Benevolent Baking with Wesley Holloway

Margaret 00:00:04 Buckle up, friends for episode 314, where I sit down with Wesley Holloway of Benevolent Bakery. Welcome to Bite Me, the show about edibles where I help you take control of your high life. I'm your host and Certified Ganjier Margaret and I love helping cooks make safe and effective edibles at home. I'm so glad you're here. Welcome back to Bite Me, the podcast that explores the intersection of food, culture and cannabis. And if you're just tuning in for the first time today, you are about to hear a fantastic interview that I did with Wesley. And if you've been here for a while, you know it's going to be a good one. I think you're really going to enjoy it because Wesley is doing something really special in the cannabis space. But before we get into today's episode, I just want to mention you're going to hear this episode and you're going to think, wow, this is amazing. Who can I share this with? So pull out your phone right now and text this episode to somebody that you care about, because sharing is caring.

Margaret 00:00:58 So you're going to hear from Wesley today, the founder of Benevolent Bakery, and he's going to share with us his story, how he got into this business, what some of his prior business experience taught him, and why. He added a social component of donating portions of the proceeds to local nonprofits. Why that was important to him to include in his mission for this business inside the cannabis community, and also how he's actively working to fight the stigma of the lazy stoner stereotype. We covered that in a whole lot more in this episode, and if you listen through, Wesley has a generous gift for the listeners of Bite Me, so be sure to stick around to the end. And with that, my friends, please enjoy this conversation with Wesley Holloway of Benevolent Bakery. Okay everyone, I'm really excited to be sitting down today with Wesley of the Benevolent Bakery. And before we get into today's conversation, Wesley, I was just hoping that you could introduce yourself to the listeners of Bite Me and maybe share a little bit about your cannabis journey.

Wesley 00:02:07 Absolutely. Absolutely. For starters, thank you for having me on. I'm also excited to be here speaking with you. for those listening, I, as Margaret mentioned, my name is Wesley Wesley Holloway. I'm the founder of Benevolent Bakery, which was founded and launched in early 2023. But to answer the question, I actually got my start in the cannabis journey in 2019. So home base for me is Oklahoma City, and we passed what's been deemed, you know, one of the more liberal cannabis laws in the United States at that time. And I think it was October of 2018. And so me and one of my childhood friends actually got our first license in February of 2019 and started off really just as wholesale distributors, in the Oklahoma marketplace. To be completely honest, we didn't have a ton of capital to start, so selling products seemed like the most viable way instead of setting up the infrastructure to have to manufacture and so forth and so on. you know, lucky for us, we were moderately successful on the front end of our cannabis journey and actually did get into the manufacturing side as well as the extraction business, and at one point even purchased a retail store.

Wesley 00:03:22 which did not go well. We found out that we are not meant for retail. but yeah, you know, that was kind of my journey up until I would say about 20, 22 ish. And then, you know, for a few reasons or another, I had to make a few pivots. But I got started back in 2019 and really hustled all the all the way to today.

Margaret 00:03:42 Right. And can you talk a little bit about your own personal journey with cannabis like, or your relationship with the plant?

Wesley 00:03:48 Yeah, absolutely. That started well before 2019. Yeah.

Margaret 00:03:52 I figured it might have.

Margaret 00:03:53 Yeah, yeah.

Wesley 00:03:55 If I'm being completely honest. It started before it was legalized. No, I actually, you know, probably like a lot of people that I talked to truthfully started the cannabis journey. I think it was maybe my senior year of high school. one of my friends who had been a pretty heavy smoker at the time, really most of high school, we were just hanging out.

Wesley 00:04:14 One day he asked me if I wanted to take a puff of the J. And I said, of course. And honestly, ever since then, it was never a, a situation where I just, you know, was in love, honestly, with the effects or the psychoactive effects. I even my as a senior in high school, you know, I felt that reduced some of the tension and some of the stress. I think at the time in life, you know, making decisions on college. And I was, where am I going to go play football or my friends going there? So it felt like there was a lot of heavy, complicated decisions to be made. And, you know, I'm sitting on the back patio with one of my good friends smoking weed, and there was a calming effect to that, you know? and really, ever since then, I was definitely a fan and a consumer of the plant itself.

Margaret 00:04:58 Right. And I think a lot of people will resonate with that.

Margaret 00:05:00 Just the idea, because even though you don't realize until you really started adulting, like how tough life can get when you're, you know, like you said, a senior in high school, there's a lot of pressure. A lot of times it feels like there's a lot of pressure, and it is nice to get out of your head sometimes. I think we all need that.

Margaret 00:05:16 All the time. It was nice.

Wesley 00:05:17 It was very nice. It was very soothing. And yes, what felt like a real life problem at 17 years old, right?

Margaret 00:05:24 Yeah. Yeah, sure.

Wesley 00:05:26 Hindsight's funny. I would, I would love to have that be my biggest problems.

Margaret 00:05:30 Right?

Margaret 00:05:31 I know right. I want to go back to those days when life was pretty simple.

Margaret 00:05:33 But, you know.

Margaret 00:05:35 Like we say, hindsight's 2020. But now I've done some reading on you and your journey as well. And I've read that you were selling medical devices to surgeons prior to getting into, you know, baking cannabis brownies.

Margaret 00:05:49 When was the moment that you realized you wanted to leave the world of, like, I guess. I don't know if it'd be called pharmaceutical sales, but medical sales. And to get into the world of something like the cannabis business.

Wesley 00:06:01 Absolutely. Because it is kind of a jump and really not the same thing. and I was mostly on the medical device side of it, but yeah, you are correct. I had a medical distribution company also with a good childhood friend of mine, mostly selling surgical devices, back braces. And then we had a very small footprint in the toxicology or the lab testing space. It's probably a simpler way to say that. To answer your question, I don't know if there was ever one just defining moment. but to be honest with you, you know, the American health care system is it's financially driven, as most things are in this country. And with the financials really being the incentive behind the care, we and my partner at the time, you know, we both noticed it and talked about it and discussed it.

Wesley 00:06:48 There were just things that were, you know, we were supposed to be there to help people provide services, provide treatment, provide bracing, whatever it was to truly help people. you know, obviously economics is always going to be a part of it. That's just what capitalism drives. But with that being the sole focus over time, what we were selling and what we were doing, honestly, it didn't feel good anymore. and it felt like the more success we had, the more rotten we were becoming. Truthfully, from the inside out. so really, I just needed to pivot for my own self-esteem and, you know, feeling better about myself. and with my own experiences and, you know, journey with the cannabis plant provided. You know, a good segue. Soon as Oklahoma legalized it, it was almost a no brainer for me. but we really never had just a moment. It's time to get out of medical and pivot to this. It was really a culmination of just experience, honestly, and just experience learning more about the healthcare care system, learning more about ourselves and what we were selling and why we were selling it.

