As we know, THC-producing cannabis plants are female – but will the future of the cannabis industry be as well? According to MJBizDaily, only 22% of cannabis executives in 2021 were women — below the 37% reported in 2019, and well below the 30% national average for mainstream businesses. So today we’re highlighting a few of the top women-powered brands in the space who are pushing the movement forward.

#1 Brand: TribeTokes

Based In: NYC

Run By: Degelis Tufts Pilla (Co-founder, CEO) and Kymberly Byrnes (Co-founder, CMO)

Website: https://tribetokes.com/

TribeTokes is one of New York’s longest standing and most treasured brands, with the slogan “Built By Girls, Powered By Plants.” The founders, Degelis “Dege” Pilla and Kymberly “KymB” Byrnes started in 2017 with their “clean vaping” line with the goal of providing a healthier alternative to the questionable vape cartridges flooding the market. Since then, they have been proud allies of most of the women-fronted canna businesses in NYC. Dege says the majority of the people they work with daily are women. Her advice for bringing more women into the forefront: “The only thing you can do to change it is work with women, invest in women, hire women. We can’t change everyone else, we just start here.”

TribeTokes has been a player in the hemp space since day 1, but is entering the regulated THC scene this year by launching their clean vaping line into dispensaries via licensing deals, and will be hopeful applicants for the first round of adult-use manufacturing licenses in New York. “It’s really hard work,” Dege explains, “we’ve been working for 6 months on application prep and the regulations haven’t been released yet. We’re taking it very seriously.” The company’s goal is to launch THC versions of their clean and mindfully produced CBD products, including vapes, gummies, pain creams and topicals, into NYC dispensaries. 

Our favorite products: NYC Diesel Vape Cart (also available with a battery as a Starter Kit - save $20), D8 Gummy Bears 

#2 Brand: Soul Addict

Based In: North Carolina

Run By: Laura White (Founder) 

Website: https://souladdict.co/

Laura White is a native North Carolinian who advocates for the power of cannabis to help those with anxiety and depression - a topic that is more relevant today than ever with a global deterioration in mental health over the last 2 years. Growing up on a farm, Laura was drawn to natural alternatives for her daily wellness routine. As the movement for natural remedies expands, Soul Addict will be at the forefront. 

As of August 2019, 100% of Soul Addict’s CBD line is sourced from their own organically-grown Hemp Farm located in Connelly Springs, North Carolina, in the foothills of the Blue Ridge mountains. Laura is a trailblazer in the industry by managing an agricultural operation while simultaneously building a meaningful brand. 

Our Favorite Products: Hemp Elixir, CBD Honey Manuka Mask 

#3 Brand: Tonic 

Based In: Wantagh, New York

Run By: Brittany Carbone (Founder + CEO)

Website: https://www.tonicvibes.com

TONIC was born out of necessity when founder Brittany Carbone was looking for a natural way to manage her anxiety and depression. Cannabis was helping her, but she needed something more work-friendly, and she used her background as a trainer and health coach to combine adaptogens such as Ashwagandha with CBD. Ashwagandha root can have similar effects as CBD, but take different pathways in our bodies to get there, doubling down on each other’s effects to create a stress-relieving, mood-boosting, adaptogenic powerhouse.

Today, Tonic has a full line of tinctures, vape pens and topicals. What’s most amazing is that similar to Soul Addict, they are vertically integrated via Tricolla Farms and Bardo Labs. Under these entities, Tonic is growing, extracting and testing their own hemp. According to the website, “Our cultivation practices reflect our deep respect for the hemp plant and the soil in which it is grown. Working in concert with nature, we can ensure we are giving the land just as much as it is giving us.” 

Our Favorite Products: The OG Tonic (CBD tincture with Ashwaganda), Chronic Tonic (topical roll on)