By: Madeleine Balestrier
The legalization of cannabis is bringing with it more opportunities for women. In fact, more and more women in marijuana are becoming big players, and we personally can’t wait to see what they do.
Recently, Miss Marijuana had the pleasure to speak with a leading lady in cannabis, Trang Trinh.
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Trang is the CEO of the cannabis brand holding company, TREC Brands. TREC is a new business making waves in the Canadian cannabis industry. And so is Trang, as one of the few female CEOs in the male-dominated industry. She’s utilizing her leadership platform and TREC’s “conscious cannabis” mission to create premium cannabis brands through social good.
“I see the emerging cannabis industry as an opportunity to do good and have an elevated platform and a voice because there’s a big spotlight on the industry right now,” Trang said during our interview. “So there’s an opportunity to shape it the way we want it, and for TREC brands that’s speaking from a socially conscious perspective where we can consider our people and our planet over profits.”
You know that scene in the beginning of “Avengers: End Game” where they’re all just standing around trying to figure out how to kill Thanos, and then, Captain Marvel swoops in and says she’ll handle it? Well that’s Trang as a trailblazer for the cannabis industry and women – minus the super suit.
And every hero has an interesting backstory.
In 2015, when Trang first started at Deloitte, one of the “Big Four” accounting firms and the largest professional services network in the world, she never imagined her path leading her to TREC and the cannabis industry.
“If you asked me three years ago, I would never have thought I would ever have a career in this space or be moving hundreds of kilograms of cannabis around the country,” Trang said.
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But within two and a half years, she was leading the Deloitte’s Mergers & Acquisitions division within the cannabis sector. Essentially, she helped a lot of cannabis companies set up a vertically integrated cannabis operation.
“My favorite project included many trips down to Kingston, Jamaica to help a client set up a vertically integrated cannabis operation,” Trang said. “So what that means is setting up the operation from the cultivation to processing, all the way to the retail…It’s part of everyday life down there so that really got me interested in the cannabis sector.”
Then came:
Trust,
Respect,
Equality,
Compassion,
or it’s better known acronym, TREC.
“These are the values that drive all of our business decisions,” Trang said. “So it’s the ethos of everything that we do within the company.”
TREC grew out of the seeds planted by Charles Khabouth, Basem Hanna and Trang just as Canada legalized recreational marijuana in October of 2018.
They are just three of the visionaries leading this brand house as it influences the cannabis market in each Canadian province.
“TREC is a socially conscious cannabis brand house and we’re committed to donating 10% of our profits to causes that matter to our consumers in our local markets,” Trang said.
They’re rolling out two new brands this summer: WINK and Blissed.
WINK is a luxury brand that will offer pre-rolled sativa dominant strains.
And Blissed is all about the women! Blissed puts the #girlgang at the forefront of its initiative with cannabis oil products for women, which will feature Boost, a high THC oil, and Breathe, a high CBD oil.
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But wait, it gets better – this brand also aims to create an inclusive environment for female cannabis users to learn and connect through an online educational platform.
“We find a lot of women tend to hide their usage and this platform is created to help women feel empowered and live their lives the way they want to live them and be unapologetic about it,” Trang said when asked about the foundation of Blissed.
This is for the people in the back:
Empowered women empower women.
Beyond the Blissed brand, this is how Trang and her team hope to make the TREC table representative of all people:
“So as we’re scaling the company I’m always considering the makeup of our team,” Trang said. “Is it balanced? We think deeply about what we’re paying our people and what opportunities we can offer them. I’m always trying to think of who needs what and coming about it from a diverse perspective.”
And this #girlboss has always had diversity and inclusion at the forefront of her personal and professional goals.
From chairing Deloitte Canada’s Women Initiative Network to literally elevating an entire brand around women and their needs within a male-dominated industry. She even mentors high school students.
And I’m over here complaining about how I don’t have time to nap anymore.
When I asked what advice she gives her mentee, she responded with something I think every woman needs to hear at various points in her life:
“I would say the one thing I always say to my mentee is to just be confident at what you bring to the table, and also take this opportunity to learn and support others as you go along on your journey. It doesn’t matter that you’re only just graduating from high school or you’re already in the workforce or you’re an established CEO, always be a learner and take the opportunity to learn. And also support others along your journey, because I truly believe that people are more successful when they encourage those around them and that’s regardless of any gender.”
Advocates like Trang need to continue to be placed in leadership roles as the cannabis sector cements itself as a player in the global market.
As an industry growing rapidly in the era of #metoo, diversity and inclusion trainings and underrepresented groups deservedly pulling up a seat, cannabis has a choice: be the old, handsy and racist uncle that everyone dreads seeing at reunions OR the cool millennial aunt that travels the world and always gives the best gifts.
Your choice – Trang and TREC have already made theirs.
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Madeleine Balestrier is a writer who covers cannabis culture and new trends in the cannabis community.