AACE INTERVIEW: The Innovator Caroline Yeh
The cannabis flower is female, reflecting the “loud, quiet” yet significant presence of women in steering the cannabis industry toward progress. Despite often working behind the scenes, these women are crucial in advancing the industry for patients and consumers. I belong to a group of women who share similar ideals and life choices; notable figures such as Angela Cheng, Tiffany Chin, and Caroline serve as our fearless leaders. As an organizer, truth seeker, and unwavering advocate for fairness, Caroline embodies a force of nature, akin to tornadoes, massive waterfalls, or giant double rainbows after a storm. Today, I am honored to introduce Caroline to the esteemed pantheon of AACE interviewees.
What was the epiphany that led you from non-infused snacks at Bandar Foods to Bloom Farms (cannabis)?
When I was in grad school, I was on a trip with my classmates in Seattle, where recreational cannabis had recently been legalized. My classmates went to a dispensary and brought back some products, including a cookie. Reviewing the packaging and product, I thought to myself, hey, there’s an opportunity here to improve this, and I know how to do it since I’ve spent my career working at startup CPG companies. So I spent the next year learning all I could about cannabis and the emerging industry, including classes at Oaksterdam, getting my first med card, and visiting dispensaries in California and Colorado. I loved the history, community, opportunity, and challenges of creating a new industry. So, my first job out of grad school was at Bloom Farms.
Did you have experience with cannabis and hemp before going into the industries, or were you a “newbie”? If you were a partaker before, tell us about your first experience.
As a child of Asian immigrants who are Regan Republicans, I was always forbidden from trying any drugs, and that was deeply ingrained in me from an early age. Cannabis and hemp were completely new to me, but I greatly believe in their ability to help people.
What flavors in hemp and cannabis are you “sooooo over”? And do you think we have plumbed all ethnic cultures for flavors for the North American market? What flavors have we not used yet?
I think we have a long way to go before we run out of flavors. Where’s my Calamansi Lime flavor?
With the synthesis of hemp into higher potency levels (which are in the gray area of the Hemp Bill and will be looked at when they come back to revise and renew the bill), are you concerned about the lack of education for the public and the lack of some manufacturers that are profit-oriented over patient well-being?
Yes. I’m a huge believer that regulations need to be put in place for the safety of consumers who have very little knowledge or experience with many of the products they are purchasing - particularly synthetic cannabinoids (THC-P, THC-O, HHCP, etc.), which are often more powerful than the standard cannabinoids that we’re familiar with. I’m a bit hesitant about advocating for more regulations since I started in cannabis in the pre-legalization days in California, and I’ve seen how overregulation has stunted the growth and success of the legal cannabis market. Despite this, I do believe in potency caps per package and per piece, testing requirements, and transparency for the consumer.
As a firstborn from immigrants, how did they view your entrance as the CEO and Founder of Tsumo? (Before you were a hired gun, now you are the face of a cannabis company)
My parents (more so my mom than my dad), have always had a hard time with my role in the cannabis industry. On the one hand, the outside validation from their friends and other family members legitimizes my work. On the other hand, after 8 years in the industry, my mom is still terrified at the idea of me using cannabis. This didn’t change when I became the CEO of TSUMo, even with the greater exposure as the head of a cannabis company.
What lessons would you impart to anyone entering the hemp industry? And what would you change in the hemp industry to help it be the standard of well-being over profit?
If you’re entering the hemp world from the regulated cannabis market, you need to understand that we’re dealing with very different consumers and the marketplace. From the regulated cannabis world, we’re coming from a highly regulated space, which explicitly specifies how we’re required to operate, and that’s just not true of the hemp market. I believe that the hemp market is a lot more like traditional CPG than regulated cannabis, and I see myself applying the skills and experience that I learned over 15 years in the CPG world to the world of hemp. It really has helped to have had experiences in both industries because I also understand the constantly changing weird world that is cannabis, and I can apply those experiences to help those interested in entering hemp.
What I would love to see are more companies taking lessons that we’ve learned from the regulated cannabis world and applying those to the hemp world. I believe in batch testing so you can ensure that you’re getting the cannabinoids that are stated on the label. I believe in capping potency per piece and per package. I believe in ensuring transparency and safe products for consumers. I realize that in this current environment where the regulators are struggling to catch up to this rapidly growing industry, there are companies that are just interested in the short-term money grab, but I believe the brands and companies that are going to stick around for the long run, and you can only do that with safe, effective products.
What is the most dumb hemp or cannabis product you have ever seen?
I don’t think there are any dumb products, but I am concerned with hemp products that contain like 2500 mg THC per package, along with an assortment of cannabinoids like THC-O, THCP, etc. Do consumers understand what they’re getting and how powerful these products can be? What I’m truly concerned about is safety and the consumer experience.
Links:
Forbes: Roy Choi + Tsumo
Washington Post: Snoop Dogg and Tsumo Onion Rings
