Tokyo Smoke
{{Short description|Canadian cannabis retail brand owned by OEG Inc.}}
{{Infobox brand
| name = Tokyo Smoke
| logo =
| logo_upright =
| logo_alt =
| logo_caption =
| image =
| image_upright =
| alt =
| caption =
| producttype = Recreational cannabis and related accessories
| currentowner = OEG Inc.
| country = Canada
| introduced = {{Start date and age|2015}}
| discontinued =
| related =
| markets = {{ubl|
| previousowners = Canopy Growth
| trademarkregistrations =
| tagline =
| website = {{url|http://ca.tokyosmoke.com}}
| module =
| module1 =
| footnotes =
}}
Tokyo Smoke is a Canadian recreational cannabis retail brand owned by OEG Inc. that operates in the provinces of Manitoba, Ontario, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Saskatchewan. It was co-founded by father and son Lorne and Alan Gertner in 2015.{{cite magazine|url=https://time.com/4364344/justin-trudeau-marijuana-weed-legal/|title=Justin Trudeau Makes a Surprising Case for Legalizing Marijuana|author=Lang, Cady|magazine=Time|date=2016-06-13|access-date=2017-12-24}}
History
Tokyo Smoke was co-founded by Lorne and Alan Gertner in 2015. Lorne Gertner had founded Canada’s first legal medical marijuana grower, Cannasat Therapeutics, in 2004.{{cite news|url=https://nationalpost.com/just+call/850924/story.html|title=Just don't call it pot|author=Dias, David|date=2008-10-07|accessdate=2017-12-24}} The brand’s first location, Tokyo Smoke Found, opened in April 2015 in Toronto’s West Queen West neighbourhood. In early 2017, the company acquired another cannabis company, Van der Pop, based in Seattle and is targeted towards women.{{Cite web|url=http://www.marketwired.com/press-release/tokyo-smoke-acquires-van-der-pop-seattles-preeminent-female-focused-cannabis-lifestyle-2194455.htm|title=Tokyo Smoke acquires Van der Pop, Seattle's preeminent female-focused cannabis lifestyle brand|date=2017-02-08|website=MarketWired|accessdate=2017-12-24}}
At the 2017 Canadian Cannabis awards, Tokyo Smoke won the award for "Brand of the Year."{{cite news |title=Canadian Cannabis Awards 2017 Winners - Canadian Cannabis Awards |work=Canadian Cannabis Awards |url=https://canadiancannabisawards.com/winners/cca2017/ |accessdate=2017-12-24}}
On December 21, 2017, the company announced that it would merge with DOJA Cannabis and form a new company called Hiku Brands Company Ltd.{{cite web|url=https://www.newcannabisventures.com/doja-cannabis-and-tokyo-smoke-merge-to-become-hiku-brands/|title=DOJA Cannabis and Tokyo Smoke Merge to Become Hiku Brands|website=New Cannabis Ventures|date=2017-12-21|accessdate=2017-12-24}} On July 10, 2018, Canopy Growth acquired Hiku brands and absorbed its portfolio of brands.{{Cite web|url=https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/canopy-growth-to-acquire-hiku-brands-to-strengthen-retail-and-brand-portfolio-687802641.html|title=Canopy Growth to Acquire Hiku Brands to Strengthen Retail and Brand Portfolio|last=Corporation|first=Canopy Growth|website=www.newswire.ca|language=en|access-date=2019-09-08}}
On August 14, 2019, Acreage announced its intention to open cannabis stores under the Tokyo Smoke brand in the United States.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/acreage-aims-to-bring-canopy-s-tweed-pot-stores-to-california-1.1301617|title=Acreage aims to bring Canopy's Tweed pot stores to California - Article|last=Owram|first=Kristine|date=2019-08-14|website=BNN|access-date=2019-08-15}}
