How to Break Into Edibles Even When Illegal In Your State (Tara Misu, Blazin Bakery)

Tara "Misu" Sargente is the owner of Blazin’ Bakery, the first legal, woman-owned edibles company in New Jersey. Tara shares her ingenious strategy allowing her to break into the cannabis edibles industry legally, without a license or NJ legalization.

Tara also shares her experience competing with 162 applicants for 6 NJ medical dispensary licenses awarded in Nov 2018.

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Transcript

Gary George: 0:01

Jeez, episode number two of the Real Cannabis Entrepreneur would show, here's what's coming up

Tara Misu: 0:06

day. I made a batch of brownies for my friends and they turned out really good. And then they ask their friends and their friend's friends and pretty soon everyone was asking me to make these brownies and I said, well, I can't start up an illegal edibles business, but I saw a hole in the market and I said, what I can do is build the mouse trap for people to be able to make her own edibles at home. So, um, based on that, then that's how I started a blazant bakery.

Gary George: 0:33

Welcome to the Real Cannabis Entrepreneur show. This is the place to learn the exact blueprint on breaking into the cannabis industry. Everybody, thanks so much for tuning in to Real Cannabis Entrepreneur podcast show. Once again, we'll real season cannabis entrepreneurs share some of the most coveted secrets, hard to find information on exactly how you could break into the cannabis industry and more. I am your host, Gary George, and I'm excited to be joined today by Tara Mizzou. That's right. Tower is the founder of blazing bakery. New Jersey's first illegal edibles company. Our product line launched in 2010 if featured optimize Brownie mix. Does that enable anyone to make potent DIY edibles? Believes in bakery mixes that have been sold in Spencer gifts and over 1000 shots nationally. Tower uses her near decade of experience working in the cannabis industry to advance legalization and work closely with the NJ legislators, activists, and media to expand and improve the program. Terrorists graduated from with honors from Rutgers University go. Are you additionally studying cannabis at Oaksterdam university and extraction science in Denver? She has an extensive background in edibles creation, both small batch and commercial processing. This year tower will be applying for an adult use processing license and we are going to jump in it. Everybody welcome with a big round of applause. Tara Zoo

Speaker 3: 2:03

from blazing bakery. Okay. Thank you so much for being on the show. Taryn, it's great to have

Gary George: 2:15

you on here.

Tara Misu: 2:17

No, I'm excited to talk about what's going on in cannabis. There's so much new things happening with Sarah.

Gary George: 2:22

Absolutely doesn't stop. It doesn't stop. So we're going to jump, but dive right into this because everybody's been waiting to hear from you and all the good stuff you have going on. So we're gonna get right into it, cause I know my listeners, they want to get the biggest bang out of this particular interview. So we're going to roll. So tell me a little bit about how it all began blazing bakery. How did it start? How was it conceived? Tell me about that.

Tara Misu: 2:47

Um, okay. So back in 2009, I was doing design and marketing. That's kind of my background and I was looking to do with have a change of some sort. So I literally sat down and made a column, two columns, one things I like and one was things I'm good at. And,, that was ended up being cannabis and a website. So, um, I ended up starting, I,, you know, a cannabis website and trying to decide what it was going to be. And one day I made a batch of brownies for my friends and they turned out really good. And then they asked their friends and their friend's friends and pretty soon everyone was asking me to make these brownies and I said, well, I can't start up an illegal edibles business, but I saw a hole in the market and I said, what I can do is build the mouse trap for people to be able to make our own edibles at home. So, um, based on that, then that's how I started a blazing bakery and we spent about a year doing research. I paired up with the food chemist who was willing to work with me. Obviously with a substance being federally illegal. We couldn't do traditional studies, but I did, I got a group of friends together and we treat it like you would any other kind of clinical study. And we did round after round developing the product and, and like you said in the intro, it's an optimized mix and that works on a couple of different ways. It has coconut oil, which has a higher fatty acid content, more medium chain triglycerides, so it absorbs fat soluble THC better. And it also has soy lecithin, which is an emulsifier. So, and that has a dual purpose that will make it go through your bloodstream more efficiently. So the, it hits you harder and faster. They also eliminates hotspots and your batter. So when you were working in a commercial facility, they may mix a batch for hours to ensure even distribution. You're not doing that in your kitchen. That's why sometimes you'll lead a Brownie and your friend will have this, you know, crazy his them so hard and you won't feel anything. That's because there's hotspots in the mix. So having an emulsifier in there helps cut that out.

Gary George: 4:44

Wow, that's great. That is excellent. Sounds like a lot of super scientifically, you know, background that goes into these edibles. Not just mix it up and there you go. But really understanding a little bit more about the integrative work. And so, so tell me this, how much chemistry really goes into it over, you know, I always wanted to wonder how much people just make these edibles. You get all types of variations. We are dealing with the plan. Anything both. Panicle of course there's a ton of variation. Tell me how much chemistry really goes into the science of edible makers.

