Young Cannabis entrepreneurs discover untapped market
MOOD, an artisanal THC company, delivers legal THC products farm-to-doorstep.
While some may believe cannabis can bring people closer to God, others think it’s the Devil’s Grass. Almost half of America’s states, 23 to be exact — including Virginia, Arizona, and, most recently, Minnesota— have chosen to legalize the recreational use of marijuana. Others, like South Carolina and Wyoming, deem it illegal, subject to jail time.
There’s no doubt that green legislation and regulation has had — and continues to have — its ups and downs. Weed legalization can be a sticky subject — no pun intended —until regulations are more clearly defined, cannabis lives in a proverbial gray area. While federal law still considers its recreational use illegal, conversely, what one is allowed to smoke or imbibe legally varies from state to state. When traveling across state lines, cannabis users should know which jurisdictions allow greenery and which do not.
Generation Z-er Jake Antifaev, who cut his teeth in the cannabis industry in Canada, saw a need not being met in the American marketplace. A wide group of people desired the benefits of cannabis but didn’t want to be subject to penalties. Furthermore, Antifaev witnessed a lack of tech-savvy, customer-focused companies in the legal THC e-commerce space.
“If someone wants to experience the benefits of cannabis but wants to ensure all use is within the federal and state guidelines, there was no easy way to have those products shipped to your doorstep,” Antifaev told High Times.
Teaming up with marketing guru and millennial entrepreneur David Charles, the two young entrepreneurs launched a new business in 2022. Thanks to the 2018 Farm Bill, Charles and Antifaev realized they could offer high-quality, legal THC products delivered directly to consumers in the US (the Farm Bill distinguished marijuana from hemp by defining hemp as having a limit of 0.3% Delta-9 THC by a product’s dry weight). Antifaev and Charles’ company was born.
MOOD launched in August 2022, offering a bright line of quality products that get users high — with just enough THC to pass legally under the Farm Bill. With the skills and expertise to disrupt the space and build a customer-centric hemp company, Antifaev and Charles built the cannabis company like a tech start-up and have grown exponentially.
“While we are a cannabis company, we operate with the precision and efficiency of a tech company,” said Charles. Now considered America’s favorite “legal dealer,” MOOD offers many products with THC benefits but without legal risk. Because all of MOOD’s products have a THC level below 0.3 percent, all of MOOD’s products can get users high and still be toted on domestic flights and trains. MOOD products, with hearty Delta 8 THC levels, can be smoked or imbibed (legally) in all fifty states. And because MOOD is entirely an online hemp store, its legal, high-quality THC products can be shipped to the imbiber’s door. To date, MOOD has served over 250,000 customers and is projected to make $100 million in revenue by the end of this year.
“We founded this company because we noticed a need in the market,” MOOD Co-Founder Antifaev told High Times. MOOD’s vast line of products is one of the company’s biggest drivers. Ranging from Afghan Kush to Bubba Kush to Sleepytime Delta 9 THC gummies, variety, the co-founders realized, is key. MOOD’s retail products come in a wide variety, including flower, pre-rolls, edibles, vapes, concentrates, and CBD.
Taking their company a step further — and offering something unique in the market — the entrepreneurs tailored MOOD’s products specifically to users’ moods. For instance, MOOD’s Body Soothers line aims to soothe consumers looking for body relaxation and enchant them into a more relaxed mood. Its Chill products offer a happy, dreamy high, helping users unwind and enjoy the peace.
Many of MOOD’s users have been pleasantly surprised. “It’s been a long time since I’ve gotten high, many, many moons ago. I only took half of one, but when it kicked in, WOW, was it good. You definitely want to set this aside and… read more,” said one MOOD user.
If creativity is the desired frame-of-mind, MOOD’s Creative THC products help consumers looking for inspiration — whether it’s for an art project, writing, or designing. Creative products are designed to be the user’s muse. MOOD’s Energized products include stimulating sativa: MOOD’s delta-8. Other mood-enhancing products include the Erotic, Euphoric, and Focused lines (with none of that Delta-9 spaciness).
“Smoother than expected; the taste was all good,” another MOOD user said. “Puts the high pro glow on your face. Let’s start the day out right. Would recommend it to anyone who wants to start the day in a great and smiley mood.”
Whether it is creativity, more libido, or just simple relaxation, MOOD’s one-stop-online-shop offers a melee of products for one’s needs. Grown with love in small batches on farms throughout the United States, MOOD’s products support local hemp farmers. MOOD’s products are sold at accessible prices so customers can enjoy best-in-class flowers, pre-rolls, concentrates, edibles, and vapes delivered to their doorstep.
MOOD products are federally legal as per the 2018 Farm Bill, which states a limit of 0.3% Delta-9 THC by a product’s dry weight. Orders can be shipped nationwide, where they are provincially accepted.