In November 2021, Tokyo Smoke and UberEats struck a deal for users to be able to order cannabis for pick-up through the app.{{Cite news |last=Lorinc |first=Jacob |date=2021-11-22 |title=Weed on the menu: Uber Eats partners with Tokyo Smoke to offer cannabis products for pickup in Ontario |language=en-CA |work=The Toronto Star |url=https://www.thestar.com/business/2021/11/22/weed-on-the-menu-uber-eats-partners-with-tokyo-smoke-to-offer-cannabis-products-for-pickup-in-ontario.html |access-date=2022-04-04 |issn=0319-0781}}{{Cite web |date=2022-03-03 |title=Uber Eats partners with Tokyo Smoke for cannabis delivery |url=https://globetrender.com/2022/03/03/uber-eats-tokyo-smoke-cannabis-delivery/ |access-date=2022-04-04 |website=Globetrender |language=en-GB}}
OEG Inc. acquired the Tokyo Smoke brand in 2022.{{cite press release | url=https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2022/09/27/2523846/0/en/OEG-Retail-Cannabis-to-Acquire-Retail-Stores-Tokyo-Smoke-Brand-From-Canopy-Growth-in-Cross-Country-Expansion.html | title=OEG Retail Cannabis to Acquire Retail Stores, Tokyo Smoke Brand from Canopy Growth in Cross-Country Expansion | date=27 September 2022 }}
Retail Stores
Tokyo Smoke currently operates 7 cannabis dispensaries in Manitoba,{{Cite web|url=https://lgcamb.ca/cannabis/store-list/|title=Buying Cannabis in Manitoba|website=Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Authority of Manitoba|language=en-US|access-date=2019-01-29}} 6 dispensaries in Alberta, and 27 in Ontario.{{Cite web|url=https://ca.tokyosmoke.com/pages/store-locator|title=Store Locator– Tokyo Smoke|website=ca.tokyosmoke.com|access-date=2019-07-20}} The company no longer operates its 3 coffee shops: 2 in Toronto, and 1 in Calgary.{{Cite web|url=https://ca.tokyosmoke.com/pages/store-locator|title=Store Locator– Tokyo Smoke|website=ca.tokyosmoke.com|access-date=2019-01-29}} These coffee shops did not sell cannabis, instead, they sold coffee, cafe food, and cannabis accessories. In September 2018, Tokyo Smoke announced that they have received approval to build up to 10 cannabis stores in Manitoba.{{Cite web|url=https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/tokyo-smoke-cannabis-retail-stores-are-coming-to-manitoba-694226641.html|title=Tokyo Smoke cannabis retail stores are Coming to Manitoba|last=Ltd|first=Hiku Brands Company|website=www.newswire.ca|language=en|access-date=2019-01-30}} In Ontario, where licensed producers are restricted from owning more than 9.9 per cent of a cannabis store, Canopy Growth has entered into branding agreements with retail license owners to open stores under the Tokyo Smoke name.{{Cite news|url=https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/canopy-growth-lands-a-cannabis-store-in-toronto-opening-under-its-tokyo-smoke-brand-name|title=Canopy Growth lands a cannabis store in Toronto opening under its Tokyo Smoke brand name|date=2019-03-19|work=Ottawa Citizen|access-date=2019-09-08|language=en-US}}
Alan Gertner
{{Infobox person
| name = Alan Gertner
| image =
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_date = {{birth year and age|1984}}
| birth_place = Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| other_names =
| education = MBA
| alma_mater = University of Western Ontario Ivey Business School
| occupation = Entrepreneur
| known_for = Tokyo Smoke
| website =
}}
Alan Gertner (born 1984) is a Canadian co-founder and CEO of Tokyo Smoke. Gertner, who also co-founded Hiku, a Canadian company, is a former Google executive known for his work in the Canadian cannabis industry.{{cite news |newspaper= Irish Independent |title= Joint ventures take off with legal cannabis, but risks remain |url= https://www.independent.ie/business/world/joint-ventures-take-off-with-legal-cannabis-but-risks-remain-36389053.html |date= December 8, 2017}} Gertner was born in Toronto, Ontario and raised in the Forest Hill neighbourhood by his parents. His father Lorne Gertner is a lifelong entrepreneur who managed a women's apparel manufacturer Mister Leonard. Alan received a degree in management and business administration from the University of Western Ontario Ivey Business School.