Tara Misu: 5:17

Um, I mean that's why I constantly surround myself with people smarter than myself on this because I first to say I don't have a science background, but, um, I have learnt a lot over the past decade and when you're talking about the future now my product's been great, um, during prohibition and it's still great in a very conservative states that are where people have a harder time getting access to edibles. And I, I'm so happy to provide that for them. But moving forward in Jersey, hopefully this year we're going to have a edible access. You know, our current six atcs, we're, you know, except for one of them selling lozenges wasn't really able to, you know, have edibles on premises and that's hopefully changing in 2019 the legislation's all there. So it should move forward soon. And then you're going to be moving away from, you know, your Crockpot, your stove top animals that we've been, you know, consuming in New Jersey and you're going to be moving towards either two types of processing, both which the state plans to allow, which are CO2 and hydrocarbon or butane. So those get very scientific and especially when you're talking about a butane, you're dealing with explosive materials. So it has to be in a C1/D1 facility, explosion proof. You're working with the town, fire marshal permits and you're extracting to the point where we can isolate different cannabinoids now and say, okay, this isn't back when you used to walk into a dispensary. And they'd say, okay, indicat down sativa hybrid. You know, now we're, we're looking at cannabinoid profiles and also coordinating them with Turpines to create patient medicine. And that's really targeted for certain conditions. So we're going to talk to someone and we're going to examine their lifestyle. We're going to, you know, examine their condition and we can really through extraction methods now and these formulas really provide patients. And I'm for the adult use market to, you know, these tailored experiences and treatments.

Gary George: 7:14

That's what it's all about. I mean, a really getting down into exactly how to make the best solutions for each individual. Um, you know, this,, cannabis is a individualized type of approach. Um, and many people don't understand that, that there's so many variations, there's so many things that people haven't explored yet that's just starting to come into fruition and there's a ton more science and research to do, to really understand everything that's going on with it. So that's great that you've already, um, early on I've gotten into it, looked at all the different things, starting to really, um, get deeper with it, but that, that sounds really good. And Yeah. Explosives. You said what? C One d one

Tara Misu: 7:59

class, one division one. So I mean, you can absolutely custom and build a facility and this is just for processing. You know, you won't eat it on either of a cultivation or the dispensary. Right. But when you're dealing with a volatile chemicals, they can be in the air. There's upper explosive limits. So you have to have a booth. And, and in Colorado in four years, there has never been an incident or this was a problem because we are talking about lab standards, you know, someone compared it. To me, it's the difference between Eli Lilly making Adderall and someone making meth in a trailer. You know, we're, we're, we're going to lab pharmaceutical standards and there has been no instances. The, the times you hear about problems like that are people who are doing it at home in their garage trying to make own extracts. But, um, yeah, I mean that's why I'm so looking forward to a regulated industry in New Jersey because once these, these regs are in place and we're able to set up really high tech facilities, we're to be able to provide the public with, you know, amazing edibles and just things that we know we're not possible.

Gary George: 9:01

Absolutely. Absolutely. That, that, that is a great thing. Again, we don't want to, you know, having all the things in place. We don't want to blast these edibles all over town with an explosion.

Tara Misu: 9:13

Maybe I shouldn't even bring that up because you know, you're, you're putting ideas in people's heads that maybe were there, you know, but it is something that people need to consider when, cause, cause I meet a lot of people who want to get into the edibles industry and they just, you know, start educating yourself now because this is what you're going to be up against and this is the things you need to learn. And there's a lot to learn. Like I said, it's, it's not making canna butter on the stove top anymore, but,, it's great. You know, it's

Gary George: 9:40

exactly, exactly. Now I do think that that was really ingenious where you to come up with that angle of selling the ingredients and the extract instruction, um, instead of the actual plan. And, you know, I thought that was very, very smart and you were way ahead of the curve. How did you think of that? So how were you still up ahead of the market? What were you thinking about?,, to actually put that in place?

Tara Misu: 10:03

Yeah. Yeah. No, it was just Kinda, and you know, I pick up the time I was probably watching the showtime show weeds and it was funny because they,,, they, they flashed forward I think about 10 years into the future when the series ended. And I think that's where we are now. We're about 10 years into the future and roundabout and yeah, it was just, you know, these kind of where the bootleggers, you know, the, the early Jack Daniels and I always said that's who I'm going to be. I'm going to be the Jack Daniels of cannabis edibles because I just saw something where it's like, people want this, it's less harmful than alcohol. Everyone, you know, how many people you know, do I want to say everyone, but most people, it's ubiquitous. And I just saw something where I'm like, how can this not be legal? And I felt if I just started really devoting my life to it on an activism level and on a business level, it was something that in the long run would happen and would pay off. And I, I think it would take 10 years. It's been a, it's been a battle. I've definitely taken some hits. I've had my bank account closed. I've had my social media taken down four times. I've had my payment processors. I'm banned on paypal and square and all, you know, it's been a tough road. But,,, I, I love it. I wouldn't change it and it's, it was just something I felt passionate about and I'm really seeing happy to see the rest of the world come, come along with me now.

