The Bakeréé cannabis dispensary began in medical cannabis. Alex Shreeve, a Seattle local, and Jigga started it all. Jigga is the legendary breeder from Cookie Fam. The Bakeréé wants to provide a curated cannabis experience for anyone that walks through their door. Every product that comes out of their oven is carefully curated to fit the best possible choice for the product’s desired consumer. Whether you’re trying to buy a $25 eighth or a $60 eighth, they’re looking to provide the most delicious, well grown, and unique genetics you can find at every price point. While they carry the markets hottest and most popular brands they actively seek out craft farms to work with.
Curated Cannabis
In an industry where “the best” is a subjective term, The Bakeréé’s team has taken this as a mission statement. Their goal is to expose cannabis lovers to the best brands and products we can find in our regulated marketplace. They’re extremely active in looking for gardens and unique people that truly care for what they’re doing and bring quality to the market. Understanding the genetics and conveying each brand’s story empowers the consumers and helps create more conscious cannabis consumers. To accomplish these goals, staff education and empowerment is key to their success.
While their target market is the connoisseur user looking for the “best” they’ve taken this life mission and applied to all consumers. Looking for the best at your price point? They have you covered. Are you a new consumer looking to find the best product for yourself? Again, their team educates the consumer and empowers them to make the best decision.
Education & Empowerment
Educating the staff in ways that allow them to cultivate relationships and partnerships freely with different vendors is crucial to Bakeréé’s employee empowerment strategy.
When speaking with their marketing director, Anna Shreeve, we learned quite a bit about the business practices behind the scenes for the iconic Seattle cannabis retail brand. “We seek to work with brands that know their genetics, understand curing/temperatures/process, and we want to learn their story, experience, and products,” Anna said.
Their curated cannabis mission statement allows them to focus on this crucial step of understanding a product/brand from the inside out which translates directly into staff and consumer education thus creating a company culture that breeds educated cannabis consumers.
The Bakeréé wants to empower their employees in and outside of the shop. All of their employees are cross-trained in different facets of the business based on their interests. The Bakeréé wants to be a platform for cultivators, stoners, local artists, or any hungry individuals looking to gain experience, knowledge, inspiration, and a springboard for their careers in cannabis and beyond. Even if it means an employee elevates themselves to a bigger career outside of the Bakeréé, we’re thrilled. These ideals have created made for incredibly low employee turnover.
For The Culture
Cannabis is a mission for The Bakeréé. Their approach isn’t a business model, it’s the lifestyle and culture bred within their business walls. Walls covered in artwork painted by local artists and drowning in local hip-hop.
There’s always somethings always fresh coming out of The Bakeréé. Jigga’s influence stretches beyond their cannabis curation — his influence spawned a commitment to culture and Bay Area influence that turn their spots into an art gallery as well as a dispensary. Many of the works on their walls were painted by young and hungry artists receiving their first art gallery showcase. The Bakeréé provides a platform to help monetize exposure for artists and giving them a platform.
“We’ve always put an emphasis on being apart of, giving back, and showcased the communities we serve,” Anna said.
Giving Back
The Bakeréé does more than talk when it comes to giving back to the communities of color. They employ more members of minority communities than white people. They feel their staff best represents the communities they serve and their hiring practices represent that. They look to provide opportunities, leverage relationships, and infuse confidence, and abilities into their employees so they can take further their career. The cannabis industry is young and there will be huge rewards for those to establish experience and expertise.
Cannabis culture is inherently part of Black and Brown culture because of the disproportionate amount of punishment Black and Brown have received for participating in cannabis culture. Therefore they should reap a considerable amount of the rewards when cannabis becomes a fully legalized commodity.
Washington legislation did NOT put things in place to equally provide opportunities for communities of color that have been so negatively affected by cannabis prohibition. The Bakeréé wants to do their part internally, provide an example of hiring practices, health care, and diversity while imparting knowledge and working within the political systems to create forward-thinking legislation.
“We’re not a big company but we want to show an example of how to run a small business right by your staff and consumer,” Anna said.
The Bakeréé always has something new coming out of the oven, whether it’s a hot new brand or idea, The Bakeréé is here to deliver something fresh to the cannabis industry.
The Bakeréé currently has two locations: The north location is at 10326 Aurora Ave N. and the OG location is on 74 S. Lucile St in the heart of Seattle’s Georgetown neighborhood.