Wesley 00:07:54 And then, you know, kind of the coffin or the nail in the coffin was Oklahoma legalizing it and providing the opportunity to actually make that pivot, right.

Margaret 00:08:02 That's pretty interesting, though, because I just find that you pivoted into a pretty tricky industry.

Margaret 00:08:08 Yeah. In a lot of ways.

Margaret 00:08:09 Like.

Margaret 00:08:09 I'm sure you mentioned.

Margaret 00:08:11 Already that Oklahoma had a pretty generous cannabis laws, but.

Margaret 00:08:14 You know, not having a federal.

Margaret 00:08:15 Legalization must be pretty tricky sometimes. But you've already touched on this a little bit that one of your first cannabis ventures did not go as planned.

Margaret 00:08:23 And that's probably.

Margaret 00:08:24 You're referring to the retail side of things.

Margaret 00:08:26 But a lot of people.

Margaret 00:08:28 After they took.

Margaret 00:08:28 Like a difficult loss.

Margaret 00:08:30 Would.

Margaret 00:08:31 Probably.

Margaret 00:08:32 I don't know.

Margaret 00:08:32 Run.

Margaret 00:08:33 Away and decide, you know, maybe this industry isn't for.

Margaret 00:08:35 Me, but instead.

Margaret 00:08:37 You sat with the failure and you looked at where you went wrong and you owned your role and what happened. And this is a quote that I found that you had mentioned, and I love that mindset.

Margaret 00:08:47 how did this how did this shape your approach to building Benevolent benevolent Bakery?

Wesley 00:08:52 And that's actually a phenomenal question. And honestly, while we did fail at retail, that was a very quick failure. honestly, our first venture that we started, that started with distribution and grew into manufacturing and extraction and logistics, we had a transport license as well. I mean, we started with, you know, a license in $7,500. And at our peak, I think we eclipsed a little bit over $10 million in top line revenue and have five licenses. and it was in 2022. All of that came apart. You know, it wasn't just the retail side of it. and there was really a period of time where there was a market collapse that definitely happened. Shouldn't be ignored. But I think for a long time I leaned too heavily into the market, collapsing as the reason as to why our company collapsed. And I just felt that, honestly, it was restricting to my own personal growth. luckily, I'm blessed to, you know, really come from a great family that taught me to power and self reflecting and taking ownership in whatever it is.

Wesley 00:09:56 You know, if it's my successes or my faults, I need to know exactly what my role was and how I impacted whatever that situation was. So really, you know, blessed to have people that instilled that in me. And so when I got done blaming the marketplace, you know, blaming the community around me, it was time to self-reflect. And, and in that self-reflection, I just I learned pretty quickly that I wasn't done with the space. I did feel like there were mistakes that I made personally that, you know, now that I learned from them, I'm not going to make those mistakes again. But while I was, you know, still sulking and, licking my wounds a little bit, honestly, I have some really good friends in the industry. one of them is the founder of a brand called Smokies Edibles. Chuck. Right. Shout out to him. I mean, honestly, he called me and he goes, Wesley, you're never leaving this game as long as I'm in it.

Wesley 00:10:50 So he's, you know, he's got to get over the failure. Everyone fails, but he's like, you are not a failure. You know, you, Wesley Holloway, you can succeed, but you got to get back, you know, get back in the game and keep moving. and honestly, having him and his company and his infrastructure as a channel partner has been an absolute blessing to me. so even that I wish I could take full credit of getting back on my feet and really getting over the failure. But truthfully, it was the, you know, very close friends that I've made in the space and the community that is surrounding me today, has enabled me to kind of stand back up on my own two feet.

Margaret 00:11:29 Yeah, that's amazing because it also shows that you it's really tough to do a lot of these things on your own. And honestly, if you haven't gone through that self-reflection process, I think in a lot of cases people just end up repeating the same mistakes. So yeah.

Wesley 00:11:42 Absolutely.

Margaret 00:11:43 Yeah. Now what was one of the most surprising things you found when you entered the world of infused baking?

Wesley 00:11:51 Oh, man. There were several things that I found out in the world of infused baking. Let's see the most. Honestly, the most surprising thing. And I get surprised probably once a month, is the the creativity of the consumer. when I initially developed Benevolent Bakery, you know, the very first few was that infused brownie mix. I thought, you know, that's as far as my creativity took me with my own product. I've now, since we've turned it into a coffee mug brownie that can be, you know, single serve item. People have used it. It's just really a hot cocoa topping of topping of puddings. Topping of. Someone put it in chili. but I would say the most surprising thing is the use cases for the products that I never even came up with. the cannabis consumer is a very creative consumer. I will say that, so I was, you know, at first thrilled at actually the consumer took to the product, really enjoyed it, but seeing some of the use cases come out of it, you know, some of it I've used for inspiration, it's part of my marketing material.

Wesley 00:12:53 Now, here's what you can do with our brownie mixes. but before that I saw it as a brownie mix. so I would say that's been the surprising is what people have been able to use my product and how they've applied it to their, you know, own preferences in their daily life.

Margaret 00:13:09 I would agree to that. The cannabis users are a pretty creative bunch oftentimes.

Wesley 00:13:14 So yeah. And they are.

Margaret 00:13:17 this might be a good time to because I realized right now, like I feel familiar with the brand. And of course, as the founder, you're very familiar with the brand, but people at this point aren't really they don't know what Benevolent Bakery does. Can you just talk a little bit about the product that you that you're putting out there?

Wesley 00:13:33 Yes, absolutely. So the products, you know, again, are the infused infused brownie mix was my first product. it's still the top seller. It is, I would venture to say the most favorite products, either from the retailers that we partner with or the end consumers that actually purchase it.

Wesley 00:13:51 but the brownie mix has been number one. We have since rolled out a confetti cake mix that is offered in a few markets. We also have a hemp derived version that's offered online. and then we have a hot cocoa mix that we are rolling out. I actually tried to roll it out last year, but it's a very seasonal product, so I missed the timing where the hot cocoa made sense. right. So actually here, in about a few weeks, we'll be going into production and we will be officially releasing the hot cocoa, at the very least in the Oklahoma market, and then as well in the federal hemp drive marketplace. But, you know, really to touch on the products themselves, I wanted something the edible category in general is, I would say primarily I won't give a percentage, but primarily made up of gummies. you know, there's pectin gummies, there's gelatin gummies. There's probably 8 million different kinds of gummies, but that seems to be the dominating product line in the edible category.