Gary George: 11:26

Right, right. Wow, that's an amazing story for you to be in it and go through all of those different things that we hear about all of the, um, you know, different,,, people in the industry experienced in those nightmares, dealing with payment processing, dealing with some of the other things are starting to get a little bit more liberal, but still, um, it's still a, seems like it's a rough rocky road still ahead to kind of

Tara Misu: 11:48

get past some of the options are there now, but there you have to pay a premium for them and I think that will normalize eventually. But unfortunately, if you are processing credit cards, you're a high risk processor, which I danced a lot of high risk, you know, and I couldn't be any safer. But you pay a premium on same thing. I've heard of people having to pay$2,000 a month just for the privilege of putting your money in a bank. You know, it's so, but eventually everything will be fine, especially once this is illegal on a federal level. And then we'll have some of the rights and options,,, you know, one thing to 80, he not being able to take tax deductions, that's a huge problem for cannabis businesses, but eventually this will all fall to the wayside.

Gary George: 12:31

Absolutely. Absolutely. Let's talk a little bit about your formal training in education.,, you know, I see you studying cannabis at Oaksterdam university and extraction size in Denver.,, what did you learn? How valuable was that information and what aspects of that do you think,,, where are they integral in helping you start blazing bakery and working with the Brown and mixes and all the other stuff that you're doing?

Tara Misu: 12:55

Absolutely. And those came into different phases. When I, when I first went out to Oaksterdam, I was just completely self taught. Like I said, I made my first pastor brownies and I did some googling online, that kind of thing. But I went out in California, obviously they,,, they started in 1996 with decriminalization. So the gray market out there has been thriving for so long that it's really allowed people to come out. And, and one of the people I got to meet and study under there was a aunt sandy. She wrote the original cannabis cookbook. And,,, that was so cool. She's known for these lemon bars and, and then,,, you know, things that I'm, I'm not an expert on. You just kinda touch on growing and the legal end and all that. And,, I mean, I mean, I've partnered with an amazing grower now who,,, is, you know, part of if I move forward with a vertical license, but it's just things to give a broader knowledge of the industry. So when you're talking to someone, you at least can comprehend what they're saying. And I'm really, I would encourage anyone who wants to get involved in the industry that, that's just a great general place to start. And now if you do, you know, he'll have to fly out to Oakland like I did. You could,,, they have, clover leaf is a great university. You can take courses right online and that, and that's just going to give you a good foundation to communicate with people in the industry. And then as far as going out to Denver, that was when I really need to be more hands on because you can learn so much from a book or in theory, but when you really got me to get into learning to use this equipment and um, I mean people call themselves extract artists and,, yeah, it's the only way you're going to learn it is really to go out there and be hands on with it. So it's,

Gary George: 14:33

that is great. I mean, that's what it's all about, getting your hands dirty. You can't just sit in the basement all day and,, you know, imagine, or I'm read articles about it or books. Sometimes you gotta get in there and actually do to see firsthand. So that was great that you did that and I'm sure that really helped. Um, overall and your understanding of things and stuff like that. Um, yeah. What would you say? So I've, for someone looking to get into the edibles industry, then, you know, the options seem endless. There's all kinds of stuff now. I mean, bars and desserts and food and drinks and beverages and now the big boys are starting to get into it. The beer companies and everybody, I mean, it's quite intimidating. What advice would you give them? People trying to get into the industry to help them find appropriate niche for themselves.

Tara Misu: 15:25

Okay. Yeah, that is a great question. And,,, it's something I think about a lot because I've, I've been following this, you know, for a decade flying around the country and like if I saw something on the news, I'd be like, oh, I gotta try that out of Bolan, you know, then I'm off my next trip with a list of things I have to try. And,,,,, I love that. I love all the innovation people have had through the years. So really don't look at it as, oh my God, everything's taken. Look at it as just what, what do I love and what can I have fun with? And I would say a mistake that people make is a just going with the Cliche, you know, I'm going to make gummies and a chocolate bar and things like that. You know, you're not going to set yourself apart with that, but then just think about what you're good at. If you have a recipe that you know was being your family for years. I mean there's people who are chefs who were doing, you know,,, multiple forests dinners now or you know, people getting into, it doesn't have to be something you consume a bath products are huge,,, anything. I mean, just do the research. Google, I mean, when I started, there was nothing, no information out there, which is why we had to create it all ourselves. There's so much information out there. Wherever you can kind of think or dream you could pretty much come up with. And, um, yeah, I mean also the other mistake people make is, um, even if you have that idea thinking that's enough, even if you did want to do a chocolate bar, it can't just be milk chocolate and a rapper. You need to say, who's my audience are? Is it high end? Is it whole foods? Is it organic fair trade or is it a Hershey bar? Is it, you know, something for the people that's fun and you know, you go buy five of them, you know, it's, you got to think of who your audience is, who your branding too, and just be really purposeful about that because that's how you will compete with some of these larger competitors because you can be assured they're innovating and they're branding. And,,, actually, as I told you, so I have a little giveaway for the listeners if they are interested in hearing more about how you can brand your business and some other great ideas,,, in my opinion, you can give us your email. And,,, he,,, the promotion we're doing is 10 ways to break into the edibles business.,, or was it 10 mistakes people make when trying to break into the edibles business? I'm unsure, but either way it's a, it's all the tips and kind of tricks, insider information that we would help someone if I was to sit down with them and consult them on a one to one basis. This is the foundation that consultation would kind of be built on.

