The horticultural industry is renowned for being particularly male-dominated, and the cannabis industry, as a part of horticulture, is no exception. If you walk through the aisles of cannabis trade shows, this reality becomes especially evident. That's also why much of the cannabis marketing is heavily bro-coded and catered to men.
"A lot of the cannabis marketing is not directed at women," says Rebecca Colett, founder of Calyxeum, a majority women- and Black-owned cannabis company based in Lansing, Michigan. "That's what mainly pushed me to start a cannabis business. I wanted to create a company and a brand where women could see themselves. Whether it's the merch or the genetics names, I wanted women to look at it and think, 'I could see myself in this.'"
Rebecca Colett
It's quite short-sighted to assume that only men consume cannabis. However, according to Rebecca, women who use cannabis face an even greater stigma than men. "It's just not as socially accepted as men consuming cannabis. This stigma not only pushes potential customers away but also fosters an environment where part of the population lacks education on this matter. There are plenty of women who'd like to try cannabis, but they simply don't because they don't get the type of education they need from the usual, male-focused brands."
Reinvesting in yourself
Although Calyxeum now has two indoor facilities equipped with fully automated systems for growing cannabis, the journey wasn't always smooth. "When we first started, we did everything manually, like watering and fertilizing," Rebecca says. "The cannabis industry is very financially intensive to operate in, so we had to start in a way that saved costs. We only had one flower room, too." As the company gained traction and its financial situation improved, Calyxeum reinvested in itself, transforming it into the horticultural powerhouse it is today. "The one flower room became two, then three. Despite all the challenges and the limited reach we initially had, it all worked out."
Calyxeum is a small-batch cultivator, which, according to Rebecca, is another aspect that makes them unique in Michigan. "Cultivation in our state is huge," she says. "There are many mass producers, and when you grow at that scale, quality can only go so far. We do small batches, creating very unique flavors that customers might not experience elsewhere. Out there in the market, there's a lot of the same thing on retail shelves."
A focus on THC
One defining characteristic of the average Michigan cannabis product is its focus on THC. "THC is a big topic. A lot of brands solely focus on high-THC strains. But that's not our MO. Instead, we focus on high-terpene varieties. We really believe the nose knows, kind of like with wine."
Calyxeum's tissue culture program is specifically designed to create proprietary genetics tailored to a primarily female customer base. "Some of the strains we have were created years ago when we were caregivers, and others have been created more recently. One of the main reasons we decided to step up in such a competitive market is the lack of diversity, especially on the cultivation side. You only see white men being celebrated as master cultivators. As Black women, we felt representation was lacking in that space. Other people can grow cannabis too. So where are those brands? Where are the companies targeting a different type of customer base? That's what we do."
A varied product line
Calyxeum's product line includes not only smokable flowers but also edibles and topical creams. "We've seen an increase in women using our products," Rebecca says. "They really love our edibles and topical creams. Thanks to our female-centered, education-based marketing, we've shown that there are many ways to consume cannabis, which is exactly what women want."
Rebecca and Calyxeum are building on their momentum to further expand the company. "We are putting together an operation in Maryland, and we're very excited about that. We're also in the process of expanding our product line to New Jersey next year. On top of that, we're working on getting more flower varieties here in Michigan."
For more information:
Calyxeum
calyxeum.com/