Wesley 00:14:50 So when I started developing Benevolent Bakery, I knew that I didn't want to be a gummy brand. I wanted to provide something that was a little more niche and unique, but, you know, obviously something that could still be successful within that same consumer realm that walks into really what a dispensary at the time. Because when I developed benevolent, this hemp derived marketplace wasn't really a thing. but I wanted to provide something that would still be successful. Consumers would still resonate with, but also something that was more communal, something that's more fun and more experience driven. Not just I bought a bag of gummies, I ate a gummy, or I maybe gave it to a friend. you know, I felt like having to intentionally bake something. Just, you know, really to the intention behind it. You know, you can't just open up a box of my product and consume it and realize the effect. You do have to plan and do something. And honestly, I, I was concerned. I thought that may be a hurdle, but I found that that's actually been one of the strongest points of my brand with the consumers that they do enjoy not just consuming it with friends or family, but the entire process of creating the end product for themselves.

Margaret 00:16:07 Right. And I can see why there is such an appeal, because people really do like to get creative. And for those listening. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the brownie mix which you mentioned is right now your most popular product. You basically just add water and everything. Everything else is in it. So it's infused. You're just adding water and you're baking. I mean, that sounds pretty simple, but so it's great also for people who are maybe intimidated by baking because I know a lot of people are, but.

Wesley 00:16:38 Early on there. And while it is a just add water mix and you hit it on the head, we actually did that for what I'll say, the novice baker. I wanted the product to be approachable to everyone. and to your point, not everyone is comfortable baking baked goods, whether they tried it and failed or have heard that it's difficult and never tried it. I wanted to bring something that was very intimidating, where someone would look at the product and say, I had no problem producing that.

Wesley 00:17:06 That sounds like fun. Let me take that. but I also realized that there is a subset of really just not even just cannabis consumers, consumers in general that absolutely love baking and just add water is probably offensive to them, you know? and so what we did to our best effort to appease everyone. So we actually put an alternative recipe card inside of each box that does call for the traditional eggs, butter, vanilla extract. So for our, I guess not. So novice bakers. They can go in there and make a, elevated baking mix or an elevated brownie mix. that's probably, you know, closer to what they would enjoy doing.

Margaret 00:17:51 Right. And I think, if I recall you telling me, also, the confetti cake mix did require eggs and some extra ingredients as well for that particular one.

Wesley 00:17:59 It did. It did. It did. We could not in the R&D process of that. I just could not get a mix to work right with the just add water. and good advice to my, my life partner.

Wesley 00:18:10 She just said just go with the regular, you know, cake mix people.

Margaret 00:18:14 I think people are pretty familiar with cake mixes anyway, because for a long time, I mean, I've been running this podcast for six years, and a lot of people, when they're just starting out, I always suggested them just start with like a boxed cake mix that you get from the store. Yeah, because it's it takes a lot of the guesswork, the science, out of baking, because baking is a real science. And as somebody who doesn't who didn't really bake before I started making edibles. I totally I don't understand that. Yeah.

Wesley 00:18:40 So that is good advice that you gave people though, because it's familiar. You know, it's been done. It's something that I won't say necessarily plug and play, but it's familiar and it's been done. You know, there's a roadmap there that can get them to a good endpoint. So but yeah, the confetti cake mix not just add water, but the hot cocoa mix that can be used with water and or mint or milk.

Wesley 00:19:04 that's just kind of a customer preference. That's what I think on that hot cocoa side.

Margaret 00:19:09 Yeah. Now I now just to to pivot a little bit. You came up with the name Benevolent Bakery for the company, and that immediately signals that you're giving back as part of your identity as far as the business goes. Why did you choose to make philanthropy such a fundamental part of your business model?

Wesley 00:19:28 I have to thank a good friend of mine, Emma. She actually. so, yeah, Emma Butler, a good friend of mine that I grew up with. She founded a nonprofit in Oklahoma City called the Hair Initiative. and at the time, you know, she really bootstrapped herself and put a lot of pressure on herself, put a lot of weight on herself to make that nonprofit successful. but she was able to get it off the ground with one of her friends. but some, you know, down the road. I ran into her at a wedding, actually, and she was telling me about it, and it was just.

Wesley 00:19:57 It resonated with me. so not only just, you know, her being a good friend, but her mission that she was on, I wanted to help. So. Long story short, she asked me to join the board of her nonprofit, to really help her with some of the business connections. At the time, I had some good bank connections to help with some of the financial needs to run the nonprofit. And I before that, I had zero footprint or experience in nonprofit work. so that was really my first foray into it. And I knew immediately, honestly, after the first board meeting, that I won't say immediately, I knew as soon as I found out that I had value add, and then I could actually move the needle for someone. It was really something I just absolutely fell in love with. and from a timing standpoint, that was at a time where our, our very first cannabis venture was doing well. and so I was kind of running those two projects in my life in parallel, but never crossed over.

Wesley 00:20:55 and just one day, I can't even credit any particular conversation or thought, but something came over me that, you know, I wanted to merge those two lanes that I was running in my life of working in a nonprofit space with the cannabis industry. and so that was kind of the thought process of putting together a brand that worked in collaboration, really, that made donations to a nonprofit. But the one, I guess the one sticking point that I had is that I found that a lot of nonprofits would take the money, but if it came from a cannabis brand, they wouldn't want to, you know, cross promote or really say they're proudly probably working with a cannabis brand. and so while there are, you know, several organizations that I wish had taken a different stance, that was something that I was pretty hard and fast on that if, you know, we were going to collaborate together, we're truly going to collaborate together. you know, I want to be able to tell my customers what we're doing with their money.

Wesley 00:21:52 and so not being able to put the nonprofit that we're working with on marketing collateral, email campaigns, I saw as prohibitive to the true mission and the impact of that mission. so that was like my one stipulation was we want to make donations. We want to donate our time, you know, where we can, but we also want to cross promote. And I want to be able to tell customers, you know, here's where we're giving the money to and here's what this organization does. You know, all the way to the to the dollar amount if we can. and some of our partners have provided that information, and they have provided that access and really the opportunity to cross promote. and it has been phenomenal ever since. We've really gotten started with that mission, right?

Margaret 00:22:36 So you created a nice boundary for yourself so that you could do further work with these organizations that you're working with, which totally makes sense. I find it interesting. Maybe it's not surprising at all, actually, that some some nonprofits even don't want to work with cannabis companies because there still is that stigma.

Margaret 00:22:51 But hopefully you're not running into it too much. And one of the first ones that I wanted to talk about is you have a partnership through the Homeless Alliance in Oklahoma City. What in your mind is the connection between cannabis community and housing security?