Gary George: 18:01

That's excellent. And you hear that she's giving away some really good insight or information that you can only get here on the Real Cannabis Entrepreneur podcast. Go to Real Cannabis Entrepreneur.com forward slash Tara t a r a a again Real Cannabis Entrepreneur.com forward slash tower to get that free ebook that she's going to provide. So a ton of great stuff. Appreciate that tariff offering that to the listeners. I noted really going to appreciate that as well. Um, I got another question for you too. Um, so one of the things that, um, that I've done over the years and I always advise my clients to do the same. It's fine that untapped niche in the market, right? And initially you, you know, everybody thinks so I want to get into the edibles industry or I want to get into this industry or whatever. Um, but actually there may be a larger opportunity supplying the supplier or providing services to the supply. Right. So in your years of experience, um, what would you say are some of the pain points in the business and the edibles industry? Some of the big problems that you and others may have had that there is no solution for but you wish there was some solution for that would make your life easier. Is there anything you noticed that um, maybe that untapped niche that someone could dive into and start helping the suppliers maximize what they're doing?

Tara Misu: 19:30

Okay. Um, well first off, there's always a solution where there's a will. There's a way that I would say that something, a wait, there was so much to a, to touch on there. She said what are some of the problems and,, for someone wanting to get started, I mean cost is always something that people have to consider. I mean, the non affordable industry to get into in New Jersey. I mean there, there was a period where the little guy could just kind of start a boutique business, but right now these licenses are very competitive. And if you want to do this legally, you do have to obtain one. So that's a giant hurdle that unfortunately everyone hates to think that money is a barrier. But it is. So you need to start thinking about funding. And to do that, you are going to have to have a great branded product. And behind that branded product, you're going to have to have a good business plan and you're going to have to pitch. I mean, unless you're independently wealthy and in which case you could ignore everything I just said, but,,, where those of us who aren't. Um, so, so money's always a hurdle. And then obviously a something that has unfortunately been a hurdle is the, a political climate.,, you can't do anything. Laws Pass, but something people always could do with that is activism. And that's what I've been doing for bridges now long before, you know, it was even on most people's radar in New Jersey. There were some of us who, you know, we're, we're fighting this battle for a long time and you know, contact your local legislators, contact your municipalities. I mean, it's, so many of them have come out and banned adult use dispensaries before they've even gotten a chance to talk to anyone or hear what that could bring to a community. Um, for instance, an article came out last week that said, towns that have dispensaries or cannabis businesses in them, the property values actually go up. And people, that's their fear of, oh, it's going to ruin the neighborhood. No, it's going to bring an influx of funds into your municipality and what that you're going to get new roads and better schools. And yes, your property value will go up. And the education your children receive, you'll, you'll have, you know, it's, it's so much fear out there and people are creating hurdles that shouldn't be. And the biggest way we make progress is by people not only thinking, well, where's my bottom line? How do I make money? But also, I mean, this industry, I've, I've put my heart and soul into it. And the people who do that are really the ones who move things forward as well.

Gary George: 22:05

Right. Those are some great points that you made. That's huge. I mean, it listened to that everybody out there, I mean everybody's in fear a that was the one that I think the biggest fear of the,,, everybody out there to say, oh, what's that happens is that community is going to be all tore up, is going to be crazy. It's going to be drugs all over in this. But they're actually seeing increases in,,, the assessments of properties in the area. So this is, this is all stuff that, you know, we, um, I think everyone needs to do more research because there's just a lot of assuming. Um, but as we start to see these things play out, if people start to research, and we're starting to see that too, I see a lot of people who were anti,,, cannabis turning into pro cannabis now because of the, particularly with the CBD, I think that really helped the industry. Um, having a substance that eliminated the psychoactive act,,, you know, elements because everybody was just so scared of that, oh, everybody's going to be, oh no, now it's just about, okay, we're going to just isolate it and now it just works based off of the curative properties of what it does. So now everybody's like, oh, now my mom can use it. Now my grandma could. Exactly. You know, me too. Never in a million years when my mind walking into a dispensary. But if I say, no, this is great for your, you know, your, your shoulder with the arthritis, your hand, then it's a different, different story. So,

Tara Misu: 23:36

um, it's, it's great. My cousin just, um, ask me, I'm sure his mother will never listen to it, so I'm not ruining anything. But he said, I want to get my mom some CBD stuff for Christmas. So I provide them, you know, at some links and stuff to help them out. But, and that's something I hope to see too, is a time where cannabis in general is so normalized. You might bring edibles to,, you know, a holiday party instead of a bottle of wine and a CBD is really building that bridge. I mean,,, that's the step that I'm taking as well in between my add your own mix, which has been, you know, wonderful. And I, I still sell plenty of that, but I've added CBD now to the website cause I see that as the bridge or blaze in bakery to have an edibles line, you know, we're, or it's slowly shifting it now from I have to light the oven, I have to make my own mix and that's still the case if you want THC even still in New Jersey. But CBD for a lot of people is enough, you know, not everyone needs to go active. And especially now,,, the FDA approved epidiolex,, for epilepsy and that's a, the only legally approved CBD in America right now. But I mean, obviously with states providing access there is, I mean it's attainable.