From 2009 to 2014, Gertner held several executive positions at Google's Mountain View, California and Google Asia Singapore offices. During this tenure, he was a founding member of Google's first Global Business Strategy team in Mountain View, California.{{cite web |url= https://www.traveltrends.biz/ttn555-alan-gertner-industry-head-travel-google-southeast-asia/ |publisher= Travel Trends |title= Alan Gertner, Industry Head – Travel, Google Southeast Asia |date=16 June 2014 }} In 2015, the company sent him to Ghana to help build an infrastructure for high-speed Internet. During this project, and while on his way to a "voodoo" ceremony in rural Ghana, Gertner had a life-changing conversation with a tour guide who told him: "You either work on something you love, or work because it supports the people you love."{{cite news |newspaper= Toronto Sun |title= Smoke, pray, love |url= http://torontosun.com/2016/11/13/smoke-pray-love/wcm/ab315aca-ada0-4a6e-a2e3-cfd78e446fa2 |date= November 13, 2016 }}{{cite web |url= https://www.civilized.life/articles/alan-gertner-tokyo-smoke/ |publisher= Civilized |title= Why Alan Gertner Left A Great Job At Google To Start Tokyo Smoke In Toronto |date= May 30, 2016}} This encounter was a defining moment in his career that made him quit his job at Google,{{cite news |newspaper= The Globe and Mail |title= "Why I quit my dream job at Google to launch a marijuana business" |url= https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/small-business/startups/why-i-quit-my-dream-job-at-google-to-launch-a-marijuana-business/article28668428/ |date= February 22, 2016}} take a break and later start Tokyo Smoke in partnership with his father.{{cite news |newspaper= The Cannabist |title= These 10 influencers used to work at Bose, Apple, GoPro, Google and Aveda. Now they work in weed |url= http://www.thecannabist.co/2016/08/15/cannabis-apple-gopro-google-aveda-microsoft/59940/ |date= August 15, 2016}}{{cite web |url= https://www.cntraveler.com/story/the-muji-of-marijuana-opens-its-doors-in-toronto |publisher= Condé Nast Traveler |title= The 'Muji of Marijuana' Opens Its Doors in Toronto |date= August 6, 2017 }} Gertner now lives in Toronto and is mainly involved in the cannabis industry.{{cite news |newspaper= Toronto Life |title= The Influentials 2017: Best buds |url= https://torontolife.com/city/influentials-2017-best-buds/ |date= 21 November 2017 }}
Gertner, a former Google employee, is currently involved in Tokyo Smoke, a retail operation and brand{{cite news |newspaper= The Huffington Post Canada |title= Canada Could Be To Cannabis What France Is To Wine |url= http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2016/06/08/canada-marijuana-industry-alan-gertner-tokyo-smoke_n_10358472.html |date= June 9, 2016 }}{{cite news |newspaper= Memphis News |title= The Green Rush & Tokyo Smoke |url= https://www.memphisdailynews.com/news/2017/jun/27/the-green-rush-tokyo-smoke/ |date= June 27, 2017 }} he co-founded in 2015 with his father Lorne Gertner.{{cite magazine|url=https://time.com/4364344/justin-trudeau-marijuana-weed-legal/|title=Justin Trudeau Makes a Surprising Case for Legalizing Marijuana|author=Lang, Cady|magazine=Time|date=2016-06-13|access-date=2017-12-24}} Gertner (the father) is considered the Godfather of Canadian cannabis{{cite news |newspaper= Maclean's |title= The 'godfather of Canadian cannabis' on the pot industry's future |url= http://www.macleans.ca/economy/business/the-godfather-of-canadian-cannabis-on-the-pot-industrys-future/ |date= April 13, 2017}} and is also the CEO of Hill and Gertner Capital Corp., a Toronto-based merchant bank. Tokyo Smoke has a downtown Toronto coffee shop and store that sells pot paraphernalia and accessories.