Wesley 00:23:09 Can I back into the answer because I may tell you my personal connection. Honestly, my personal connection to the Homeless Alliance. Well, there's a few different personal connections, some of which came later. But my life partner, she, the Homeless Alliance, has a program called the Curbside Chronicle, where they're really empowering people that are homeless at the time to honestly to work. You know they have. It's curbside. Chronicle is a magazine. and the people that are homeless, they get loaded up with their magazines daily or weekly, and they get to go sell the magazines. so, you know, we're some homeless people ask for money. This subset of people are selling magazines to earn their money. we're the Curbside Chronicle. You know, they take a piece to continue operations, but the rest of that money does stay with the individual.

Wesley 00:23:59 And I really, you know, my life partner is the one that told me about it. And I'm very thankful and grateful that she did, because as I've learned more, it really is a very empowering program, to, you know, put a lot of people's, I guess, put their destiny back into their own hand. You know, everyone needs help. And I just like the way that they have gone about helping this subset of people or, and, you know, other cases are just ignored or written off entirely. the Homeless Alliance said. We're not going to do that. You know, we're going to bring them in, give them shelter, help nurse them to a certain point, and then also give them the tools they need to succeed even outside the shelter. So personally, you know, really, due to Molly and her impact with the Curbside Chronicle, that was my initial draw to the Homeless Alliance. and really that empowerment, you know, kind of tie that into the cannabis industry.

Wesley 00:24:54 You know, we're kind of the, the counterculture in some parts of the world. and really, we have to lift each other up. You know, there are some days where this is a very difficult industry to find any kind of silver lining or any kind of happiness. you kind of got to look to the guy next to you who may be suffering as well. But, you know, in that connection there is some kind of empowerment to really keep going and keep pushing through this cannabis industry because, look, there's no roadmap for us. So all of us that are professionals, whether that's licensed professionals or people that are cannabis adjacent, you know, providing whatever services to the industry. The roadmap is brand new. so there is that level of empowerment that comes from the community that is needed, in my opinion. And so I would say to tie in to homelessness and cannabis, for me, at least in my journey and experience, it's really been just how they empowered, you know, the homeless people to get back on their feet and to continue their journey in life and to do better.

Wesley 00:25:55 I really see that in the cannabis industry as well.

Margaret 00:25:58 Yeah. That's beautiful. I really like that too, and I can see why you'd want to support them in that mission, because it's also rising tides lift all ships. That's kind of what I've been saying for this past year, because there really you really can't go it alone. I mean, you can try, but it's also pretty easy. So.

Wesley 00:26:14 Yeah, I don't think anyone in this world can do. I mean, it's hard to accomplish just about anything alone, you know? Yeah. And those that say they can do it alone, I think they should probably do some self-reflection and figure out what boosted them along the way. Because I do believe that everyone needs help. Everyone needs a guiding light. and without that, you know, I don't know where any of us would be. Truthfully.

Margaret 00:26:38 Yeah, exactly. Now you're also working with Exit Now in Missouri, and that that organization focuses on social equity and criminal justice reform in cannabis.

Margaret 00:26:49 How do you see the relationship between the war on drugs and the communities that you're trying to help through your giving?

Wesley 00:26:55 Absolutely. Well, I do think it's widely accepted, and maybe it's not. Maybe it's just widely accepted in my little circle of people, the war on drugs with a complete failure. and intentionally targeted communities of color. Truthfully. this that's not my opinion. That's just statistical of who got of who got arrested for cannabis offenses and who didn't get arrested for cannabis offenses. and so, you know, Exit Now is founded by two young black guys that I met in the industry. And immediately, you know, honestly, their energy is more contagious than their mission. And I absolutely love their mission. but the two founders, DeMarco and Mo of Exit together, they actually took it. You know, they took their mission very far. They actually partnered with Saint Louis University, and they offer a scholarship program, that helps individuals go through a cannabis program and leads them ultimately to a decent paying job within the industry as well.

Wesley 00:27:54 That was my initial draw. You know, I had a vision of wanting to fund one of those scholarship programs. but to directly answer your question, I mean, the war on Drugs and how it's impacted the marginalized communities in America, I think is very evident with the statistics, again, of who got arrested and who didn't. and those rights still, you know, those wrongs still haven't been righted. There are still people I get to go sell marijuana every single day in seven states and I get to sell hemp, drive THC online anywhere in the country. And there's people today, right now sitting in jail for selling less product than I sell daily. right. And so their mission, not only is it spot on, and I do think, you know, widely known and accepted, but it's still a problem today, even though it is widely known and accepted. Nothing's been done about it. so really, again, the two guys that founded it. They're very contagious people. but they're also dead serious about their mission and what they're doing to actually impact and affect positively the communities that have been negatively impacted by the war on drugs.

Margaret 00:29:06 Right. Yeah. That, Yeah. I don't know what else I can add to that, really, because after getting arrested today, which is crazy. It's so crazy.

Wesley 00:29:16 Crazy.

Margaret 00:29:16 In one hand, you can have somebody who's selling this stuff legally in the next hand. Like you said, somebody with tiny amounts could be thrown in jail still, or our city in jail.

Wesley 00:29:25 Thrown in jail by people that use the product. That's been most. That's been most mind blowing to me. I have friends that are police officers and most recently told me that there are exemptions, medical exemptions, if they're in a medical market where they can utilize cannabis products with a prescription or medical card. And that one really blew my mind, because Oklahoma is wild as it is of a marketplace with the many license. We're still a medical market.

Margaret 00:29:51 Right?

Wesley 00:29:51 And so the fact that someone can have an exemption to use a product, that they can turn around and arrest someone for, I don't know how often that happens, but just the fact that that is a potential or an opportunity is insane to me.

Wesley 00:30:04 Honestly.

Margaret 00:30:05 Yeah, it's kind of wild, actually. And then there's also people who exist out there that are doing even worse drugs. And you're like, this just doesn't make sense. Like, make it make sense, but.

Wesley 00:30:14 You gotta do real drugs. That's what I always say. Because your real drugs over there. Yeah.

Margaret 00:30:19 Now, are there other community projects or organizations that you're working with with Benevolent Benevolent Bakery.

Wesley 00:30:25 There are. and to be honest with you, I the other groups that we work with are mostly in what I consider our expansion markets, where we have licensed the brand. you know, I wanted the donation. That is, the anchor of the brand that is benevolent is. And what we do. but my relationship is not as close with some of those nonprofits. you know, it's more of an arm's length relationship where we make donations. But don't or haven't. I won't say we don't and won't, but historically, we have not spent time. But to answer your question, yes, we work with the hunger lines of Arkansas and make donations to them in that market.