Gary George: 24:50

Wonderful. Absolutely. Absolutely. We're going to shift gears a little bit here and get into your second fees of what you've been doing. Terry, you've been doing some big things and moving into the application process, I understand you went for the application in New Jersey, you were one of the applicants. Um, what was it, the alternative treatment center was the name of your other company that you're part owner of? Correct?

Tara Misu: 25:17

I'm sorry. I've repressed oh, sure. The application process.

Gary George: 25:27

That was fine. I'm sure. I'm sure particularly in New Jersey, we going to wrap, they're going to run you through the ringer.

Tara Misu: 25:34

We had the way, the most rigorous application process in the country from what I've heard. It was, um, yeah, it was intense and it was a great learning experience actually. I mean, it made you make connections and think about things and approach people. It opens so many doors in a way because you're doing things. I never thought I'd have to negotiate a collective bargaining agreement with the union, but I did, you know, the, the things that we had to deal with, with, um, you know, property and contracts we had to negotiate and the amount of politics behind it, having to, you know, read over legislation, hundreds of pages to understand, um, what was required and what was looking for. And obviously you have a lawyer who's consulting with you on that. But, um, it was a lot. Me and my partner is, we rented out a conference room in a law office for the entire month of August and every day, you know, it, that was what we did. We woke up and we went there and we wrote and we made phone calls and we put together a great application. I have a great team. Um, we were the, so the licenses were awarded this Monday and,, we were not awarded. One only had I think like a 4% chance it was on. There was 146 applications for a six, six licenses. So a, I know, we believe that was a, a poor reflection on our team. There was just some really heavy hitters, strong applicants who came in. Um, you know, multistate operators with a right now just more experience and more financial backing. And I mean the, the Doh, I believe they did a really thorough job because I mean it was supposed to have selections on November 1st and we're, we're in December, January, you know, it's,,, it, they definitely took the time and read through them, so that's wonderful. Um, it just, you know, so from what I hear and I've been following legislation as closely as possible, talking to people, I'm a, I'm a board member in the NJ CBA, so I try to stay really active and just talk to people and from everything we're hearing, there should be another round of licenses coming out. So, you know, bounce right back. You don't always win the battle the first time. It's exciting. I mean, we were only still 12 and the state first, they have eight, nine people. There's five thousand nine million almost that there's 5,000 liquor stores. So there's still plenty of room for dispensary's that come on board and we're going to be seeing hopefully a lot more in the next year. So we'll, we'll get there eventually.

Gary George: 28:08

Yeah, absolutely. Well that is great as great that you went to the process. I'm sure that like you said, you've learned a ton and when it comes to second time around, you will be light years ahead of everyone else who has not gone through that process. So

Tara Misu: 28:22

what was amazing too, I should have said this is the people I met. I mean I know a lot of the teams, I, you know, we all see each other. It's a very small community and the people who I've met, I just consider friends now that they've really been a huge part of the journey in New Jersey. The canvas community here is just amazing.

Gary George: 28:42

Right. That is great. That is great. I mean for you that was a go at it, like you said, with a 4% chance you got to, you get her really, you know, have some, some, some coronas man, and take that and go in and say we're going to put something together and go and compete. Because I mean that's like making it to the NFL. It's like your chances. So now you are, you really have to be dedicated and, and my hat's off to you guys and your team for doing that and approaching that whole thing because I know it was a rigorous process.

Tara Misu: 29:12

That was a lot. I spent the whole month of September just trying to form thoughts in my head again. I was, it was, it was worth it. It was great. Yeah.

Gary George: 29:22

Right, right, right, right. So tell me this about the application process. Um, I heard that the applications were humongous.

Tara Misu: 29:30

Yes. So it had a 300 page limit. So we had to, we had to whittle it down to 300 pages and,, that, that was only the written section. There was a pass fail part a of just the logistics. You know, your blueprints and things like that. So,,, yeah, it was long and it was very thorough. I have to hand it to the Doh for really, I think they combed over applications from other states and really just compiled something that was a great vetting process. And since this was a medical round, we really had to, we put together a whole medical board. We had and still do have an affiliation with a major hospital and you know, we had our patient forward and just the, the product line I developed like I was speaking of earlier with those different profiles, even within the restrictions of New Jersey law, we put together just a really thorough product line. So yeah, I mean it's a, it was a lot and it was a big undertaking, but I really feel like they, I mean they did give us so many people said, oh, it was only a 30 day turnaround. How are we supposed to do this? Well, if you're following the legislation and most people didn't, but you can log right in and read it anytime it's all there. Um, the,,, it was that outlined pretty much so many of the things that ended up in that application had been known for months. And then before they released it, of course there was a request for applications and they literally outlined to the t what every one of the questions was going to be. And that was right on the Doh website. So go ahead. By the time it came out, it wasn't like you got blindsided. We had already assigned tasks to everyone based on our projections and they were pretty much spot on. So was it a lot? Yes. Was it expensive? Yes. But was it, um, undoable? Absolutely not. But by no stretch of the imagination.

