Being able to produce high-quality concentrates and have fun branding are the hallmarks of success in the marijuana industry. Behind all that forward-facing power is an important element to consider: the company culture. At 710 Labs, outstanding products and positive vibes go hand in hand.

“It’s important to us that we hire people that really want to be at 710 and know who we are and what we stand for,” said 710’s CEO and Founder Brad Melshenker. “I think that’s been our philosophy from the start; we want people that want to learn, want to grow with the company and want to be there and not just clock in for a paycheck. It takes time to build that culture and find those people.”

Melshenker came from humble origins and was determined that he would do something with marijuana, even though it started off slow.

“I connected with cannabis at 16 years old and never looked back,” he explains. “Twenty-three years later, I still love this plant more and more each day. I sold my first eighth of what we called ‘Kind Bud’ when I was 16 years old, so that I could smoke for free. Fast-forward to 2005 when I moved out to LA to get into the fashion industry; that’s when I began to learn the ins and outs of the Prop. I learned the business side of fashion and how the 215 model works. If I had the opportunity to legally take my previous 8 years’ experience while I was in college, I would make it a reality.

“I was acting as a broker between some of the top growers and the best dispensaries in the state, soaking in both worlds as much as I could. Eric Holder declared that Obama would allow states to regulate marijuana. This was my sign to get out of the fashion industry. In 2008, I raised money from family and friends to build my first cannabis grow house in Encino. It was a complete failure. I used LEDs to grow cannabis indoors, long before the LED technology existed. But, like all mistakes that are really the path to success, that failure led to the next chapter of our moving to Colorado, where you could be a for-profit LLc as opposed to California, where you had to hide behind the non-profit model to be in compliance at the time.”

With headquarters in both Colorado and California, it’s important to Melshenker that each employee, no matter how recently hired, feels a personal connection to the brand and wants to grow with the company. This is crucial for an industry that often puts profit over people.

“I want to make sure that I build a relationship with everybody in the company; that’s really important to me,” Melshenker said. “I want to get to know them; I want them to understand this is, in a sense, a family. I think it’s important to grow that way with people that you care about and are invested in the company and its success and each other.”

Melshenker was born with an interest in marijuana and an entrepreneurial spirit. He knew that he wanted to be a cannabis worker, although he also had plans beyond selling small amounts of cannabis. After realizing some states would legalize cannabis, Melshenker began growing the plants and later extracted the marijuana. The rest is history.

“Our commitment is to only sell products that 1 would consume,” Melshenker said about the pride and care that goes into 710’s offerings. “Quality over everything is our ethos. Even over making money. That is what every company wants, and we do it. This is how it works. We throw batches out in the trash if they don’t meet the quality-control standards, literally. Although there is plenty of creativity in packaging and branding, most mid-grade products are not. This was something I realized early on in my career. [that]High-quality products sell faster and are more popular. Our fans know they can count on us for consistency as well.”

Noodle Doinks, also known as water hash, and Noodle Doinks (also known as. 710 Labs is a pioneer in concentrates manufacturing and has been known for its unique products like water hash or Noodle Doinks (a.k.a.

“Quality over everything is our ethos. Even over making money. And I know every company says that, but we live it.” —Brad Melshenker

“This is the product I am currently most proud of,” said Melshenker of 710 Labs’ pre-rolls. “There wasn’t a pre-roll on the market in either California or Colorado that I would want to go buy. I’m not the best joint-roller in the world, although it is meditative for me. My goal was to create the perfect joint that contained the finest quality flower. No smalls, no trim, no shake, no ground-up, powdery, dry nugs.

“I wanted to develop something that my weed-snob mind would buy. To achieve the ideal bud-to paper ratio, we cut excess paper. We added in the gluten-free rotini noodle as the crutch/ filter for airflow and stability, and boom, our Noodle Doinks arrived on the market, and we can’t keep them on shelves. Tensecond Tom, who runs this department and helped set up the process since it’s very laborious, is credited for making my vision become a reality in terms of producing these at scale.”

In addition to the company’s focus on creating some of the best products out there, the 710 crew also has an eye on social equity. They have a branch in Oakland and they work to ensure that everyone has equal access to the resources.

“We embrace social-equity programs, as we understand and empathize with the injustice that has occurred due to the government’s previous War on Drugs,” Melshenker said. “Specifically in the city of Oakland, where our California facility is, we have two social-equity partners in two of our cannabis licenses, and, in addition, our company also supports the Anti-Recidivism Coalition, which helps find jobs and offers community and support for formerly incarcerated individuals.”

710 Labs also collaborated with the Transitional Program for Foster Youth to provide real-world experience. Some of the program’s graduates have been hired by 710 Labs as valuable employees. 710 Labs does more than talk about inclusion like some brands.

In terms of what’s coming up next for the brand, Melshenker has lots of exciting plans in the works. “We have many announcements in terms of new product lines, like our Rosin Pods, which are dropping in a few months, as well as our Persy Doinks (three grams of flower, one gram of hash rosin),” he said. “Also, we are adding new flavors to our genetic library from the extensive pheno hunting we do for new cultivars.”

Consumers can also look forward to future collaborations with leading creators who have partnered with 710 Labs. “We will continue to release limited-edition artist drops and collabs, similar to our notable ones with Richard Prince, Camp High and Joe Roberts (LSD World Peace),” Melshenker shared. “I’m very excited about our upcoming collabs with the Elder Statesman and our new line called itsPurpL with Jaleel White that was recently launched. Our seed company Green Beans will be on the market by 2022. We are definitely in expansion mode on all fronts, including new states and markets.”

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You can read this original publication here Chronic News August 2021 Issue in our archive.