Tokyo Smoke

Last updated
Tokyo Smoke
Product type Recreational cannabis and related accessories
Owner OEG Inc.
CountryCanada
Introduced2015;9 years ago (2015)
Markets
Previous owners Canopy Growth
Website ca.tokyosmoke.com

Tokyo Smoke is a Canadian recreational cannabis retail brand owned by OEG Inc. that operates in the provinces of Manitoba, Ontario, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Saskatchewan. It was co-founded by father and son Lorne and Alan Gertner in 2015. [1]

Contents

History

Tokyo Smoke was co-founded by Lorne and Alan Gertner in 2015. Lorne Gertner had founded Canada’s first legal medical marijuana grower, Cannasat Therapeutics, in 2004. [2] The brand’s first location, Tokyo Smoke Found, opened in April 2015 in Toronto’s West Queen West neighbourhood. In early 2017, the company acquired another cannabis company, Van der Pop, based in Seattle and is targeted towards women. [3]

At the 2017 Canadian Cannabis awards, Tokyo Smoke won the award for "Brand of the Year." [4]

On December 21, 2017, the company announced that it would merge with DOJA Cannabis and form a new company called Hiku Brands Company Ltd. [5] On July 10, 2018, Canopy Growth acquired Hiku brands and absorbed its portfolio of brands. [6]

On August 14, 2019, Acreage announced its intention to open cannabis stores under the Tokyo Smoke brand in the United States. [7]

In November 2021, Tokyo Smoke and UberEats struck a deal for users to be able to order cannabis for pick-up through the app. [8] [9]

OEG Inc. acquired the Tokyo Smoke brand in 2022. [10]

Retail Stores

Tokyo Smoke currently operates 7 cannabis dispensaries in Manitoba, [11] 6 dispensaries in Alberta, and 27 in Ontario. [12] The company no longer operates its 3 coffee shops: 2 in Toronto, and 1 in Calgary. [13] These coffee shops did not sell cannabis, instead, they sold coffee, cafe food, and cannabis accessories. In September 2018, Tokyo Smoke announced that they have received approval to build up to 10 cannabis stores in Manitoba. [14] In Ontario, where licensed producers are restricted from owning more than 9.9 per cent of a cannabis store, Canopy Growth has entered into branding agreements with retail license owners to open stores under the Tokyo Smoke name. [15]

Alan Gertner

Alan Gertner
Born1984 (age 39–40)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Education MBA
Alma mater University of Western Ontario Ivey Business School
Occupation Entrepreneur
Known for Tokyo Smoke

Alan Gertner (born 1984) is a Canadian co-founder and CEO of Tokyo Smoke. Gertner, who also co-founded Hiku, a Canadian company, is a former Google executive [16] known for his work in the Canadian cannabis industry. [17] [18] [19] Gertner was born in Toronto, Ontario and raised in the Forest Hill neighbourhood by his parents. His father Lorne Gertner is a lifelong entrepreneur who managed a women's apparel manufacturer Mister Leonard. Alan received a degree in management and business administration from the University of Western Ontario Ivey Business School.

From 2009 to 2014, Gertner held several executive positions at Google's Mountain View, California and Google Asia Singapore offices. During this tenure, he was a founding member of Google's first Global Business Strategy team in Mountain View, California. [20] In 2015, the company sent him to Ghana to help build an infrastructure for high-speed Internet. During this project, and while on his way to a "voodoo" ceremony in rural Ghana, Gertner had a life-changing conversation with a tour guide who told him: "You either work on something you love, or work because it supports the people you love." [17] [21] This encounter was a defining moment in his career that made him quit his job at Google, [22] take a break and later start Tokyo Smoke in partnership with his father. [16] [23] Gertner now lives in Toronto and is mainly involved in the cannabis industry. [24]

Gertner, a former Google employee, is currently involved in Tokyo Smoke, a retail operation and brand [25] [26] he co-founded in 2015 with his father Lorne Gertner. [27] Gertner (the father) is considered the Godfather of Canadian cannabis [28] and is also the CEO of Hill and Gertner Capital Corp., a Toronto-based merchant bank. Tokyo Smoke has a downtown Toronto coffee shop and store that sells pot paraphernalia and accessories. [29] [30] He is one of the handful entrepreneurs and investors who left lucrative corporate jobs in technology and finance to focus on startups in the marijuana industry. [31] [32] [33] Gertner has expanded the Tokyo Smoke brand locally and internationally with eight stores. [18] [34] [21] [35]

