Blending Cannabis Wellness & Sustainability with Wholesome Co.
In the first installment of our new series about the brands forging a sustainable future for cannabis, we’re excited to share our recent conversation with Grace Kussow of Wholesome Co., a Utah-based brand and dispensary leveraging their commitment to health and the environment to build a community of patients.
About Wholesome Co.
With their brick & mortar dispensary located in the aptly named ‘Bountiful, Utah’, this brand is about more than selling cannabis to interested consumers. Being based in a medical-only state, this health-care focused company refers to themselves as a pharmacy rather than a dispensary. As one of Utah’s 15 license holders, Wholesome Co. is embracing their responsibility to advance safe and sustainable access to cannabis. The company currently offers delivery services that cover 99% of Utah’s eligible patients.
During our conversation, Kussow was clear on Wholesome Co.’s chief purpose, “Our focus is serving the patient and helping them on their journey to health and wellness.”
What’s unique about Wholesome Co. is how broadly they interpret this mission to include sustainability and community. From our conversations with Kussow, it’s clear they see the connections between cannabis, wellness, sustainability and the growth of their brand
Wholesome Co.’s In-House Product Line
Initially, Wholesome Co.’s menu was filled with other Utah-based medical cannabis brands. However, early on in our conversation, Kussow asserted “We always intended to have our own product line. In Utah, there’s different gaps in products we saw that we could provide to the market.”
With Utah’s limited licensing, it was also incredibly important for Wholesome Co. to fill these gaps. According to Kussow, they recognized the opportunity as a way to impact the community: “We saw we could create really quality products that serve Utah patients really well.”
Eco-Friendly Packaging for their Sustainable Brand
As they ventured into product development, Wholesome Co.’s first offering was designed to address the flower shortage in Utah. Starting with an in-house flower line, their team set out to identify packaging to mirror their eco-conscious values. From their point of view, the packaging supply chain should be as transparent as the industry’s seed-to-sale tracking system “with the entire life cycle of the packaging taken into consideration”.
“We wanted to make sure we focused on sustainability since there’s so much waste in the cannabis industry,” said Kussow reflecting on their container search process, “With our packaging we want to do our part as much as we can. That’s why we partnered with Tree Hugger Containers. The jars are well designed, good quality, and are aligned with our mission.” Wholesome Co. also opted for Tree Hugger Container partner Sana Packaging’s reclaimed ocean plastic lids.
Wholesome Co. partnered with the Missouri-based Carpenter Collective to design a label reflective of their warm red-rock reminiscent brand aesthetic.
Despite choosing eco-friendly, post-consumer material packaging, Wholesome Co. still felt they hadn’t done enough to make it easy for patients to minimize the environmental impact of their cannabis medicine. Kussow excitedly shared that in the coming months, Wholesome Co. will be launching their own jar recycling program for patients to discard used jars for repurposing through their dispensary and delivery service.
When asked why Wholesome Co. is taking such significant steps to protect the environment, Kussow emphatically stated “We know this is a value that’s important to customers and a reason they will choose our product, because they share the same values as us.”
In-House Pharmaceutical Consulting
Environmental stewardship isn’t the only area where Wholesome Co. goes above and beyond to serve their patients. What really stands out to our team is their commitment to helping their patients heal. Wholesome Co. offers 100% free pharmaceutical consultations to any patient - in Utah or otherwise. Patients simply call in with their health concerns to get a curated regimen recommended to them by licensed pharmacists.
When asked about this program, Kussow’s eyes lit up as she dove into detail about the service, “We have a pharmacy consult team that are available for in-person and remote consultations. Offering a super wide variety of times and days in the week. People can get a really unique and customized treatment plan for them with product recommendations because the pharmacists know so much about cannabis and how it works in the body.”
Looking to the Future
Wholesome Co.’s plans for growth are clear: expand delivery service areas, spread awareness about Utah’s cannabis program, and advocate for increased access for patients.
Kussow was excited to share Wholesome Co. is engaged in shaping the future of Utah’s cannabis industry. “We have a lot of people in our company who are involved in Utah’s program and it’s progression.” Wholesome Co. is deeply engaged in expanding the program’s list of conditions eligible for cannabis treatment, therefore expanding patient access to whole plant medicine. Kussow explained, “That way people can get the treatment they need for what they are experiencing. For example, sleep and anxiety are conditions people turn to cannabis for but they aren’t on the list in Utah yet”.
Wholesome Co. is still a relatively new business, so Kussow indicated they are still finalizing which of their pillars will become their flagship community program. Currently, their priorities include patient access, sustainability, and supporting social justice initiatives benefiting the cannabis incarcerated.