Wesley 00:31:04 we were in the New York market for a short period of time, just long enough to make one donation to the name of that nonprofit is skipping me. I think it was the Broward Foundation. But also they touched on homelessness and, really helping Kids that were, you know, in homeless families that ended up at their shelter. And then there's a program out of Montana that helps disabled children. And it's really more of an outdoor recreational program. And honestly, it was picked by my partner out there in Montana. it was something that I was unfamiliar with. Montana is a very outdoorsy place. Completely different landscape than what I live in here in Oklahoma. but they told me about a program that helped disabled children learn how to ski or their version of skiing. and so that was very important to them. And it was something that felt good for me as well. So that's what we work with in the Montana market as well.

Margaret 00:32:00 So you're working with basically nonprofits and charities in the different places where you have licenses.

Margaret 00:32:05 Is that what I understand? As I understand that correctly?

Wesley 00:32:07 Not where I own the license, but where I've licensed the brand. So we have partners that will manufacture and sell the product. so yes, we'll partner with nonprofits. My goal is to have And I'm starting to learn, you know what this actually takes. And I think it's either going to be an expansion of a team or maybe a dream of the vision, but I like the idea of having a nonprofit partner in every market. honestly, when I started this project, I did reach out to some of the larger nonprofits, and most of them take in federal money. And for that reason, you know, they wouldn't acknowledge that they would accept donations from a cannabis brand. and I'm grateful for that experience again, because if they would have said yes, then I probably would have never worked with the Homeless Alliance. I probably would have never worked with exit now, because I could have worked with United Way everywhere, you know. Right.

Wesley 00:33:00 Yeah. So that really shifted my vision. bandwidth is a thing, and I still want to. I just want to make sure we have impact, you know, everywhere we go. and so I'm trying to measure the bandwidth with some of the expansion plans and finding nonprofits in each state. But as of today, I haven't backed off of it. I'd still love to have a nonprofit partner that is local to each community that we are operating in.

Margaret 00:33:24 Yeah. That's incredible. And when you approach some of these organizations, like the Homeless Alliance, for instance, what's the reaction to having a cannabis company want to partner with them?

Wesley 00:33:35 The Homeless Alliance specifically, they were they were phenomenal. It was an immediate yes. They invited me down. They said, please come see the shelter. They wanted me to know what I would be donating to. and actually, they wanted me to know that before we even move forward with the partnership, which I really appreciated, you know, because a few conversations that I had before the Homeless Alliance, they really and I don't think they're wrong for this at all.

Wesley 00:34:00 They were just excited about the check, truthfully, but they weren't necessarily excited about me or the industry I came from to the point where they were saying, hey, come see exactly what the impact is. but the Homeless Alliance was an immediate. Yes. I think after the initial email sent. I got a phone call the next day, and then two days later I was at the shelter with my assistant. You know, walking through, seeing their day shelter, seeing their long term facility, and really discussing their vision and their long term goal of how they want to eradicate homelessness in Oklahoma City. And it was something that resonated with me, and it felt good alongside the Curbside Chronicles. So they moved forward there. But truthfully, I think I had two, maybe three conversations before I spoke to the Homeless Alliance and it was three no's, one of which was actually with United Way. I gave that example previously. and then the others were had some kind of association with Oklahoma City public schools, which are very challenged.

Wesley 00:35:09 Our schools are in a bad place here in Oklahoma City. my mom came from the Oklahoma City public school system as a social worker. So I was very familiar with the challenges. But because of, you know, their federal funding and being associated so closely with children, they both said no. And but the Homeless Alliance was my very next call, and they welcomed me with open arms and we haven't looked back since.

Margaret 00:35:32 It sounds like they had a lot of transparency too, which is really nice because sometimes you wonder about the nonprofit space. Like, where is my money really going? You know, and that has been not a big issue. But sometimes you do.

Wesley 00:35:44 It's an issue. Yeah, I think it's and actually touched on that. The Homeless Alliance today is actually the only nonprofit that has discussed that kind of anomaly with me and why they are so transparent. They see that as really increasing donations, because if people even have to have the thought of what are they doing with my money, they're less likely to give any kind of organization their money.

Wesley 00:36:07 So they are intentionally proactive. You know, that was the reason they wanted me to come down there, truthfully, is because they feel like the more transparent they are and the more detailed they are, what they're giving and what the dollars are actually doing. They feel like that helps raise money. And, you know, I've seen it work. At this point, I would agree with them.

Margaret 00:36:27 Yeah. Now how how do you how does your commitment to giving back shape the way you do business on a day to day basis?

Wesley 00:36:37 I would say it's definitely changed the way that I do business. well, in a few different ways. I mean, on the absolute surface, just business side of it. I honestly, I had to start accounting for all of those donations, every single, you know, every sale we made, every time we got paid, I. And when I first started, I didn't do that. So when it came time actually to make my first donation, I was like, oh man, I just spent my donation money on inventory.

Wesley 00:37:06 so it actually has changed the way that I've operated financially as a business. but furthermore, it's made me want to find or have some kind of, I guess, the words ulterior motive or a different purpose outside of just making money. I look for things. I want things to feel good and then also impact those around me positively. and so it's really changed the way that I've just lived my life, truthfully, but professionally for sure. I have not since started Benevolent Bakery. I've not started an adventure or been a part of a venture that did not have some kind of impact. You know, it's not always a cash donation to a non-profit organization. Sometimes it is donating our time or mentoring kids, you know, doing something different. But I just look for and almost, you know, need something outside of just making money to be my main driving motivator for me to for any project to be sustainable for me. I found out about myself that I feel the best when I am helping others or feeding into someone else.

Wesley 00:38:10 You know, I spent eight years coaching high school football, so I think it kind of comes from that. but I just look for that in every class facet of life now. But definitely professionally. I just want to do something that moves the needle for someone else.

Margaret 00:38:24 Right. And I think we need more business owners like you like this in the world, to be honest. it sounds like you're following, like, the triple bottom line. I don't know if you're familiar with that.

Wesley 00:38:33 I'm not. Educate me.

Margaret 00:38:36 well, my business degree was from a very long time ago. But the triple bottom line is, instead of their having, like, the single, you know, focus on profit, you're also factoring in other things like your human resources, environmental impact, in your case, the philanthropy perspective. So you're looking at business from a very different perspective instead of just being profit first. You're looking at people, environment, all these other things, all these other components as well.

Wesley 00:39:02 And what I found out it's it drives sales.

Wesley 00:39:06 Yeah. People people resonate with the mission. And for that reason, and I've had several customers and several all markets. I'm never going to bake this product, but man, your mission is cool. I want to support you. I'm going to go buy this and gift it somewhere else because it's not really for me. But I do agree with you. There does need to be more business owners. It's hard to it's hard especially, you know, in a capitalistic society to not think profit first. But if you can truly give it a try, I think you'll learn that really positively impacting your community will positively impact your bottom line. You know, and probably more than just a one for one, because again, I've seen it and experienced it myself. But their sales I never would have made to these customers had I not, you know, been a community focused marine.