Gertner raised $10 million in capital [36] [37] [31] and led the company's merger with Cannabis Company Limited known as DOJA Cannabis in December 2017. The combined company known as Hiku Brands Company Ltd. is headed by Gertner and houses the cannabis brands of DOJA, Tokyo Smoke, and Van der Pop. [38] [39]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smiths Falls</span> Town in Ontario, Canada

Smiths Falls is a town in Eastern Ontario, Canada, 72 kilometres (45 mi) southwest of Ottawa. As of the 2021 census it has a population of 9,254. It is in the Census division for Lanark County, but is separated from the county. The Rideau Canal waterway passes through the town, with four separate locks in three locations and a combined lift of over 15 metres (49.2 ft).

Shoppers Drug Mart Inc., commonly known as Shoppers is a Canadian retail pharmacy chain based in Toronto, Ontario. It has more than 1,300 stores in ten provinces and two territories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liquor Control Board of Ontario</span> Alcoholic beverage retailer in Ontario, Canada

The Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) is a Crown agency that retails and distributes alcoholic beverages throughout the Canadian province of Ontario. It is accountable to the Legislative Assembly through the minister of finance. It was established in 1927 by the government of Premier George Howard Ferguson to sell liquor, wine, and beer. Such sales were banned outright in 1916 as part of prohibition in Canada. The creation of the LCBO marked an easing of the province's temperance regime. By September 2017, the LCBO was operating 651 liquor stores.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cannabis in Canada</span>

Cannabis in Canada is legal for both recreational and medicinal purposes. Cannabis was originally prohibited in 1923 until medicinal use of cannabis was legalized nationwide under conditions outlined in the Marihuana for Medical Purposes Regulations issued by Health Canada, which regulated medical cannabis effective 30 July 2001, and was later superseded by the Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations, which also permitted seed, grain, and fibre production under licence by Health Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cannabis in British Columbia</span> Legality, use and culture of cannabis in British Columbia

Cannabis in British Columbia (BC) relates to a number of legislative, legal, and cultural events surrounding the use and cultivation of cannabis in the Canadian province of British Columbia. As with the rest of Canada, cannabis became legalized on 17 October 2018, following the enactment of the Cannabis Act, or Bill C-45. Prior to that, though the drug was illegal in Canada, its recreational use was often tolerated and was more commonplace in the province of BC as compared to most of the rest of the country. The province's inexpensive hydroelectric power and abundance of water and sunshine—in addition to the many hills and forests —made it an ideal cannabis growing area. The British Columbia cannabis industry is worth an estimated CA$2 billion annually and produces 36.6 percent of all Canadian cannabis. The province is also the home of the cannabis activist and businessman Marc Emery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canopy Growth</span> Canadian medical marijuana company

Canopy Growth Corporation, formerly Tweed Marijuana Inc., is a cannabis company based in Smiths Falls, Ontario.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">OEG Inc.</span> Company in Alberta, Canada

OEG Inc. is a company based out of Edmonton, Alberta, that operates Katz Group of Companies' sports and entertainment offerings. The flagship property and namesake is the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League. OEG also operates Rogers Place, the new home of the Oilers in downtown Edmonton. OEG is owned by Daryl Katz.

<i>Cannabis Act</i> 2018 Canadian law legalizing recreational cannabis use

The Cannabis Act is a law which legalized recreational cannabis use in Canada in combination with its companion legislation Bill C-46, An Act to Amend the Criminal Code. The law is a milestone in the legal history of cannabis in Canada, alongside the 1923 prohibition.