Gary George: 31:24

Right, right. What kind of,,, on the team, let's talk about who,,, what type of professionals you need when approaching these applications. Like you said, you had some of the medical side, you have a, some people on this side, that's what the finance people, the legal team,,, who else was involved? What do you need to really get a proper team that's a well put together to attack that thing.

Tara Misu: 31:48

Gotcha. So, um, well I, I myself was a, basically the processing end, um, along with one of our, we had, so we had two partners out in California, one in Arizona, and then three of us, we're right here in Jersey. So I was completely edibles and I would be running the processing facility in a, in New Jersey. And then we had some,,, award winning edibles people out in California who we were partnered with and they've had an extraction line for many years. And then my grower is a master grower. He's an owner of a major trade magazine and he's been growing since it's been legal since 1996 out in Cali. And you know, he,,, he's amazing. And then also,,, partnered with another grower who works in legal multistate grows and that's the, the guy out in Arizona. And then the, the other gentlemen and we have in New Jersey was purely finance, finance and the logistics. And, and the rest of us are, you know, very cannabis minded and you need that one guy who's just, you know, gonna wow. Everyone at the meeting and bring in the investors. So, I mean, and then I mean, that's the occipital founding members and then we're talking about the additional support, you know, lobbyists, lawyers,,, whatever banking just, well, I mean, it really takes a village at this point, you know, the team that you ended up in, the obviously doctors, medical consultant, um, all those things to put the APP together. And, and that's why I say the first thing you need to start is get some money together. Lawyers aren't cheap. None of it's cheap, but, um, it's worth it.

Gary George: 33:28

So what are you planning for the next opportunity? What changes are you planning after going back in for a second round?

Tara Misu: 33:39

Okay. So, um, first thing we need to do, he's got some feedback. Um, I, they only published scores for the, the top scores. So they haven't released the scores for everyone. And,,, we're really excited to see now where we really killed it and where we have to improve. And then obviously that's where we're going to focus it, right? We're going to polish things up. We're gonna forge stronger relationships. If we have to work more with the community and just, you know, learn from whatever, wherever we fell short, we're going to come back in a stronger, harder and, and hopefully even have a little bit more fun this time because last time it was orange and it was so arduous. But I mean most of the heavy lifting should be done. Our properties are all the same and you know, a lot of it's just going to be um, polishing this round so it's a little more fun. And then personally I, um, I, I'd like to just do my own processing for blades in bakeries, something like that. A little bit more boutique. Like if my license I get for the vertical round is, you know, butter of course lay. I want a little craft brewery and my own and I see that as something I'll be doing in the adult use round if it's a micro license or if it's, you know, regular processing. But, um, I, I've, my passion has always been in the adult use market. That's actually where I'm most excited to see New Jersey going. Cause I love when I hear touching stories from patients. And that's, that's really what this has been built on. And that's how we're, we're getting progress as people having an aunt, a cousin, you know, someone who they see cannabis help and it changes the perception. So that's amazing. But why I got into this was like I said, I want it to be Jack Daniels. I, I want people to have fun and not be, you know, demonized for that. So one on one, the adult use comes around and that's what blaze and bakeries always been about. Like it, it was in Spencer gifts, you know, it was meant to have, have a good time with, so I'm looking forward to that.

Gary George: 35:35

Absolutely. That's what it's about. Having a good time, right, man.

Tara Misu: 35:42

Yeah, it's like a, it's almost like we're not allowed to say that. All we have to say is, oh, we're

Gary George: 35:47

was wonderful. Exactly. Exactly. Everybody's getting wrangled and strangled in there saying this or that, or you gotta be so tight, do with everything. But you know, this is an industry where it's, it is about the,,, the fun aspect in life. I mean, people are going through all types of situations in their lives and things of that nature and everybody needs a release. The reason why, like you say we got 5,000 liquor stores, but this doesn't,

Tara Misu: 36:16

that perception changes, that's going to be a huge accomplishment.

Gary George: 36:19

Right? Absolutely. Absolutely. And I think it's happening in little, little by little, you know, as people start to see these larger companies, um, taking a stake. I think that's really, um, you know, helping people get past some of the stigma there. Say, okay, well this guy's doing it. Wrigley's, you know, is doing it and cores is doing it and okay now these are some of my favorite brands are getting into the big, you know, respected business owners and moguls or getting into it. So I think that's a, it's really helping out. And I think, um, I think we're going to see a little, um, acceleration of the acceptance rate as we get further in with this thing.

