Meet Joseph Kringer, Owner and Operator of the fabulous Natural Roots Extracts. This man of the family values his time at home with his incredibly supportive wife and amazing soon-to-be one-year-old daughter, giving him a ton of motivation to create an incredible world for them. Attain more information about his past and how Natural Roots got their start in this month’s Stoner Owner!
When did you first decide that you wanted to enter the Cannabis industry?
I fell really deeply in love with Cannabis in 2004 at 18 years old. At that point, it was still pretty taboo and I believe there were only a handful of states that had pretty broad medical Cannabis programs. But I could see at that point that the tide was starting to shift around the topic, people were becoming more open about discussing the real value and benefits to Cannabis consumption for medical purposes. The legitimacy of Cannabis and an industry for it was starting to look real, so I’d regularly joke with my friends when we smoked – if it ever became legal, I would own a Cannabis business. Pretty amazing to think back on that and now be in the position I’m in with Natural Roots.
Why is it essential to be a connoisseur of Cannabis as the owner of Natural Roots?
This is something that I believe has proven to be essential to our success, and the success of many Cannabis brands. Not that it can’t be done, but I would imagine it would be much more difficult to create and sell a Cannabis product/brand without having some deep knowledge and passion behind it. From my early days consuming Cannabis, I was always drawn to the unique flavors and tastes, and later learned more about terpenes and the role they play in the effects. So terpenes were something I knew I wanted to be a big part of our brand, so the fact that our specialty is strain-specific Cannabis terpene extraction, really brought everything full circle for me. Going into this venture knowing a lot about Cannabis, specifically terpenes, has allowed me to get the company going and continue steering it in the right direction every day. It’s paid dividends in being able to identify quality material and farms to work with, along with understanding how our final products are produced and ensuring the quality is maintained all the way through to the customers’ consumption of it. Everything about Cannabis is constantly evolving, too – I never stop learning or discovering new things, which is one of the most exciting things about being a part of the industry.
What are some of the driving factors behind Natural Roots and its mission?
One of the most significant driving forces behind Natural Roots is our core dedication to keeping everything we do, to be natural to the Cannabis plant. We recognized early on that there are a lot of products out there that use additives and flavorings that are not natural to the plant. That topic has gotten even more attention in recent years and people are getting more curious about what’s in the products they’re consuming. In our opinion, there’s no reason to modify something that’s already naturally perfect and exists the way it’s meant to be, just as it is. So we focus on ensuring we represent the Cannabis plant to the fullest. The extracts we produce are from high-quality, clean material, while preserving the terpene profiles throughout, just as they are in that strain, so that customers can feel assured they’re getting exactly the experience they expect to, every single time. Culture is also really important to us. We’ve got a really strong team being developed at Natural Roots. A group of people who match my passion for Cannabis, and the industry-backed up by pride for our place within it. We’ve all been around Cannabis for a long time, so to be producing and selling a Cannabis product legally that we all believe in, is something we don’t take for granted. There’s a lot of people in the world who would kill to wake up and do what we are fortunate enough to do every single day.
What advice would you give to those interested in owning a Cannabis brand?
There’s definitely some advice I’d pass on … First is to know your product. Live and breathe it every day and express that to others in everything you do. Establish a company mission and core values, and stick to them religiously. Don’t be afraid to adapt and change. I believe we’ve modified and evolved our packaging at least four times since we started and our current packaging looks absolutely nothing like the original, but for the better. Be receptive to constructive criticism and feedback – it could take you further than ignoring it. Take notes of what’s going on around you. We’re at a point where although this industry is still young, newcomers have an opportunity that we didn’t, and that’s to review some historical data on other Cannabis brands. What has worked, more importantly, what hasn’t. Lots of brands have come and gone just in our time here, so learning and understanding why they’ve failed, as well as why those that have been around for a while are still thriving – that information will give someone an edge when launching their brand. Lastly, stay persistent and determined when bringing something to market. You can hear ‘No’ 100 times, but all it takes is that one ‘Yes’ to snowball into more, and change the whole trajectory of the brand. We’ve heard a lot of ‘No’ since hitting the market, but those we are able to convince to try it, they’re immediately glad they did, and become instant fans.