Leafs By Snoop is a cannabis brand owned and promoted by the rapper Snoop Dogg and produced by Canopy Growth Corporation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cannabis in Alberta</span> Legality, use and culture of cannabis in Alberta

Cannabis in Alberta became legalized on October 17, 2018 following the coming into force of federal Bill C-45. Production, distribution and consumption of cannabis had been prohibited in Canada since 1923. While some other provinces distribute cannabis through publicly owned retail monopolies, Alberta allows private companies to sell cannabis at licensed retail storefronts and online. Private retailers must purchase cannabis from the provincial wholesaler, the AGLC. Originally, the Alberta government was the sole entity permitted to retail cannabis online within the province but as of March 8, 2022, private retailers are permitted to do so and the province has since exited the retail business.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cannabis in Ontario</span> Cannabis in Ontario, Canada

Cannabis in Ontario is legal for both medical and recreational purposes. Cannabis in Canada has been legal for medicinal purposes since 2001 under conditions outlined in the Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations, issued by Health Canada, while seed, grain, and fibre production are permitted under licence. The federal Cannabis Act, legalizing cannabis for recreational use, came into effect on 17 October 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cannabis laws of Canada by province or territory</span>

On October 17, 2018, cannabis was legalized in Canada for recreational and medical purposes. It was already legal for medicinal purposes, under conditions outlined in the Marihuana for Medical Purposes Regulations issued by Health Canada, and for seed, grain, and fibre production under licence by Health Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cannabis in Prince Edward Island</span>

Cannabis in Prince Edward Island became legal when the national Cannabis Act went into force on October 17, 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cannabis in Manitoba</span> Law in Manitoba concerning use of cannabis

Non-medical cannabis in Manitoba became legal when the national Cannabis Act went into force on October 17, 2018.

Aphria Inc., headquartered in Leamington, Ontario, was an international producer and distributor of medicinal and recreational cannabis. The company operated through retail and wholesale channels in Canada and internationally.

Aurora Cannabis Inc. is a Canadian licensed cannabis producer, headquartered in Edmonton. It trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange and Nasdaq as ACB. As of September 2018, Aurora Cannabis had eight licensed production facilities, five sales licences, and operations in 25 countries. It had a funded capacity of over 625,000 kilograms of cannabis production per annum with the bulk of capacity based in Canada and a growing presence in international markets, particularly Denmark and Latin America. The company began trading on the NYSE on October 23, 2018, using the ticker ACB.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ontario Cannabis Retail Corporation</span> Provincial cannabis distributor and online retailer

The Ontario Cannabis Retail Corporation, operating as Ontario Cannabis Store (OCS), is a Crown corporation that manages a legal monopoly over the online retail and wholesale distribution of recreational cannabis to consumers and privately operated brick and mortar retailers respectively throughout Ontario, Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">VIVO Cannabis</span> Canadian licensed cannabis producer

VIVO Cannabis Inc(formerly ABcann Global) is a Canadian licensed cannabis producer, headquartered in Napanee, Ontario. Prior to being acquired by MediPharm Labs Corp., VIVO traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange as VIVO.

Tilray Brands, Inc. is an American pharmaceutical, cannabis-lifestyle and consumer packaged goods company, incorporated in the United States, headquartered in New York City. Tilray also has operations in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Latin America, with growing facilities in Germany and Portugal.