Tara Misu: 37:00

Absolutely. That's something that it's been an interesting evolution because it is great that those brands are coming on board and that's going to be something that pushes the enduros three forward and normalizes it. But at the same time, especially as someone who's been around longer than most, it's a little disappointing to see some of the people who this industry was really built on their backs being shut out because of corporations coming in. So I, I mean there's so many, and this is why the micro licenses something I fought for really hard because I want to see these craft businesses and you know, it's, it's great to have Wrigley's and chorus and all that, but I, I want to see there be opportunity and that is something that in legislation has been addressed us, aside from increasing night license numbers, licensed tears also, um, hopefully set asides for women in minorities because you do want to not just leave people in the dust and let corporations run the cannabis industry. You want to really be able this, I mean, this is the green rush and this is perhaps the biggest opportunity in our lifetime to change our status or to have, you know, to live the dream and I want to see that be as inclusive as possible.

Gary George: 38:12

Have you always been this involved in the activism in the politics of the cannabis industry?

Tara Misu: 38:18

Yes, for the activism that I've been doing a very long time, I,,, yeah, I've been fighting, fighting this battle all over the country speaking, going to events, marches. I've ran a lot of the same circles with, I know some other activists, you know, but, um, the politics to me is completely new and really exciting. I never thought that's something I would, um, have such an affinity for. But like I said, you have to read the legislation, you have to know what's going on, you have to speak to legislators and your municipality. And just by doing all this, I actually found out I really enjoyed it. And,,, it's, it's something I want to do more of. I actually am considering maybe running for something in the upcoming year after I'm done with a, you know, so it's not a conflict with this, but it some death. It's amazing. You get to actually make change in, in your world things. I always thought that was something other people did, you know, like, oh, I can't pretend to do that. Who am I? And then you get involved in your, and we're like, wait, this is exciting. I can make a difference. And I, I'd like to try to do that more.

Gary George: 39:21

Now, you've been in this industry longer than most. Um, what, what changes have you seen through all the years that when you first started to now?

Tara Misu: 39:31

Oh my God. Yeah. It's, um, there's been a law. I'm, I'm actually a great example of the changes that I've seen. Like at, like I've said, the evolution from back when this started, it was, you know, tie dye shirts and the stoner stereotype it, it was very true. And then, but now it's politicians and businessmen and corporations. And I, myself, when I started this,,, it's, I don't encourage anyone to Google it, but it's not hard to find. Um, I, you know, I had dreads. I had, you know, this kind of stoner image for blaze and bakery because that is actually what the, the branding required to have any kind of legitimacy. That's the people you were talking to. And you couldn't walk in there as sooth. They'd be like, you know, who's the cop? Like it just say when I work out, you know, so, but now if you walk in in a tie dye shirt and dreads, they're going to kick you out of the room because they're going to be like, who's this guy is security, you know, get them out of here. So, um, yeah, it's really, you need to evolve with the industry and, but it would have never gotten to where it is to the point where we're looking at maybe within five to 10 years,,, you know, federal legalization, which would be amazing. Um, corporations coming on board, you know, being able to bring it to a Christmas party that's without these changes and us, you know, cut your hair, put on a suit, show up, you're not going to get to these places. And that's, that's really been the evolution and there's good and there's bad. And like I said, a lot of those people who were there are getting shut out, but it really means you have to adapt your die and it, you know, I, I was very happy to adapt along with the industry and I, I've gotten a little older anyway. It was time to a time to polish up a bit.

Gary George: 41:18

Well, what are you most excited about in terms of the industry progresses in New Jersey right now?

Tara Misu: 41:27

Yeah, I am, I'm really excited about the adult use like I've said and I'm excited to see things finally start passing. I mean we've,,, when Murphy set out in 2018 I was so excited when he got in the office cause operating a cannabis business,,, under the previous administration was very challenging. So it was excited for 2018 and it's in a lot of false starts. Um, you know, every, we thought first hundred days and then we thought, you know, at the end of the financial year in June and then it became the end of the summer and that became the end of the year and it didn't happen, you know, but, um, how,,, the, the next voting session will be January 31st.,, I'm not sure if this is going to be up before or after then, but you know,,, as of right now, I'm hoping January 31st is when we finally get to pull the trigger and get some bills pass. But it's going to be just a game changer when that happens. That's when, you know, we really, everything we've been hoping and planning and dreaming for really starts to come to fruition.

Gary George: 42:31

Let me see, I'm down to my last couple of questions here.,, I wanted to see about what is next for terror, Massoud and bleeds in bakery. What's coming up down the pipeline.

