074 Garden Parties, Rosettes, and Growing a Sonoma Cannabis Brand with Karli Warner of Garden Society

“To just know that there are all these ways that we can help, you know, change and highlight ways that people can bring more joy into their life is really exciting.” - Karli Warner

Welcome back to the To Be Blunt podcast! In this episode, Shayda Torabi welcomes Karli Warner of Garden Society, to talk about how she built a standout brand while keeping the dignity of advocacy with the use of creative ideas and the processes she used in scaling up while ensuring the quality of products to keep customers patronizing your brand.

[00:01 – 08:31] Shayda shares the whirlwind of relevant cannabis events

[08:32– 16:24] Karli’s Background on Cannabis and Stepping in the Industry

[16:25 – 28:02] Finding One’s Niche and Building the Brand

[28:03 – 38:58] Founding Creative Ideas for the Cannacurious and Collaborators

[38:59 – 49:09] Scaling Up while Maintaining the Quality 

[46:13 – 48:51] Food for Thought: How do you uplift your product?

As co-founder and head of marketing for Garden Society, Karli’s communication and marketing prowess makes the brand shine.  As a working mom and wife to a cancer survivor, she understands the positive wellness impact low-dose edible cannabis can have on the mind, body and soul. 

Karli began her career in communication and marketing in the wine industry at a boutique PR agency in Napa, where she learned the ropes of pitching and building media relationships. While also expanding her wine education and knowledge, her interest in the wine business quickly deepened and led her to explore other aspects of brand and event marketing. As her career progressed, she moved to Constellation Brands, the world’s leading wine company. There she emerged as a top-tier marketer, learning firsthand the importance of partnerships and cross-brand collaborations. Through thoughtful storytelling, pitching, and partnerships, Karli landed media coverage for brands in national media outlets including Today Show, Wall Street Journal, Wine Spectator and Food & Wine magazine. 

While at Constellation, Karli helped launch a wine brand that, at the time, she didn’t know would eventually shift her career from wine to cannabis – this is when her Garden Society story began. In 2016, Karli reconnected with her former wine industry peer, Erin Gore, who had recently launched Garden Society, a cannabis company focused on women’s wellness. Shortly thereafter Erin asked Karli to join the Garden Society team to lead marketing and communication efforts. Together, Erin and Karli have quickly built a well-recognized luxury cannabis brand that has garnered the interest of Today Show, CNBC, Marie Claire, Los Angeles Times, Forbes and many more.

As she loved telling the story of wine - from vine-to-glass – Karli is even more passionate and personally touched in telling the Garden Society story, from seed-to-delectable confection.

Connect with Karli 

Visit https://thegardensociety.com/ and follow him on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn @grdnsociety

Shayda Torabi has been called one of the most influential Women in WordPress and now she’s one of the women leading the cannabis reformation conversation building one of Texas’ premier CBD brands. She's currently the CEO and Co-Founder of RESTART CBD, a female-run education first CBD wellness brand. And has formerly held marketing positions at WP Engine and WebDevStudios. Shayda is the host of a podcast for cannabis marketers called To Be Blunt, where she interviews top cannabis brands on their most successful marketing initiatives. When Shayda's not building her cannabiz in Texas, you can find her on the road exploring the best hikes and spots for vegan ice