Episode 195_ Inside the Bellrock Turnaround with Joe Bayern

Before entering cannabis in 2019, Joe Bayern spent more than 25 years in C-suite leadership across some of the biggest names in beverages, helping drive major turnarounds, global strategy, and brand-building at Snapple, Cadbury Schweppes, Dr Pepper Snapple Group, and Voss Water.

He entered cannabis after recognizing the potential of early CBD beverage trends, initially helping take a California operator public before joining Curaleaf, where he led the company through explosive expansion from roughly $250 million in revenue to more than $1.2 billion in just over two years.. After leaving Curaleaf, Bayern set out to pursue what he sees as cannabis's long-term future: an asset-light, brand-focused business model.

Most recently, he brought BellRock Brands out of receivership and is now leading its revival.

Today, we talk with Joe Bayern about how he plans to bring legacy brands like Mary's Medicinals and Dixie Elixirs back into the marketplace.

https://www.mmbrandsinc.com

The Innovating Cannabis podcast is produced and hosted by Pam Chmiel, a freelance writer and editor for the Cannabis Industry Journal.

Get in touch with pam@InnovatingCannabisPodcast.com.

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Understanding the true cost of cultivating and manufacturing a cannabis product is incredibly difficult without the right tracking tools.

Labor, yield loss, compliance, packaging, and processing inefficiencies can all quietly erode profitability without operators ever fully realizing it.

That lack of visibility creates major challenges not only for manufacturers trying to scale efficiently, but also for brands entering white-label partnerships without a clear understanding of what their products actually cost to produce.

Today, we’re joined by Clark Charlton, co-founder of BatchNAV, who is working to change that by giving cannabis operators a clearer picture of their true COGS—helping cultivators, manufacturers, and brand partners make smarter, data-driven decisions in an industry where margins are tight.

In this conversation, we’ll explore why so many cannabis businesses misunderstand their real costs, where hidden expenses are buried, and how better cost intelligence could reshape profitability across the entire supply chain.

https://batchnav.com

The Innovating Cannabis podcast is produced and hosted by Pam Chmiel, a freelance writer and editor for the Cannabis Industry Journal.

Get in touch with pam@InnovatingCannabisPodcast.com.

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Georgia legalized medical cannabis in late 2015, but the market itself didn't officially launch until around 2020. As a highly restricted, limited-license state, Georgia allows only six vertically integrated operators.

What makes Georgia especially unique is its distribution model: patients can access products not only through dispensaries, but also through pharmacies—an approach similar to the European model.

Today, we're joined by Gary Long, CEO of Botanical Sciences and one of just six license holders in Georgia. Gary has played a key role in guiding his company through the state's complex legalization and rollout process and in educating lawmakers as Georgia's medical cannabis framework took shape.

https://botanicalsciences.com/

The Innovating Cannabis podcast is produced and hosted by Pam Chmiel, a freelance writer and editor for the Cannabis Industry Journal.

Get in touch with pam@InnovatingCannabisPodcast.com.

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India has one of the longest and most deeply rooted relationships with cannabis of any culture, and is home to some of the most prized landrace cultivars in the world.

Vikramm Mitra, the co-founder of Delta Botanicals, is working to preserve that legacy and bring India into the global cannabis market.

In January, Delta Botanicals received the first agricultural grant ever awarded by the Indian government to grow and research cannabis varieties for industrial and medical purposes. They've partnered with three of India's top universities, one of which is focused on identifying, cataloging, and preserving India's irreplaceable landrace genetics through a tissue culture program.

Vikramm also walks us through the Ayurvedic herbal pathway — a regulatory loophole not unlike our own hemp laws — and how cannabis products have made their way onto store shelves across India.

While India already has a robust cannabis market operating in plain sight, the government will have to address the will of the people at some point.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/vikramm-mitra

The Innovating Cannabis podcast is produced and hosted by Pam Chmiel, a freelance writer and editor for the Cannabis Industry Journal.

Get in touch with pam@InnovatingCannabisPodcast.com.

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Jessie Kater, SVP of Innovation, R&D, and Technical Manufacturing at Curaleaf, brings a deeply technical background to the cannabis industry.

Trained in chemical engineering and toxicology, he began his career in pharmaceuticals, went on to work in R&D for a defense contractor, and spent time in biotech before ultimately making the move into cannabis.

He also founded his own R&D testing lab prior to joining Curaleaf, where he's now spent the past eight years helping shape product innovation at scale.

In this conversation, we dive into Curaleaf's latest product launches, the science driving modern cannabis product development, and what Jessie sees on the horizon for the industry.

The Innovating Cannabis podcast is produced and hosted by Pam Chmiel, a freelance writer and editor for the Cannabis Industry Journal.

Get in touch with pam@InnovatingCannabisPodcast.com.

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As the cannabis industry faces tighter margins and harder-to-find profits, many businesses are struggling not just to grow, but to survive.

This year, operators are shifting focus. Instead of chasing expansion, they are being forced to rethink how they grow and, more importantly, how they operate efficiently.

Today, our guest is Matt Morea, co-founder of PrizmGPS, a company focused on what happens after a product hits the shelf.

PrizmGPS helps brands bridge the gap between field sales and in-store execution, bringing a more structured, data-driven approach modeled after industries like alcohol.

As Matt explains, most brands don’t lose performance all at once. They lose it quietly, store by store, as merchandising slips, menus become inconsistent, and reorders grow unpredictable.

The issue is not distribution. It is a lack of visibility into execution.

The Innovating Cannabis podcast is produced and hosted by Pam Chmiel, a freelance writer and editor for the Cannabis Industry Journal.

Get in touch with pam@InnovatingCannabisPodcast.com.

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Today, we're joined by Duane Boise, CEO of MMJ Holdings, a biopharmaceutical company advancing cannabis-derived medicines through the FDA's botanical Drug Development Pathway. MMJ has received Orphan drug designation for Huntington's disease and multiple sclerosis, and its cannabis-derived soft-gel formulations are now preparing to enter phase 2 clinical trials, helping pave the way for a new era of FDA-validated cannabis medicine.

Duane shares the long road to reaching this milestone, the challenges of bringing cannabis-based therapeutics through the FDA process, and what the future may hold for cannabis as a mainstream medicine.

https://mmjih.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/duane-boise-b174b9168/

The Innovating Cannabis podcast is produced and hosted by Pam Chmiel, a freelance writer and editor for the Cannabis Industry Journal.

Get in touch with pam@InnovatingCannabisPodcast.com.

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Curio Wellness was founded by father-and-daughter team Michael and Wendy Bronfein. Michael built his career in the supermarket industry before launching his own chain of pharmacies, eventually bringing that experience into Maryland's medical cannabis market in 2015.

Since then, Curio has grown into a vertically integrated company with GMP-certified operations in Maryland and Missouri, franchise partnerships in New Jersey and Mississippi, and a recent entry into New York through a licensing deal with Vireo Health.

The company has distinguished itself through a strong focus on research and development, supported by a team of scientists and a commitment to meeting FDA-level standards across its products, cultivation, and manufacturing.

Today, Wendy and her sister, Rebecca Bronfein, are leading the next chapter of Curio Wellness following the passing of their father, Michael, earlier this year.

In this episode, I catch up with Wendy and Rebecca to talk about Curio's operations in Missouri, the evolution of the state's cannabis program, and what lies ahead for the company.

The Innovating Cannabis podcast is produced and hosted by Pam Chmiel, a freelance writer and editor for the Cannabis Industry Journal.

Get in touch with pam@InnovatingCannabisPodcast.com.

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