From Marketing Agencies To The Vermont Cannabis Market: An Interview With JB Sugar, Founder of Route 7 Brands
Photos Courtesy of JB Sugar
When you think of Vermont you picture gorgeous fall foliage, epic skiing adventures, maybe even maple syrup, but cannabis? Probably not. It’s not the first thing I would think of either until I had the pleasure of talking with JB Sugar. I got to hear all about his story and what his goals and ideas were behind his company, Route 7 Brands.
His roots start in New York where he grew up in a “...not too rich in a rich town, I was the other side of the track guy”. He’s been around for a hot minute and he’s had the chance to watch the cannabis scene explode into what we know it as today. His love of cannabis found him at an early age (we’re talking mid-teens.) Things weren’t nearly what they are now.
”When you asked, “what kind of weed is this?” You got laughed at. The first time I saw green weed I thought something was wrong with it because all I had ever seen was brown weed.” He shared.
Marketing Meets Cannabis
While living in NY he found his way into advertising and marketing, working with some big names like People, Sports Illustrated, TV Guide, and Live Nation. Throughout his career working in a traditional marketing setting, he started to meet people in the cannabis space.
“Being an old white guy in advertising, you get forced out after so long, It's not something I wanted but I like weed and thought I'd try my hand at it.” He told me.
With his love for cannabis and his expertise in marketing, he started exploring combining those two.
“I have done cannabis marketing and advertising for 5 years, running campaigns for 46 dispensaries and 6 brands across the country” he shared. I think we all know cannabis advertising can be a tricky game to play with regulations varying wildly from state to state.
Building A Brand: Route 7 Brands
After dipping his toe into the cannabis space he decided to jump in and build Route 7 Brands, named after the highway Route 7 that runs North-South through the state. In doing so he faced the challenges of Vermont's heavily regulated market. Edibles are limited to 5mg each and 100mg per package. Flower can’t be over 30% THC, and the rules around advertising mirror that approach to cannabis as well.
He told me about how he was able to find a target demographic for his brand: people over 21 years old, living within X miles of X dispensary who had visited that location. From there he could work with the dispensary to see if that customer came in and made a purchase within so many days of seeing an ad. In doing that he saw an opportunity within his demographic.
“I’m a big data guy, and I’ve seen that 45% of people going into a dispensary are 50 or older. This makes sense we tend to have more disposable income and women 55+ have the highest cart value so why would I not make products that cater towards that?”, he explained.
After seeing the data and working on the marketing side of the industry he knew there was a niche for him to fill. “What 55-year-old woman is going to walk into a dispo and say I’d like a 1/8th of cheetah piss, please?”
It wasn’t uncommon that strains over 24% sat on the shelves longer than the lower THC counterparts. “People in my age bracket don't want that, they’re looking for something lower”, he explained. It wasn’t just the older demographic where he saw potential: there's another side to Vermont too.
Stoner Hospitality in the Green Mountain State
The beautiful state of Vermont hosts 13 million tourists a year providing a solid $3 billion in revenue for the hospitality industry. Tourists come from near and far for the lake and the fall foliage (they call them leaf peepers.) You can’t forget winter tourism: skiing and snowboarding and that’s exactly where the inspiration for his tiered system of products from The Vermont Ski Shoppe came from. That is the product-producing side of Route 7 Brands.
For those not familiar with ski lingo, trails are marked from green (entry-level) up to double black diamond (expert) and JB added in a bonus level called freestyle.
“The smaller joints, we call them single chairs because it's the perfect size to finish on the ride up the mountain.” He said. “I never call anyone a beginner, it's entry-level or re-entry level and those strains are in the 14% - 15% range. It's a great social smoke. The highest level is the freestyle which is a glass chillum pumped up with kief so it brings it to the 35% range”
Finding The Fun
To expand further, JB partnered up with a fire grower, and they sort bud based on both testing and effects.
”I can swap strains around as things get harvested and then it’s sorted into each category based on testing and how it smokes,” He shared. You can bet that if you buy one of his products the smokability has been thoroughly tested. The single-chair pre-rolls are absolutely perfect for those winter activities too.
“When people go skiing, you might go with your friends but you're still basically going alone. Same thing with cannabis. Even when you’re smoking with someone, you're still in your own head.”
After talking with JB, it’s clear that he makes products that he loves, but also are aimed at having a good time and maybe even rediscovering a love of cannabis. “I think there's a huge market for those who are re-entering, people are kinda scared to get back into it for whatever reason: it’s too strong, stigmas, or fear. I’m trying to give people permission to have fun again, weed is supposed to be fun.”
What’s next for Route 7 Brands?
He’s also working on expanding into other states to bring that same approach and love of cannabis to those not living in Vermont, all while not sacrificing the quality he produces.
I love the approach he takes and the fact that he saw a big hole in the industry and instead of complaining or waiting for someone else to step up, he did. I’m stoked to get my hand on the goods and see for myself what Vermont is rolling up!