Margaret 00:39:54 Yeah, because I think people are looking they realize that their every time they buy something, they're voting with their dollars. And so if they can support a company that is having a positive impact in their communities, then why wouldn't they?

Wesley 00:40:06 Exactly.

Wesley 00:40:06 Exactly. Yeah.

Margaret 00:40:08 Now, are there any unexpected challenges that come with running a values driven cannabis business?

Wesley 00:40:17 There's been a few. There actually has been a few. Shockingly enough. You know, when I first started the brand and we really first saw success, I was like, well, I'm made you go raise some money. and so I initially talked to a group about doing a small capital raise, and I told him about the Homeless Alliance partnership. I was really excited about it. And at the end of my presentation, I said, well, we love everything about it, but we're not giving money to the Homeless Alliance. Like you're gonna have to change that. Wow. And it was really that particular group just had they had a different opinion on the homeless, you know, truthfully than I do in that specific situation. And so at that point in time, I was not able to raise capital because that was my probably the best terms that I had gotten. and so the other terms in the cannabis world were not that friendly, but these guys were friendly.

Wesley 00:41:05 But the value of the missions that were near and dear to me were an absolute. Seem to be deal breaker for them. so that was one challenge. And then, you know, back to just the blunt business side of it. We are taking profits and making a donation in a very cash starved industry. You know, there's not a lot of banking in cannabis. The private investments have slowed down into the space, for one reason or another. And so taking a, you know, any portion of revenue and putting it outside the business always strains the business. But again, it's important to me, and I've seen in some areas, in most areas that making that donation has driven a lot of our success so far. so we're not wavering in it, even though we've experienced some challenges and one setback. But I still feel like we're in the right, right spot doing the right thing.

Margaret 00:41:59 Right. Well, hearing no from one person might mean hearing yes from somebody else when another door opens. So.

Wesley 00:42:04 Absolutely. absolutely.

Margaret 00:42:07 So, yeah, I mean, I guess the United Way had to say no for the Homeless Alliance to say yes. Right.

Wesley 00:42:12 Absolutely.

Margaret 00:42:13 Yeah.

Wesley 00:42:14 Now connect those dots. That's so true. Yeah.

Margaret 00:42:17 Now, you've been quoted as saying that the cannabis community is the most caring and benevolent industry in the country. And that's a pretty bold statement. So what have you witnessed that makes you believe this so strongly?

Wesley 00:42:29 I would honestly go back to something we kind of talked about earlier, just that the industry, maybe I don't want to sound dramatic and say the industry is depressed, but, you know, there's a lot of people that are losing their livelihood in this space. and the only way to really find solace and happiness is to really band together with other operators and, you know, feel like you're not you're not losing by yourself and you're not losing forever. You know, with collaboration, working together, leaning in to some of the channel partners that are also within this cannabis community or cannabis Canada's space is really.

Wesley 00:43:06 I felt the only way that any of us will ever be successful for the long term is through true collaboration and working together. so that's kind of just that's like my ethos, that's my all encompassing ethos, honestly, since my failure, because again, it it was my community that happened to be Canada space that got me back on my feet and got me moving in the right direction again. and I know I'm not the only one that's been there, and I'm not the only one that got rescued by their friends within the cannabis community. So I do think it's been very, as an industry, it's definitely been a very communal based industry, in my experience. And again, a consumer has really taken to this product because of the donation aspect. they've picked my product, even if it's not a product that they would use. Just because we're making a donation to a organization that feels good for them. so that is a bold statement to say that for the most part, I haven't compared it to very many other industries, but in my experience it is a very benevolent and charitable and welcoming community.

Margaret 00:44:14 Well, and I mean, I happen to agree with you, so that helps. But I just I mean, I wouldn't be here either if it wasn't for a lot of people that helped me out along the way as well. Like even just that first person way back when that said yes to an interview, when I was like a nobody. And something about the cannabis community that is inherently communal and I, I think it's just the nature of the plant. So yeah, that's pretty beautiful. Now, your tagline for your company is no mess, no guest, just yes, which I love.

Wesley 00:44:45 Yeah.

Margaret 00:44:45 And when it comes to social impact, there's often a lot of mess and uncertainty. So how do you measure whether your efforts or your philanthropic efforts are actually making the difference that you're hoping to see?

Wesley 00:44:57 That's actually a phenomenal question. and the honest answer is I don't know. And it still, it doesn't weighs heavy on my brain as it used to. because, you know, for a while, for the Homeless Alliance to give you a real life example, we'd make a quarterly donation and, you know, a few times a year would actually go down there and spend time and serve, you know, forever.

Wesley 00:45:20 They needed extra hands to help, but the need still hasn't gone away. You know, homelessness is still a thing in Oklahoma City. The numbers of the homeless community is unfortunately still growing. so there are times where it feels like we're not moving the needle, but, you know, you go see it in person, you get to see your impact in person. You can see how you affected, whether it's just one person or one family. that does feel good. But for the overall impact, I and I really did used to struggle with it because for a while Benevolent Bakery financially was struggling as a business. So it's like I'm making this donation. Is this actually helping people because I'm suffering? You know, my my team is suffering. I don't know if I'm moving the needle for anyone. I'm just hurting everyone. luckily, I've kind of grown out of that mindset and really grown into. In the Homeless Alliance has helped me with this because they, you know, for every $4 you feed, create seven meals or something like that, they really quantify it.

Wesley 00:46:26 but I just kind of lived with I can't help everyone, but if I can help someone today, then that's a win. and if that's my impact and that's my impact, you know, there may be someone that's more successful or has more money that can have a larger impact. I would encourage them to do so. But in general, I think if everyone did what they could, not necessarily what they wanted, just did what they could to help someone in their community or help someone in their circle. I think we'd all be better off. So I've kind of just, you know, found solace in that mindset of if I can help one, two, three people. I've done more than you know what I. I guess more than what I was mandated to do, you know.

Margaret 00:47:05 Right. Well, and that's still an impact and making a difference. Right. And like you said, when they when they quantify the numbers like $4 goes to seven meals, I mean, that's then, you know, like the money that you're donating can have this specific kind of impact.

Margaret 00:47:18 And that's important also because there are people with a lot more money that are doing a lot less than you.

Wesley 00:47:24 So absolutely.

Margaret 00:47:26 If there.

Wesley 00:47:26 Were.

Margaret 00:47:26 People out there that could, you know, maybe think a little more, think a little more like the way you are, then the world would look very differently, but very different. Not where we're at at this moment. But you're helping to change things one box at a time.

