Today we’d like to introduce you to Nathan Vasquez.
Nathan, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I’ve lived in Orange County my whole life! My start in the cannabis industry was around 2015 when I got involved in retail cannabis packaging. I learned my way around the industry and made connections that I still keep in contact with today. I left my job and bootstrapped Caribee in Fall of 2017, with the CBD industry being something completely new to me.
We set out for the whole year developing our products, licensing, hiring, etc. We now are online, which took a bit to do, but it was such a learning experience. I was so naive getting into this, so this whole starting a business thing has brought me back to reality.
I never graduated from college, but the knowledge I’ve gained from this is immeasurable
The people on the team are what makes Caribee CBD awesome. From marketing, emails, social media, product dev, they brought Caribee CBD to life.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
So in the spring of 2018, we were ready to move out of the apartment and get a “real” office for Caribee CBD. We looked long and wide for a renter that would allow CBD. I didn’t realize this was so difficult every renter we visited would immediately turn us down the second they found we were a CBD company.
I then changed my tune and told them we were a drink mix company. There was truth in that, we did sell drink mixes..that had CBD in them.
With this new story, we went out there again. We found the perfect spot in Irvine. An old yoga studio, It had glass windows all around, bamboo floors, and was simply gorgeous.
We fell in love and started getting the paperwork going. We filled out everything to the T, every document, signature the works.
We then signed the lease and our worries were over. Finally, a place we found after THREE months of looking.
The day before we were about to pick up our keys, I get a call…
“You lied to me.”
“You told me you’re a drink mix company..not a CBD drink mix company. Irvine isn’t that kind of city, im going to terminate your lease and give you back your deposit.”
Dagger through my heart.
Please tell us about Caribee CBD.
Fun.
I got tired of the CBD world being so focused on medical, we wanted to take a different vibe on the whole thing.
Caribee sounds like a place I’ve always wanted to visit (It’s not real).
We are known for our drink mix packets and capsules.
I’m proud that we have people stories to tell about CBD. So many things we have heard about people finally being able to relax or sleep. It sounds simple, but getting bad sleep on top of stress is the worst thing you can do!
To know we are making a dent in peoples lives means the most.
My mom told me I was always special, so thats what sets us apart.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
Not being honest with myself.
I wasn’t honest in trying to get a lease in Irvine, and after that incident, I went around telling people what we did proudly after that.
Eventually, we found the perfect spot in Santa Ana. Great location, close to the team’s homes, it couldn’t have worked out better.
It worked out because my dad has his business down the street from us, so its always good to see family.
Pricing:
- 1500mg CBD capsules $100
- Box of 25 CBD (25mg of CBD per) drink mix packets $100
- CBD Drink Mix Powder $70
Contact Info:
- Address: 1150 E Chestnut Ave, Santa Ana, CA
- Website: https://caribeecbd.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @caribeecbd
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CaribeeCBD/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/caribeecbd?lang=en
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-N_LKPW7UOLP7jwnMvZfxg
Image Credit:
Caribee Crew
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