Cookies is arguably the most recognizable cannabis brand in the world. You can find their weed products and dispensaries as well as branded clothing and smoking accessories across the country. Their weed got its hype from Berner’s marketing/entrepreneurial skills, music industry ties, and premium genetics.
How Cookies Took Over the Cannabis World
The company has come a long way since its start as a San Francisco streetwear clothing storefront. Today, Cookies has a number of dispensaries and product lines across multiple lifestyle brands. The brands include Runtz, Minntz, Lemonnade, Powerzzzup, and more.
Photo via @cookiessf on IG
The Origin of Cookies
In 2008, Cookies started in California with co-founders Berner and Jai. Together, they created the Girl Scout Cookies strain by crossing OG Kush and a freak cut of Durban Poison. In 2010, the strain was brought to the Bay Area and became a hit.
The strain became a hit not only because of its potency and flavor but also for the marketing done for the brand. In 2011, Wiz Khalifa tried the weed, loved it, and started promoting Cookies strains through his media outlets. This lead Berner to work with him and Chris Brown to appear in a music video for “Yoko,” which received a large volume of Bay Area airplay. Berner wore his brand’s merch in the music video and the strain blew up, and quickly, Berner’s brand and name spread across the country. Because the weed built the hype for the clothing, Berner could sell a hundred $100 sweatshirts, advertised on Instagram, in minutes.
The weed helped Berner bring in $12 million in 2015, however, in 2017, there came opposition. In short, The Girl Scouts of America didn’t like that their brand logo was being used. The company mailed cease-and-desist orders to any dispensary offering the Girl Scout Cookies strain. To this day, the organization has never pressed charges and the GSC strain continues to be crossbred and sold.
Trademarking the Brand
While Berner was manufacturing and retailing the brand’s merch online and in retail stores, he needed to solidify his brand. While he couldn’t trademark cannabis strains, he did trademark his clothing under Cookies SF. This way he could hang a sign in the dispensary, and no one could infringe on his territory.
It was tough protecting the brand from scammers that would copy their idea, but there are ways to verify if you are buying a genuine Cookies product. To learn more, check out our article on ‘How to Spot Legit vs Fake Cookies Products.’
In 2018, Berner opened the first official Cookies retail store in Los Angeles and has since expanded to over 40 retail locations across four countries. As a result, the brand remains the most globally recognized cannabis company in the world. Currently, the company offers 70 proprietary cannabis strains and over 2,000 unique products.
Cookies Recent Business Moves
Today, Cookies sells more than just weed and clothes and has collaborated with a number of big businesses to improve their supply chain. The company now sells flower, pre-rolls, gel capsules, vape cartridges, CBD flower, and medicinal mushrooms. Recently, the brand has enlisted the help of Amuse to distribute their products in their various California locations. Additionally, in the beginning of 2022, Cookies opened retail locations in Austria and the UK through a partnership with InterCure.
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