Oregon wholesale cannabis distribution company has directed 50 cents of every pack of KITES pre-rolls sold to local nonprofit NuProject since September 2021
Milwaukie, Ore., July 10, 2024—A $35,000 low-interest loan that allowed a Black woman-owned cannabis company to grow into a booming business. A networking event that opened doors for an Indigenous woman to grow her company’s market share.
More opportunities like these will be available in Oregon and beyond through a partnership between cannabis wholesaler Nimble Distro and NuProject, an Oregon-founded nonprofit that supports diverse cannabis entrepreneurs with funding, mentorship and network connections.
Nimble Distro has donated $110,000 to NuProject since September 2021. And the need is great. Black women, for example, received less than 1% of the $288 billion that venture capital firms funded in 2022, according to the Fearless Fund, a venture capital fund that awards Black women entrepreneurs.
“Intention is plenty; action that drives change is rare,” said Jeannette Ward, president and chief executive officer of NuProject. “Nimble is an example all companies should follow. Their regular, unrestricted funds have become the lifeblood of our organization. In turn, we have enabled the growth of a more diverse cannabis industry across the U.S.”
Nimble Distro donates to NuProject 50 cents for every sold pack of KITES, a 10-pack of pre-rolls sourced from producers who share the company’s values.
“We have built reparations into our cost of goods to help create generational wealth for communities disproportionately harmed by the War on Drugs,” said Joy Hudson, chief executive officer and co-founder of Nimble. “Our business and giving model allow us to make tangible and ongoing impacts on critical issues.”
Nimble’s contribution a game-changer for diverse founders
NuProject has funded more than $3.7 million to historically excluded founders primarily via low-interest loans and grants. NuProject has also delivered more than 2,500 hours of entrepreneur coaching to a network of more than 200 founders.
Nimble’s funding stream allows NuProject to fund diverse-owned businesses at a rate that eclipses traditional lenders. For instance, NuProject recently granted a $35,000 low-interest loan to Calyxeum, a Detroit-based cannabis grower, wholesaler, and retailer owned by Rebecca Colett and LaToyia Rucker, two Black women with degrees in science, health and technology.
NuProject’s loan covered Calyxeum’s start-up costs, allowing the business to boom in its first five years. Calyxeum now operates two cannabis growing facilities and one processing facility. It opened its first retail dispensary in April 2024 in Detroit. Beyond growing a booming business, Colett and Rucker have also created a business incubator for Black women in cannabis and a nonprofit that leads neighborhood improvement projects.
Growing an ecosystem for a better world
Nimble and NuProject have also supported Majik Edibles, an Oregon-based, Indigenous woman-owned producer of fine THC-infused baked goods. Majik co-founder and owner Christine Walsh came close to closing Majik’s doors in the fall of 2021 when shifts in the cannabis market made it nearly impossible to be competitive.
Walsh received an economic justice grant from NuProject, which she credits with saving her company. NuProject also introduced Walsh to Nimble co-founders Joy Hudson and Marissa Rodriguez at a networking event, and their connection was instantaneous. Nimble began distributing Majik’s products in October 2022.
“Our partnership with Nimble and NuProject is based on a shared purpose of forging the cannabis industry forward in a way that lifts up historically excluded founders and creates the space we deserve/need and the world we envision,” Walsh said.
Hudson refers to their partnership with Majik and NuProject as an ecosystem building a better, more equitable world. “Partnering with Majik is this really perfect completion for us of our global vision for Nimble of doing well and doing good,” said Hudson.
Support for additional nonprofits
Nimble supports other local nonprofits through sales of other in-house products, including Northwest Abortion Access and Pride Northwest. To date, Nimble has donated:
- Nearly $6,100 to the Northwest Abortion Access Fund through sales of Broomsticks, a high-end green witch-inspired 1-gram pre-roll.
- $5,530 during Pride Month 2023 to Pride Northwest through sales of Orchid Essentials, Nimble’s revolutionary vape cartridges and batteries designed and formulated to deliver the best user experience and ultimate satisfaction.
Learn more about Nimble by visiting www.nimbledistro.com.
About Nimble Distro
Nimble Distro is a leading wholesale distribution company in the cannabis industry. Powered by a proficient logistics and manufacturing engine, Nimble Distro drives profitability and positive social impact by forging collaborative partnerships with premier cannabis cultivators and processors. With a focus on product excellence and community engagement, Nimble Distro is committed to reshaping the future of the cannabis industry.