References

  1. ↑ Lang, Cady (2016-06-13). "Justin Trudeau Makes a Surprising Case for Legalizing Marijuana". Time. Retrieved 2017-12-24.
  2. ↑ Dias, David (2008-10-07). "Just don't call it pot" . Retrieved 2017-12-24.
  3. ↑ "Tokyo Smoke acquires Van der Pop, Seattle's preeminent female-focused cannabis lifestyle brand". MarketWired. 2017-02-08. Retrieved 2017-12-24.
  4. ↑ "Canadian Cannabis Awards 2017 Winners - Canadian Cannabis Awards". Canadian Cannabis Awards. Retrieved 2017-12-24.
  5. ↑ "DOJA Cannabis and Tokyo Smoke Merge to Become Hiku Brands". New Cannabis Ventures. 2017-12-21. Retrieved 2017-12-24.
  6. ↑ Corporation, Canopy Growth. "Canopy Growth to Acquire Hiku Brands to Strengthen Retail and Brand Portfolio". www.newswire.ca. Retrieved 2019-09-08.
  7. ↑ Owram, Kristine (2019-08-14). "Acreage aims to bring Canopy's Tweed pot stores to California - Article". BNN. Retrieved 2019-08-15.
  8. ↑ Lorinc, Jacob (2021-11-22). "Weed on the menu: Uber Eats partners with Tokyo Smoke to offer cannabis products for pickup in Ontario". The Toronto Star. ISSN   0319-0781 . Retrieved 2022-04-04.
  9. ↑ "Uber Eats partners with Tokyo Smoke for cannabis delivery". Globetrender. 2022-03-03. Retrieved 2022-04-04.
  10. ↑ "OEG Retail Cannabis to Acquire Retail Stores, Tokyo Smoke Brand from Canopy Growth in Cross-Country Expansion" (Press release). 27 September 2022.
  11. ↑ "Buying Cannabis in Manitoba". Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Authority of Manitoba. Retrieved 2019-01-29.
  12. ↑ "Store Locator– Tokyo Smoke". ca.tokyosmoke.com. Retrieved 2019-07-20.
  13. ↑ "Store Locator– Tokyo Smoke". ca.tokyosmoke.com. Retrieved 2019-01-29.
  14. ↑ Ltd, Hiku Brands Company. "Tokyo Smoke cannabis retail stores are Coming to Manitoba". www.newswire.ca. Retrieved 2019-01-30.
  15. ↑ "Canopy Growth lands a cannabis store in Toronto opening under its Tokyo Smoke brand name". Ottawa Citizen. 2019-03-19. Retrieved 2019-09-08.
  16. 1 2 "These 10 influencers used to work at Bose, Apple, GoPro, Google and Aveda. Now they work in weed". The Cannabist . August 15, 2016.
  17. 1 2 "Smoke, pray, love". Toronto Sun . November 13, 2016.
  18. 1 2 "Cannabis entrepreneur banking on private stores in Alberta". Calgary Herald . October 31, 2017.
  19. ↑ "Joint ventures take off with legal cannabis, but risks remain". Irish Independent . December 8, 2017.
  20. ↑ "Alan Gertner, Industry Head – Travel, Google Southeast Asia". Travel Trends. 16 June 2014.
  21. 1 2 "Why Alan Gertner Left A Great Job At Google To Start Tokyo Smoke In Toronto". Civilized. May 30, 2016.
  22. ↑ ""Why I quit my dream job at Google to launch a marijuana business"". The Globe and Mail . February 22, 2016.
  23. ↑ "The 'Muji of Marijuana' Opens Its Doors in Toronto". Condé Nast Traveler. August 6, 2017.
  24. ↑ "The Influentials 2017: Best buds". Toronto Life . 21 November 2017.
  25. ↑ "Canada Could Be To Cannabis What France Is To Wine". The Huffington Post Canada . June 9, 2016.
  26. ↑ "The Green Rush & Tokyo Smoke". Memphis News . June 27, 2017.
  27. ↑ Lang, Cady (2016-06-13). "Justin Trudeau Makes a Surprising Case for Legalizing Marijuana". Time. Retrieved 2017-12-24.
  28. ↑ "The 'godfather of Canadian cannabis' on the pot industry's future". Maclean's . April 13, 2017.
  29. ↑ "Marijuana investor Lorne Gertner on the future of Canada's pot business". Canadian Business . April 18, 2017.
  30. ↑ "Purveyors of pot work to shake off the 'Reefer Madness' stigma, rebrand cannabis". 14 March 2016.
  31. 1 2 "High tech, high finance and high times for U.S. pot industry". Reuters . 6 December 2017.
  32. ↑ "The problem with reaching your career goal". Toronto Star . June 1, 2017.
  33. ↑ "Marijuana industry busily working to shed illicit past and go legal". CBC News . March 14, 2016.
  34. ↑ "Tokyo Smoke to Bring Coffee, Clothing and Cannabis Brand to the USA". New Cannabis Venture. January 16, 2016.
  35. ↑ "Cannabis cafes a possibility in the future: Alberta justice minister". Metro News Toronto. October 4, 2017. Archived from the original on March 12, 2018. Retrieved March 12, 2018.
  36. ↑ "US businesses added a solid 190,000 jobs in November" (PDF). Kuwait Times . December 7, 2017.
  37. ↑ "Aphria Strengthens Leadership Position in Recreational Cannabis with $10 Million Investment in Tokyo Smoke-DOJA Combination". Aphria. December 21, 2017.
  38. ↑ "DOJA Cannabis and Tokyo Smoke Merge to Become Hiku Brands". The Nugget News. December 21, 2017.[ permanent dead link ]
  39. ↑ "DOJA Buys Tokyo Smoke With Added Boost From Aphria". Green Market Report. December 21, 2017.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.