Tara Misu: 42:44

Absolutely. So, um, in the immediate future we'll be going in for our next round of the vertical license. Um, my CBD line, I'm going to be expanding quite a lot.,, in the next few months I'm, I'm rolling out a bunch of new products. I really want to, you know, start going a little heavier with that. I'm also the NJ CBA, which I am a board member at. I will be taking on a larger role there. So I want, I'm going to get much more involved in that organization and, and I do want to get, of course more involved with the,, activism and political scene. And then adult processing is a adult use processing license is absolutely where I want to focus a lot of energy so I can start getting some really fun edibles out there for the community. And also as I think when adult use comes around, there's going to be a much greater license numbers. I really have a passion for consulting and obviously I, over the past, whatever you tell, I love edibles. It's something and I can't possibly make all the ideas I have in my head. And I want to sit down with other people who do want to get into this industry and see what their ideas are and help guide them. So we really have a thriving quality industry, New Jersey, cause there's enough room for everyone, you know, it's not like I'm like, oh no one can make edibles but me. Right, exactly. Exactly. So I want to do more consulting, help, you know,,,,, thriving, young, younger, old, but perspective edibles makers accomplish their dreams as well.

Gary George: 44:14

Right? Right. And that's the big Phil lesson that, um, I'm always preaching to everyone in certain clients that have these mindsets, these closed off mindsets that think that competition is competition. It's not necessarily competition when you know, you're only 0.0, zero, zero 1% of the market. Um, it is much better to align with individuals who are in the same industry as yourself so that you can share ideas, you can help one another, move forward and it helps you and them and their businesses grow. So that's great to hear you,,, you know, elaborate that because that's something that we always try to beat into that everyone's head like, listen, this is not your competition. These are other alliances. Make them alliances, not enemies.,, yeah. You know,

Tara Misu: 45:03

absolutely. I call it my can Afam or my cannabis community like, yeah, I, I, there's some of these people I see more than my own actual family because we're always all at the same events and we're all working for the same goals. And,,, I, I mean, we have a common enemy, which is everyone who doesn't want legalization to move forward. Right. And if we have internal conflict and we're not going to accomplish our greater goal, which is winning over those people.

Gary George: 45:29

Absolutely. Well said. Well said. Well said. Well, thank you so much Tara, for joining us today.

Tara Misu: 45:37

Thank you for having me, Gary. It's been awesome.

Gary George: 45:40

Yeah, absolutely. I wanted, I wanted to ask you one other thing too. I forgot. Are you available for consulting work?

Tara Misu: 45:46

Absolutely. So you can reach me through my website.,, contact me there. Bleeds in bakery or I'm on, you know, all the socials, linkedin, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, feel free. Reach out to me. I'm blaze in bakery everywhere. That's Blaz I. N. No G. Ah,

Gary George: 46:02

right. Beautiful. Thank you so much Tara. Again for all the wise words, sharing your experience, going through the application process, sharing your experience, building up blazing bakery. You have accomplished quite a bit,,, well ahead of anybody else that I really think is doing it in New Jersey. So Kudos to you. Thanks so much again guys. I remember to tune in, make sure you hit that subscribe button to subscribe to the Real Cannabis Entrepreneur where podcasts, we're going to do this every week coming out with new stuff that you can learn, the greatest insider tips, tricks and secrets about the cannabis industry. Make sure you also go and get terrorists free ebook that she's given away with a ton of goodies. Only doing this exclusively for Real Cannabis Entrepreneur. Waited 10 steps cheat sheet for breaking into the edibles industry that is available and will be available on Real Cannabis Entrepreneur.com forward slash. Tara t. A. R. A. Thanks so much for tuning in guys, and we'll see you soon.

Speaker 4: 47:09

Yes, yes, yes. What a great show. What a great interview with Tara Mizzou from blazing bakery. That's right. I'm here with my cohost and cofounder for Real Cannabis Entrepreneur, Marie George Murray. Hey, what's up? What you think? What do you think? What do you think? That was an awesome show with terrorists. She really gave a blueprint as to how to get into the business and I hope all of you took that and we'll keep running with that information. That's right, man. That's right. Make sure it ain't. Thanks everybody for tuning in once again to the Real Cannabis Entrepreneurs show, man.,, make sure you go get that ebook terror. Wrote that sweetie, both giving you the blueprint and 10, 10 steps, the cheat sheet to break it into edible industry. So make sure you go get that Real Cannabis Entrepreneur.com forward slash Tara and if you're interested in getting the show notes to this podcast and any future podcasts, please go to the Real Cannabis Entrepreneur.com back slash podcasts and all the links mentioned during the show will be posted there. That's where I go. Get it. Go get it. Go get it. And that's right guys, if you didn't know, we have a bill, one of the largest brill cannabis contract mastermind groups. If you are really serious about getting into the business and you want to learn from a seasoned veterans, go to Real Cannabis Entrepreneur.com forward slash master mind. That's right, master mind. So if you know someone or are a Real Cannabis Entrepreneur and love to be featured on this show, basically bringing your unique talents and revolutionary gifts, please contact us at the Real Cannabis Entrepreneur forward slash guests and all information will be there for you to be featured as a guest. That's right guys. So, Hey, don't forget to subscribe, subscribe, and if you're on an apple, you on iTunes mag and pull up that podcast app right now and subscribe. If you're on Google, make sure you go to Google, play music, and subscribe. If you're on Stitcher, we're on Tunein. Went on I heart radio, Spotify, soundcloud. Doesn't matter where you are, man, Real Cannabis Entrepreneur is there, right with you people. So thanks again, and we're tuning known now.