Wesley 00:47:43 We're trying. We're trying for sure.

Margaret 00:47:45 Now you're trying to reshape the culture around around cannabis to make it more joyful and approachable. In your opinion, what are some of the biggest misconceptions about cannabis users that you're hoping to change?

Wesley 00:47:58 It's still the the bad PR, the bad marketing of like the 60s was very effective because people still assume that if you use cannabis, you're lazy, you know, you're this stoner hippie. And that that perception of the cannabis consumer is it still lives, you know, today. I was actually talking to my mother the other day who is more seasoned and experience than myself.

Wesley 00:48:29 yeah. But she threw out something and it was just, you know, really it was rhetoric that she was taught growing up. Oh, yeah, she used cannabis. And she talked about one of her patients. She uses a bunch of cannabis. And she told him, like, well, I don't know if it's good for you because, you know, he might make you lazy. Wasn't being hateful, you know, but just she inherently thought had been beaten to her head that if you use cannabis, it makes you lazy. or, you know, you're not less intelligent or less motivated, and that still exists today, where people still feel like if you're especially if you are a what I call a very loud and proud cannabis user. people will doubt you and they'll second guess you. and I think that's wrong. I know it's wrong, you know, because I know people that are loud and proud, cannabis users that are successful. They're, you know, literally a guiding light in their community.

Wesley 00:49:18 And they so happen to use cannabis, whether it's for medical uses or because they just like getting high, that part doesn't really matter to me. Even the fact that they use or don't use the product doesn't really matter to me. I think people should be judged on really their actions and their impact. less on if they use the product or not, but that stigma still exists. People still think we're lazy.

Margaret 00:49:41 That one just does not want to die. And it drives me crazy because I've also interviewed a number of people for this show, and the one thing they have in common besides cannabis use is the fact that none of them are lazy. Yeah, we're all doing really cool stuff in the cannabis space and you wouldn't be doing that if you had if you were a lazy stoner, there's just no way around.

Wesley 00:50:00 It doesn't happen. No, especially if you're a business owner. If you're a business owner in this space, you can't be lazy. Otherwise you're not. You're not a business owner.

Margaret 00:50:08 Right?

Wesley 00:50:09 Yeah.

Margaret 00:50:10 Yeah, it's it's very true. now sort of, continuing on with that kind of train of thought, what do you think is the most misunderstood part about crafting edibles?

Wesley 00:50:27 Edibles in general or edibles in my product? Or both.

Margaret 00:50:31 well, I was thinking in general, but also general product. Yeah.

Wesley 00:50:35 The most difficult part about crafting edibles.

Margaret 00:50:38 Or misunderstood part, I guess.

Wesley 00:50:42 I would say the dosing is pretty misunderstood in my opinion, from talking to consumers. And really it's they don't have an understanding at all of how the products are dosed. You know, there's still a lot of people that think they're sprayed or and maybe in some places they are or, you know, individually infused and it's just candy that was already cooked. But I'll use just I'm very familiar with the brand Smokies edibles. You know, they're a very large gummy brand. Personal friends of mine. These guys are cooking real candy and infusing real candy, you know, in 24 states in two different countries. and I don't think the customers truly a understand it or can really appreciate that, at least from a business standpoint.

Wesley 00:51:24 You know, again, for that example, that's 24 kitchens, you know, staffed out that are cooking real candy every single day and infusing it. so I think the commercial process of making edibles, whether it's our baking mixes or gummies, really, or any edible product, it's the commercial process of making those products at scale and infusing them and creating a safe, efficacious product in a insanely, you know, regulatory environment. I would say it's definitely underappreciated, but most definitely just not understood at all by the end consumer. You know, and why would they unless they have a culinary background. You know, why would they know? but I think it'd be nice if people did know.

Margaret 00:52:12 Yeah. Even from the perspective of just, like, making your own edibles and trying to dose them and that kind of thing, I think there is a lack of understanding. And because it's new. Right? Like 20 years ago you were eating edibles and you're like, well, I hope I don't get too high.

Margaret 00:52:25 And that was how you approached it. And we're more familiar with things like alcohol because that's been so mainstream for so long. We know how to dose ourselves. It's a more inherent like, you know, well, if I drink two drinks, I'll start to feel this or whatever. And we learn that from, you know, maybe as a kid consuming too much and you find out what happens when you consume too much and you have those experiences in a way to quantify it, but the quantification of that is so new in edibles and cannabis generally that I think it's going to take a while for the public to catch up. But it's happening slowly.

Wesley 00:53:01 It's happening. It's happening this whole this hemp drive thing is, I think, really jet propelled it. You know, I think, right. That has made cannabis. You know, some people say, well, hemp, cannabis and hemp, I use those very synergistically. because the, the inner product that the supply chain is different. But, you know, the effects of the products and my experiences are very similar, if not the exact same, but this hemp derived anomaly is really allowed for that.

Wesley 00:53:29 I think more consumers, it's an approachable product now. They can order it and get it shipped to their house. So while you know they may still carry the same stigmas of their parents now, they can consume these products without anyone knowing, right? which is fine with me. You know, don't be loud and proud. Consume the product, and you'll probably be loud and proud one day, you know.

Margaret 00:53:50 Well and for some people, like when like depending on where you're at, what jurisdiction you're in, if you have access to legal cannabis and you've like that first foray into a legal store, it can be pretty intimidating for some people, especially if you've grown up with all that messaging of like, you know, this is your brain, this is your brain on drugs and all those crazy commercials we saw growing up. And, you know, the the just say no campaigns. So for a lot of people, being able to order online is is pretty brilliant because they don't necessarily want to be seen going into a dispensary, even though.

Wesley 00:54:21 It's actually really good that that is that's probably the number one driver of the success of the direct to consumer model is you're spot on. People are very intimidated by walking into a legal dispensary, you know, and there's other people that feel like it's like a vacation or this big event to walk into the dispensary. Yeah, it's like maybe you guys get this excited to walk into Walmart. Yeah, yeah.

Margaret 00:54:44 Yeah. Now where do you see the cannabis edibles space headed in the next few years.

Wesley 00:54:51 I would venture to say there's got to be some level of consolidation. There's still, you know, gummy brands coming out of the woodworks. I would consider beverages as part of the edible space and beverages are, you know, having their day in the sun today. so I and I think that really the approachability and the ease of consuming a beverage, will that particular subcategory of edibles will continue to grow. But I would think less gummies on the shelf or less different brands of gummies, or I think there'll be a gummy consolidation.

