Employee-Owned Brand Brings Sustainable Pre-Rolls to New York

The Honeybee Collective’s full line of sustainably grown and packaged pre-roll products will be available from The Cannabis Place delivery service and Union Square Travel Agency dispensary


NEW YORK, Oct. 31, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via IBN -- The Honeybee Collective, a cannabis brand known for its commitment to a sustainable planet and people-friendly practices, will be available for purchase in New York starting Friday, Oct. 20, 2023. The brand first launched in 2021 after a record-breaking crowdfunding campaign and is available in 45 dispensaries across Colorado, where they’ve seen 28% average monthly growth in sales of their 10-pack and 2-pack pre-rolls.

“Customers choose our pre-rolls because they’re convenient and reliable. They can grab a pack on their way out to an event or hike and trust in the quality of its effects,” said Business Development Representative Dre Miller, who manages The Honeybee Collective’s Colorado business.

The Honeybee Collective has partnered with leading Hudson Valley cannabis grower and manufacturer Hepworth Pura to provide New Yorkers with high-quality, environmentally friendly cannabis products. Gail Hepworth, co-founder/ president of Hepworth Pura, said, “We chose to partner with The Honeybee Collective because their founders share our passion for ethical business practices and environmental sustainability.”

Honeybee co-founder Chris Becker said: “There is so much waste in the cannabis industry, from greenhouse gas emissions from indoor grow facilities to single-use plastic that takes hundreds of years to biodegrade. We want to raise awareness about this waste and give people a better option.”

According to Smithsonian Magazine, “Growing an Ounce of Pot Indoors Can Emit as Much Carbon as Burning a Full Tank of Gas” and a 2021 study from Colorado State University suggests that indoor cannabis cultivation is responsible for 1.3% of the state’s total greenhouse gas emissions.

From his own research across nearly a decade working in cannabis, Becker estimates that every pound of cannabis flower sold in traditional plastic packaging creates at least 3.14 pounds of plastic waste that will sit in a landfill forever.

“Right now, we’re using packaging that can be easily composted or recycled at home, like other consumer goods. We’re always researching new eco-friendly packaging and are excited by some of the new materials being developed,” said Becker.

The Honeybee Collective’s unique employee-owned structure is helping solve another critical problem in cannabis - wealth inequality.

“We believe that workers should profit from a company’s success just as much as owners do - and our business is set up so a significant percentage of it will always belong to employees, making them the majority beneficiaries,” said co-founder Erin Parkins. “Being a sustainable company is about doing right by both our planet and our people.”

In addition to ownership and profit-sharing, Honeybee employees are guaranteed a local living wage and unlimited time off.

Beginning Wednesday, Nov. 1, The Honeybee Collective’s full line of sustainably grown and packaged pre-roll products will be available from The Cannabis Place delivery service and Union Square Travel Agency dispensary.

Workers in all industries deserve more from the moment they are hired. At The Cannabis Place, we believe in people over profits, meaning that our route to being a positive force begins with one tenet: “Workforce investment equals immediate positive community impact.”

The Cannabis Place’s CEO Osbert Orduña added: “We’re happy to offer The Honeybee Collective’s pre-roll products for delivery across New York City, Long Island and Westchester because they share our people-first ethos.”

Dave Vautrin, Union Square Travel Agency’s operating partner said: “At USQTA we are proud to support a brand like The Honeybee Collective that gives back to its employees and practices sustainably across the board. They put that same passion and ethos into their products, selecting the highest quality bio-dynamic and organic, sun-grown flower for all their pre-rolls. The 10-pack of half-gram joints is the perfect size tin: high-quality, reusable, with beautiful branding. We look forward to sharing the Honeybee experience with you soon at USQTA.”

About The Honeybee Collective

The Honeybee Collective is an employee-owned brand that curates eco-friendly cannabis for impact-minded consumers. Our products and business practices put people and the planet first. Choosing The Honeybee Collective helps build community wealth and a more sustainable future. Learn more at https://www.honeybeecollective.com/

About Highline Brands (a dba of Hepworth Pura LLC)

Highline Brands is the distribution company of Hepworth Pura LLC, a joint venture partnership between Hepworth Ag and Pura Industries NY LLC. Hepworth Ag holds adult use cultivation and adult use processing licenses within New York State. Hepworth is a 7th-generation farm located in Milton, in the heart of the Hudson Valley, led by sisters Amy and Gail Hepworth. Hepworth leverages its longstanding organic vegetable farm that serves Whole Foods, Fresh Direct and other stores across the northeast across its 550 acres. Pura Industries NY is an experienced cannabis operator that brings its NY roots along with its advanced genetics library, cannabis cultivation and manufacturing experience that its management has led in several other states. HP operates on 70 acres, including an advanced 25,000 square-foot manufacturing and processing center. HP is dedicated to bringing high-quality cannabis products to NY from both its own internal brands such as Hepworth and Pura, along with products from its leading brand partners. "We are excited to partner with Honeybee Collective because their founders share our passion for ethical business practice and environmental sustainability,” Gail Hepworth, co-founder/President of Hepworth Pura. To learn more about HP, please contact Jon Lasser at jon@puracali.com or Gail Hepworth at gail@hepworthpura.com

For more information about Pura Cali, visit https://www.puracali.com/

About The Cannabis Place

The Cannabis Place was founded by CEO Osbert Orduña, a U.S. Marine Corps Veteran who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom and is now putting his military logistics experience to work in the cannabis industry. In May 2023, after receiving their NYS Conditional Adult Use Recreational Dispensary license The Cannabis Place launched its licensed cannabis delivery service using a proprietary software platform e-commerce and route optimization site, this enabled them to offer no-cost free delivery from day one. In just a few months’ time, The Cannabis Place has grown its licensed cannabis delivery coverage zone to include the entirety of New York City, Long Island and Westchester County, making legal cannabis products available to over 12 million New Yorkers 21 and over. Take the High Road with us and learn more at https://www.TheCannabisPlace.org

About Union Square Travel Agency, a cannabis store

The Union Square Travel Agency (USQTA) is a purpose-driven cannabis dispensary that redirects more than half of all proceeds to the not-for-profit The Doe Fund. USQTA is a New York-birthed company that believes in the legalization of cannabis, and that the industry should help to repair the damage done by the War on Drugs. The company is made up of New Yorkers committed to giving back and supporting BIPOC-, women-, and LGBTQ-owned brands. USQTA hires formerly incarcerated and legacy operators with support from our community partners, and celebrates design, innovation and education. USQTA creates spaces that can help transport all those who visit – to a better world and a higher plane of consciousness. Visit https://www.unionsquaretravelagency.com/ to learn more.

Warning: For use only by adults 21 years of age and older. Keep out of reach of children and pets. In case of accidental ingestion or overconsumption, contact the Poison Center hotline at 1-800-222-1222 or call 9-1-1. Please consume responsibly. Cannabis can be addictive.

Concerned about your cannabis use? Contact the New York State HOPELine by texting "HopeNY", calling 1-877-8-HOPENY, or visiting oasas.ny.gov/HOPELine.

Wire Service Contact
NetworkWire (NW)
New York, New York
www.NetworkNewsWire.com
212.418.1217 Office
Editor@NetworkWire.com