Q&A with Founder and CEO Lex Corwin
Q: What’s the main inspiration behind Stone Road’s branding?
A: I love weed and I love organic farming. When I was a junior in high school, I went to a farm school for a semester in rural Vermont. I learned the basics of agriculture and I was completely obsessed with cannabis. I went to college in Oregon and I started working for a grower and was able to hone my skills. I saw the infancy of the medical market there and all the unique challenges. The main branding behind Stone Road is based on nature, minimalism, and inclusivity. A lot of inspiration comes from the farm and the gorgeous landscape that surrounds it.
Q: What’s the meaning behind the name “Stone Road?”
A: Stone Road was the 1st place I started growing cannabis in Connecticut. It was on my neighbors property, on a street called Stone Road, one street over from where I grew up. We didn’t have any privacy at our house for growing, and our neighbor had 3 acres. We started growing in their woods, and 1 out the 1st 10 plants we planted survived. Big Bertha.
Q: Tell us about some of your new products. What’s the newest product to date?
A: Our newest product is one that I’m the most excited about because I’m a spliff smoker. We’re launching a ½ oz roll your own pouch. It will be 100% flower which differentiates us from the other pouches offered on the market. It’s for those who want to roll their own way, but don’t want to sacrifice the flower quality.
Q: Who is responsible for the photography on all of your packaging?
A: 2 designers in NY. Alex Stikeleather and Santiago Carrasquilla. Alex Stikeleather helped create the Leafs by Snoop and I loved the minimalism and how it was inspired by nature. All of the photos on our packaging were taken at our farm in Grass Valley and really capture its beauty. Santiago designs all of our new products and is in charge of all of our product redesigns. I feel blessed to work with such a great team.
Q: Out of all of your joints, which one is your personal favorite? Why?
A: The hash infused 5 packs are my favorite because I love hash and 5 joints is the perfect amount.
Q: Has your vision for Stone Road changed at all since you first started the company?
A: You learn a lot starting your own company let alone a cannabis company. Cannabis is an extremely tough business between the excessive regulation and taxation. When I started the company I was 23 and naive, thinking it was going to be all good times. I’ve come to learn that surviving much less growing a business is an extremely capital-intensive task. In the beginning, I thought I was going to be the biggest cannabis company in the world, and now I just want to make it through another year of consistent growth! I could have never expected the amount of growth over the past 6 months. My goal is to continue to deliver high-end products that are beautiful and that I can stand behind.
Q: What do you envision for Stone Road’s future?
A: I want Stone Road to be a home for great design. We’re always going to sell cannabis products and ultimately sell in every product category in the industry. We’re getting there slowly but surely. I want to sell lots of things that bring joy to people and products that make their lives easier. Well designed, well made products that I think everyone can benefit from. Products like Light Phones are perfect along with a 10 pack for a camping trip. Wellness products, healthy organic lovely matcha, those are all things that I can envision us integrating. I see us becoming a 1 stop shop for cool innovative items whether that’s cannabis or telecom or consumer packaged goods. We can use our voice to elevate the brands doing it right.