{{cite news |newspaper= Canadian Business |title= Marijuana investor Lorne Gertner on the future of Canada's pot business |url= http://www.canadianbusiness.com/innovation/lorne-gertner-tokyo-smoke/ |date= April 18, 2017}}{{cite news |title= Purveyors of pot work to shake off the 'Reefer Madness' stigma, rebrand cannabis |url= https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/business/agriculture/purveyors-of-pot-work-to-shake-off-the-reefer-madness-stigma-rebrand-cannabis-371949141.html |date= 14 March 2016}} He is one of the handful entrepreneurs and investors who left lucrative corporate jobs in technology and finance to focus on startups in the marijuana industry.{{cite news |newspaper= Reuters |title= High tech, high finance and high times for U.S. pot industry |url= https://www.reuters.com/article/us-cannabis-investment-insight/high-tech-high-finance-and-high-times-for-u-s-pot-industry-idUSKBN1E01U1 |date= 6 December 2017 }}{{cite news |newspaper= Toronto Star |title= The problem with reaching your career goal. |url= https://www.thestar.com/life/relationships/2017/06/01/the-problem-with-reaching-your-career-goal.html |date= June 1, 2017 }}{{cite news |newspaper= CBC News |title= Marijuana industry busily working to shed illicit past and go legal |url= http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/marijuana-pot-canada-1.3490212 |date= March 14, 2016}} Gertner has expanded the Tokyo Smoke brand locally and internationally with eight stores.{{cite news |newspaper= Calgary Herald |title= Cannabis entrepreneur banking on private stores in Alberta |url= https://calgaryherald.com/business/local-business/cannabis-entrepreneur-banking-on-private-stores-in-alberta |date= October 31, 2017 }}{{cite news |newspaper= New Cannabis Venture |title= Tokyo Smoke to Bring Coffee, Clothing and Cannabis Brand to the USA |url= https://www.newcannabisventures.com/tokyo-smoke-to-bring-coffee-clothing-and-cannabis-brand-to-the-usa/ |date= January 16, 2016 }}{{cite news |newspaper= Metro News Toronto |title= Cannabis cafes a possibility in the future: Alberta justice minister |url= http://www.metronews.ca/news/calgary/2017/10/04/cannabis-cafes-a-possibility-in-the-future-alberta-justice-minister.html |date= October 4, 2017 |access-date= March 12, 2018 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180312204903/http://www.metronews.ca/news/calgary/2017/10/04/cannabis-cafes-a-possibility-in-the-future-alberta-justice-minister.html |archive-date= March 12, 2018 |url-status= dead }}
Gertner raised $10 million in capital{{cite news |newspaper= Kuwait Times |title= US businesses added a solid 190,000 jobs in November |url= http://news.kuwaittimes.net/pdf/2017/dec/07/p19.pdf |date= December 7, 2017}}{{cite web |publisher= Aphria |url= https://aphria.ca/blog/aphria-strengthens-leadership-position-in-recreational-cannabis-with-10-million-investment-in-tokyo-smoke-doja-combination/ |title= Aphria Strengthens Leadership Position in Recreational Cannabis with $10 Million Investment in Tokyo Smoke-DOJA Combination |date= December 21, 2017}} and led the company's merger with Cannabis Company Limited known as DOJA Cannabis in December 2017. The combined company known as Hiku Brands Company Ltd. is headed by Gertner and houses the cannabis brands of DOJA, Tokyo Smoke, and Van der Pop.{{cite news |newspaper= The Nugget News |title= DOJA Cannabis and Tokyo Smoke Merge to Become Hiku Brands |url= http://thenuggetnews.com/2017/12/21/doja-cannabis-and-tokyo-smoke-merge-to-become-hiku-brands/ |date= December 21, 2017 }}{{Dead link|date=September 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}{{cite news |newspaper= Green Market Report |title= DOJA Buys Tokyo Smoke With Added Boost From Aphria |url= https://www.greenmarketreport.com/doja-buys-tokyo-smoke-added-boost-aphria/ |date= December 21, 2017}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{official|http://www.tokyosmoke.com}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20180312205146/https://ca.tokyosmoke.com/pages/founders Alan Gertner]
Category:Cannabis shops in Canada
Category:Companies based in Toronto