Wesley 00:55:24 Beverages will expand, and I would like to see honestly, more products similar to mine. You know, whenever we created Benevolent Bakery, we actually had a pretty interesting discussion of is this going to be a niche product on the shelf, or are we potentially creating a new category within the dispensary? verdict still out, but I'm leaning more towards we might potentially be creating a new category, and that's really based on consumer feedback. you know, the customers, my dispensary customers that purchase our products have their retail customers come back and buy our products several times. And so they're asking me, well, what's products coming next? You know, what can we put next to the confetti cake mix and the brownie mix. So I do lean closer into I think the edible category may add some new, some new subcategories on the shelf over time, whether that's, you know, me, continue to run out front or someone else comes up with something equally or more creative, I think I welcome it all, but.

Margaret 00:56:24 Right. And I think, I think you're on to something there, because I do think a lot of customers or consumers are pretty gumede out. Not to say that there aren't some fabulous gummies out there on the market. I've tried lots and they're great, but sometimes you want a little variety and, yeah, you want a little variety, which you already kind of touched on this a little bit, but are there any upcoming products or collaborations that you're especially excited about right now?

Wesley 00:56:51 We do have some. We do have some upcoming products that we have are indeed. We've done the packaging. We've done everything but launch it. I wish I could give you a timeline for it, but I won't give you a timeline. But we're going to do a awake and bake pancake mix, which will be we're pretty excited about that one. And then actually, for the Arkansas market, my partner out there asked about a cornbread mix. I guess cornbread is a big thing in Arkansas, so we'll probably do the wake and bake pancake mix first.

Wesley 00:57:19 I think that one's more universal, and I am just head over heels about the name Wake and Bake pancake mix. so I'm pretty anxious to get that one onto the marketplace, but we'll do that. Plus the cornbread. Hopefully. Fingers crossed. You know we get them both out this year. But those are the two product lines that will be coming out next.

Margaret 00:57:40 Oh that's exciting. The Waking Big does sound really exciting because that is one thing that I love to make on a slow Sunday morning is pancakes. What a great way to spend a Sunday morning making pancakes.

Wesley 00:57:51 Are you great? Definitely a little infused version. You might. You might want to take a nap after. You might want to go for a walk. You never know.

Margaret 00:57:57 Yeah, yeah. Choice is yours. It's choose your own adventure.

Wesley 00:58:00 Yeah, yeah. So we're excited about those.

Margaret 00:58:03 Yeah. what would surprise people about you?

Wesley 00:58:09 They probably be pretty shocked that I'm a terrible baker.

Margaret 00:58:12 That is surprising. Yeah, actually, maybe it checks out, which is why you created, like, a box mix.

Margaret 00:58:20 Or you can just add water and.

Wesley 00:58:22 Add water.

Margaret 00:58:23 And get high. Yeah.

Wesley 00:58:25 Yeah, that's a good point. Yeah, I guess you could go either way. What would be surprising about me? I don't know, I kind of wear my heart on my sleeve and I'm a very open book. Honestly, I try not to be too surprising, honestly. I yeah, this is who I am. I want you to know who I am. I hope you like me. If you don't, this is still who I am. You know. Right? Yeah.

Margaret 00:58:49 No, I love it. Sometimes I. That's a tough question for some people, but yeah.

Wesley 00:58:53 It.

Margaret 00:58:53 Is. I think you answered it very honestly, so I did.

Wesley 00:58:57 I'll stick with the first answer, though. I'm not a good baker. The guy that makes baking makes very unkempt.

Margaret 00:59:02 Yeah, well, there's a real science to baking, so that totally makes sense. And I can't say that I'm like a master baker by any means either.

Margaret 00:59:11 Like I said, I only started baking once. I started like I had baked before, but only consistently after I started making edibles for myself. So because you know, what's the point? Otherwise.

Wesley 00:59:22 Why are we baking then? Yeah.

Margaret 00:59:24 Now, outside of Benevolent Bakery, what brings you joy or keeps you grounded?

Wesley 00:59:30 I was on a very personal front. I just I have a seven month old child, and that my my son brings me all the joy in the world. And 100% has been the most humbling experience of my life becoming a father. just going home. At the end of the day, it feels different. Truthfully. And sometimes I go home and he's napping. I just go home and look at him, you know? Right. Yeah. but he has brought.

Margaret 00:59:57 That for a while.

Wesley 00:59:58 Yeah. He's brought a different level of motivation to my day. Certainly a different level of joy to my day. and it's been very humbling. You know, watching him develop it, it's renewed my sense of purpose.

Wesley 01:00:10 Truthfully, I won't say renewed. It's shifted my sense of purpose. You know, now, I've always known that sometimes you got to do things that you don't want to do just because they need to get done. But it's a lot easier to do those things now because there's a true purpose and there's a reason behind it. And a lot of that is with my new seven month year old son.

Margaret 01:00:30 Beautiful, I love it. Now, one last question before we end our conversation today. Wesley, where can people get their hands on your products?

Wesley 01:00:39 Yeah, that's an easy one. There we go.

Margaret 01:00:42 Give me a question of the day.

Wesley 01:00:43 Yeah, yeah. I'll give you two different answers. In our regulated markets, switching our traditional dispensary model. That would be Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas, Montana and New York. for everyone else throughout the country or really anywhere in the world, we have a website. It is shop Benevolent Bakery. Com. and we have two doses. We have 100mg and 250mg brownie mixes.

Wesley 01:01:07 Staying for the confetti cake mixes. And we'll be rolling out the hot cocoa in approximately 30 days on the website, so that's exciting.

Margaret 01:01:16 All right. People already get it. Yeah. That's amazing. Wesley, thank you so much for your time today. I love what you're doing with Benevolent Bakery, and I wish you all the success and everything you're doing upcoming.

Wesley 01:01:26 Awesome. Thank you. I appreciate you having me all. And it's been awesome chatting with you.

Margaret 01:01:31 Well, I hope you enjoyed that conversation as much as I did. Friends, I will be sure to list where you can buy Benevolent Bakery in the local dispensaries or online in the show notes, so you don't need to worry about where to find Benevolent Bakery online. And of course, I. And of course, Wesley offered generously a discount code for any listeners who wanted to check out some of the baking mixes. If you use code, bite Me 20 at checkout, you'll get 20% off. I don't get any kickback for this. This is just something.

Margaret 01:02:05 This is something that Wesley was generously offering the listeners of Bite Me, and I appreciate that. I have tried out the baking mixes, and I think you would love them because they were fun to do. They were simple and they tasted great and they got me high, which was amazing. So with that, my friends, I hope you enjoyed that conversation with Wesley and I encourage you to check out what he's doing, check out his website, find him on Instagram, find him on on social media. And with that, friends, I am your host, Margaret. And until next time, stay high.