Unlocking Success in the Cannabis Industry: Why the Ganjier Product Specialist Program is Essential for Business Owners
We recently interviewed cannabis pioneer Kevin Jodrey about his work in the space, which includes co-founding The Ganjier, a cannabis sommelier program that educates audiences on all things cannabis. To date, graduates of the program oversee billions in cannabis sales globally.
If you’re an upcoming brand or slightly interested in how to start and run a business in the cannabis industry, The Ganjier is for you. Per their website, “Ganjier is a rigorous, multi-tiered, cannabis trade certification, created and taught by the most respected names in the field.”
Introducing the Ganjier Product Specialist Program, which takes cannabis connoisseurship to the next level! Similar to the Level 1 Sommelier certification in the wine industry, or the Beer Server Certification in Cicerone, this provides participants with affordable, accessible, and comprehensive training on cannabis products, consumption methods, and quality assessment protocols.
Brands adopting Ganjier Product Specialist training for members of their company include:
- Kiva Brands
- Kiva Sales & Service
- Cookies
- Curaleaf
- Parallel
- Natura Life + Science
- Ascend Wellness
- Jane Technologies
- AlpineIQ
- Embarc
Honeysuckle spoke with Max Simon, Ganjier and Green Flower CEO, about this exciting new launch.
Where are you from and how did you get your start in cannabis?
I'm from San Diego, CA, and I started consuming cannabis very young because I found it to be a more effective treatment for my ADHD than the pharmaceuticals I was being prescribed. I got my professional start in cannabis in 2014 when I founded Green Flower, which has become a leader in cannabis education by powering the cannabis certificate programs of more than 60 universities and colleges in the U.S., and running Ganjier, our cannabis sommelier certification program.
When did you first get the idea for the Ganjier Product Specialist Program. What was the reality in launching it?
If you flash back to 2018, it was crystal clear to us as an education company that the cannabis industry was in dire need of a rigorous and thorough "sommelier certification" that could masterfully guide consumers to the best products for them. From there, we spent over three years building the Certified Ganjier program, which is akin to a Level 2 wine sommelier or a Certified Cicerone in Beer. After four years running the program at our campus in Humboldt, CA, and certifying more than 300 Ganjiers from across the world, it became clear that we needed a more accessible Level 1 program that could educate and train more people about the nuances of each type of cannabis product. So, after a year in development, we launched the 100% online Ganjier Product Specialist program this summer, which focuses on comprehensive product knowledge, quality assessment skills, cannabis preservation techniques, and optimized consumption strategies.
How does this take cannabis connoisseurship to the next level?
Unlike wine, beer, coffee, or chocolate, cannabis has an almost dizzying array of different product types, delivery methods, consumption options, and effect profiles—making it complex and challenging to truly understand and master. In our eyes, being a connoisseur means understanding the nuanced differences between all of these different types of products, how they are made, how they impact you uniquely, and which ones are truly right for you (and your customers). This is what we aim to solve for in the Ganjier programs, and as a result, people are much more able to discern quality, buy intelligently, and deliver the desired effects you want from this magical plant.
Who can benefit from this?
We tend to attract three different types of people at Ganjier: 1) people who want to play greater leadership roles inside the industry and use Ganjier to build their status and credibility, 2) people who already work in the cannabis industry but want to level up their responsibilities and skills, and 3) lifelong cannabis enthusiasts who love the idea of immersing themselves in the study of cannabis products, effects, and service. All three groups get exactly what they were looking for from Ganjier.
You have some big brands that use the program, what’s their biggest takeaway from the program?
The key insight is that investing in their teams through certification delivers significant ROI in terms of retention, performance, and company culture. Companies have repeatedly told us that their teams come from diverse backgrounds with varying levels of cannabis knowledge, making it difficult to ensure consistent expertise across the board. Ganjier solves this by providing a standardized, industry-adopted training that equips everyone—regardless of experience—with the knowledge and skills needed to thrive in this complex environment. The feedback so far has been overwhelmingly positive, with companies confirming that the program is exactly what they needed to bridge the knowledge gap and drive success.
Where do you see the future of cannabis?
When it comes to acceptance and adoption, cannabis is hitting a tipping point. That said, accessibility still hasn't caught up yet. In my eyes, the future of cannabis means it's available and accessible at 100 times more locations and venues than it is currently, and the industry has access to the same services—banking, financing, insurance, and more—that the rest of the "normal" business world does. This is coming, just slower than any of us want. But we will get there. I have faith.
