a dispensary operator, access to capital is crucial to successfully launch in a new market. McCarthy cited the importance of regulatory guidance to navigate differences between states, “In going from Massachusetts to Pennsylvania, we were unaware of the differences between the cautiousness of a state that has adult use and medical versus a state that's only medical. I was not prepared for all of the different hoops that you have to go through in order to even get a logo approved.” She concluded by saying that the partnership was essential for maneuvering through all the different policies and procedures from state to state. 

Technical support also is crucial, as is hiring good brand ambassadors in the states a company operates in.

“There’s a plethora of cannabis utility platforms that help manage your growth and your business, but in terms of utilizing platforms from a sales and business development standpoint — if I had it to do over, I’d say you should first build out the platform for managing your customers — the rest can come afterwards,” McCarthy said. “Get those retailers to introduce your brand to customers.”

But TILT isn’t the only MSO Black Buddha is working with to get its brand on dispensary shelves in states where cannabis is legal. The company negotiated an operating agreement with a different cannabis company in Ohio and is targeting to be in eight states by the end of 2023.

“We didn’t want to lock into multiple states until we got the first ones down,” McCarthy said. “Now we’re figuring out the pain points and areas we have to work on.”

Featured photo by Rebekah Phoenix Wise at SXSW

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