It’s not unusual for Canopy Growth co-CEO Bruce Linton to field strange emails. After all, he is the chief executive of one of the largest marijuana companies in the world.
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So when an email landed in Linton’s inbox in the spring of 2015 saying celebrity rapper Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr., professionally known as Snoop Dogg, was interested in pursuing a business partnership, the CEO laughed.
“I didn’t assume it was a legitimate email,” Linton said to CNBC. “I thought it was a silly joke.”
No joke, the hip-hop star was interested in Linton’s Tweed business, a subsidiary of Canopy Growth that now offers recreational marijuana products and boasts more than 4.3 million square feet of indoor and greenhouse cultivation in Canada. About a year later, Tweed unveiled a partnership with the hip-hop icon, complete with three varieties of cannabis in Canada under the “Leafs by Snoop” brand.
Snoop Dogg’s talent agents at Stampede Management reached out to Canopy last year suggesting it talk with one of his celebrity friends: Martha Stewart, the lifestyle authority who co-hosts their VH1 show “Martha & Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party.” Stampede did not respond to CNBC’s request for comment.
“I was probably more excited to meet Martha than I think almost any other celebrity I’ve been introduced to,” Linton said. “I’m running a very large marijuana company and here I am meeting a person considered a leader on all things etiquette.”
After finally getting Stewart to Canopy headquarters in tiny Smiths Falls, Ontario, Linton said he had to plead with his employees not to post anything on social media.
Keeping Stewart’s tour of Canopy’s 200,000-square-foot extraction facility secret wasn’t easy, Linton said. “She kind of stands out.”
“She is so thoughtful about how things tie together,” he continued. She rattled off possibilities, “‘This could compliment that, these parties could be helpful on this.'”
Stewart is advising Canopy on creating a broad new line of hemp-derived CBD products, starting with therapeutic remedies for pets, the company said Thursday.
“I think it’s a starting spot that was comfortable for everyone involved. We have the science and she’s a lifelong dog, horse, animal person,” Linton said. “This just seemed like a really balanced and suitable starting point.”
Stewart already lends her name and taste to a slew of home goods and food, including bedding, crafts, shoes, meal kits and much more. This is her first foray into the cannabis business.
A canopy spokeswoman said Stewart was not available to comment on the venture; her publicist Susan Magrino didn’t immediately comment on the deal.
It’s not terribly surprising that Snoop Dogg is the link between Stewart and Canopy. He and Stewart have known each other for a decade, and Snoop is not shy about his affection for marijuana.
The two first kindled their storied friendship over a bowl of mashed potatoes. Stewart taught Snoop how to make her mother’s recipe on an episode of her cooking show “Martha” in 2008. The following year, Snoop taught Stewart how to bake green “holiday brownies,” a cheeky reference to pot brownies.
Despite their quick connection, the two did not stay close. In a 2014 “ask me anything” on Reddit, Stewart said she wished she was better friends with Snoop. The two grew closer in 2015 at the Comedy Central Roast of Justin Bieber where Martha said she got “totally high” just from sitting next to him.
A year later, the two debuted their VH1 series “Martha & Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party.”
Now, Snoop and Martha are not only friends and co-stars, they’re fellow cannabis investors.
CNBC.com
