Many cannabis dispensaries claim to be about their local community. Some really live that, enter Embarc. From the experience to shelf representation, all the way to giving a portion of every piece of revenue to each store’s direct community, Embarc quite literally puts community first. I had the privilege of talking with co-founders and partners, Dustin Moore and Lauren Carpenter. They talked about their journey in creating Embarc, the California market, legacy cannabis, and the importance of community.
Lauren Carpenter and Dustin Moore of Embarc
A History Around Politics and Plants
Dustin and Lauren are self-proclaimed “policy nerds” who bonded over attempts to change the world. Their advocacy inside the cannabis space helped campaign for proposition 216, inserting things in legislation for social equity and parent rights for cannabis patients. At one point in California’s cannabis “industry,” CPS could remove the children of cannabis patients until proper legislation protected rights.
Dustin’s journey with cannabis started around the age of eight or nine when his father suffered multiple brain aneurysms. He survived by a miraculous surgery and recovery, but his life was forever changed. The anti-seizure medication changed who his dad was and his quality of life vanished. During the mid-90s, a friend recommended trying cannabis which completely changed his life. During this era, there was a major stigma around cannabis. Dustin felt conflicted between what was preached at school and the exterior world’s view on cannabis while watching it transform his father’s life towards normalcy. This inner confliction lit a fire to provide a voice for others that still carries to this day.
Lauren’s journey in life started out with a goal to change the world through policy. When she discovered how large of a task it is to solve all the world’s problems, she set out to focus on particular issues and be a bridge from the root cause to the government process. As she watched cannabis legalization push in California, she found the gap between the existing culture and the government vast. Lauren sought out to be a conduit for both while fighting for who cared most, the cannabis community.
The two met, setting out to advocate from the ground floor by providing a platform for legacy growers and brands to get on shelves and make a difference at that level. They thought that they were seeking a smaller-scale change that should be relatively easy to push forward. However, the pace was slow and returns for the community were few and far between.
Dustin commented, “Advocacy at policy became difficult due to many people arguing over smaller details while agreeing on a larger mission but these details and arguments blocked mainstream progress.” They then set out to transition to operating directly in the game to create both a retail platform for the right brands as well as financial stewards to the local community they serve. Often times showing communities that may be canna-resistant that the industry can do good things for the public. Moore told me, “We went from fighting the macro-fight for policy to the hand-to-hand combat to communities that still don’t want cannabis due to the stigma.”
Consumer Experience For The Community
Most dispensaries showcase products behind glass and counters or simply display singular items. Meanwhile, the consumer inventory must be requested before purchase. Embarc sees cannabis and community as one and has created a true bodega-style experience. Patients and consumers can grab a basket and fill it with selections and then check out. They wanted to be intentional to not only allow folks to approach cannabis shopping at their pace but simply normalize the shopping experience.
Lauren passionately explained, “Cannabis used to have to be behind closed doors and how the market was set up it almost contributed to the stigma. We want this to look like a regular product. It’s normal and your friends/family are using it. It doesn’t need to be locked under key. This is what cannabis looks like, like shopping for everything else.”
When consumers visit an Embarc they’ll notice many of the most requested brands like Alien Labs, Connected Cannabis, 710 Labs, and STIIIZY, shoppers will also find that 50% of their shelf space is dedicated towards small farmers, women-owned, BIPOC-owned, and LGBTQIA+ owned brands. These strides, especially if followed by others, can be monumental for social equity brands to achieve some equilibrium towards shelf space.
“We’re activists at heart, and that’s what drives the passion to execute this model. Being a traditional activist is challenging to truly effect change. So, we built a platform that could do that, which was heavily revolved around working with legacy operators”
Dustin Moore
Community Impact Through Revenue Donations
Whether it’s brands they sell or groups they donate to, Lauren and Dustin both brought up the desire to build meaningful relationships that last the life of the business. Beyond creating a systemized and scalable business relationship, over time is where great impact can be measured. As the company’s revenue scales, so does its community impact.
Embarc has pledged 1% of all revenue from each store to be distributed back into that store’s direct community area. They have created a community advisory board for each community they operate in. The board is not paid or empowered to tell them where the funds will go. This creates a diverse pool of areas and organizations that get brought to the table that can receive assistance.
Dustin had commented on how their experience with policy led them to listen to constituents. They were met with plenty of concerns and reserve when opening dispensaries in new areas that may not have any prior experience with legal cannabis. Cannabis holds a negative stigma, and many communities think cannabis, whether legal or illegal, will ruin their way of life. While many businesses give back to their communities, cannabis is scrutinized even more. When addressing these folks, Lauren and Dustin ask for them to put faith in their contribution back to the people. So, they see their revenue contributions as putting their money where their mouth is.
When I asked Dustin about how the locals feel about cannabis taxes he replied, “most of those tax dollars don’t go back to the organizations that help people on the ground. They collect taxes that don’t get funding in the community where it’s needed.” Constantly taking into consideration the community, they wanted to make sure they could identify good groups that do work well in the community and “are open to stand arm and arm with us to show what cannabis can do to the community.”
To date, Embarc has worked with the Boys and Girls Club, provided shelter for the homeless in Tahoe, funded community science programs, written scholarships for higher education, funded sober graduation nights, cleaned streets, and more.
Supporting The Legacy
It’s no secret that the legal market has put a squeeze on the legacy. Many operators in cannabis that pre-date adult-use cannabis don’t have Venture Capital connections or verified funds sitting around to even get into the legal system. The system has been set up, like many in the United States of Capitalism, for those that have access to funds to win. The legacy farmers know cannabis, from quality to proper growing techniques. Dustin and Lauren came into legal cannabis to advocate for the legacy, whether patient or cultivator. Dustin told me, “We’re activists at heart, and that’s what drives the passion to execute this model. Being a traditional activist is challenging to truly effect change. So, we built a platform that could do that, which was heavily revolved around working with legacy operators”
Cannabis Can Change The World
Change starts at home and Embarc is looking to create a multi-dimensional platform for change in each of their store’s home communities. Dustin, Lauren, and their whole team are on a mission to break the stigma through actions with intention. Their team completed a raise recently and is expanding the Embarc brand into new communities that will all receive 1% cash back contributions while providing platforms for local social equity brands and legacy farms. Many in this space can look to Embarc for inspiration on how to create a vehicle that consumers enjoy and are good for the industry.
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