According to a report by MJBizDaily in 2021, of the 484 dispensary licenses in Michigan, 3.8% of those licenses are held by Black Michiganders. Only a handful of those licensed cannabis businesses in Michigan are owned by Black women.
Rebecca Colett and LaToyia R. Rucker, co-owners of the Detroit-based cannabis brand Calyxeum, are looking to be more than just another statistic. Colett’s background in business and finance, combined with Rucker’s experience as a master gardener and biologist, has made Calyxeum’s offerings some of the best in the state — but the journey has been far from easy.
In a recent interview with Dutchie, Colett described her experience attending business conferences early in her career.
“I started going to these conferences and realizing that there was really nobody that looked like me. And, being a consumer myself, I’m like, ‘This is not the cannabis industry. This is not how it should look,’” she said. “So, I just became really passionate about becoming an operator and increasing diversity from that standpoint in the industry.”
Colett is doing her best to make sure other aspiring Black cannabis entrepreneurs have access to the tools they need to be successful. In 2021, she created the Detroit Cannabis Project, an all-inclusive business incubator program that offers a variety of programs to help native Detroiters create successful and sustainable businesses in the cannabis industry.
Read the entire article at Lansing City Pulse