40 Tons to share MJBizCon space with other justice-impacted marijuana brands

Last year, Los Angeles-based cannabis brand 40 Tons mailed thousands of postcards – and handed out thousands more – addressed to individuals currently in prison on marijuana-related charges.

The postcards were signed by MJBizCon 2023 attendees.

The message? You are not forgotten.

This year, 40 Tons is returning to MJBizCon on Dec. 4-6 and sharing its space on the trade show floor – called Equity Row – with 15 other marijuana companies founded by justice-impacted individuals.

“At 40 Tons, we believe in sharing the platform we’ve worked hard to build,” said Loriel Alegrete, CEO and co-founder of 40 Tons.

Opportunity for justice-impacted companies

She co-founded 40 Tons with her husband, Anthony Alegrete, and Corvain Cooper, her friend of 27 years.

Cooper received a presidential clemency in January 2021 while serving a life sentence for a nonviolent marijuana offense.

“If we can create opportunities for justice-impacted entrepreneurs, then we’re doing our job,” Loriel Alegrete said.

40 Tons reached out to leaders from cannabis business associations such as Marijuana Matters, Minorities for Medical Marijuana and Women Grow to connect with a diverse group of justice-impacted companies in the cannabis space, according to Anthony Alegrete.

“We could have easily picked a lot of California brands since that’s where we’re from, but we wanted to get as many states involved as possible,” he said, adding that Equity Row participants at MJBizCon 2024 will include not only brands but a marijuana delivery technology firm, a cannabis association, a mixologist, retailers and other plant-touching and ancillary companies serving the industry.

MJBizCon is providing free booth space and marketing for the Equity Row participants.

Small operators can ‘do big deals, too’

“The reason it’s difficult for justice-impacted brands to compete with the big boys is because of access to capital and access to opportunity,” Anthony Alegrete said.

“At MJBizCon, we have a unique chance to connect with supply chain partners, investors and the resources we need to level up our businesses.

“In fact, we secured our Minnesota deal at the last MJBizCon,” he said. “Thanks to our partnership with MJBizCon, we were able to connect with a manufacturer in Minnesota and lock in a great deal.”

Speaking about 40 Tons’ experience at MJBizCon 2023, 40 Tons co-founder Corvain Cooper said, “It really leveled us up and helped us grow; it showed the world that we’re not just a small organization.

“Even though we’re an equity company and a small, minority-owned business, we can still make big deals happen – and if we’re given a fair chance, we can easily compete with the best of them.”

For more information about MJBizCon and to buy tickets, click here.

Kate Lavin can be reached at kate.lavin@mjbizdaily.com.