Today we’d like to introduce you to Angie Willoughby.
Angie, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I started The Green Baker honestly as a way to supplement my income. Being an Afro-Latina queer woman who had worked very hard from almost 20 years in the culinary industry and still struggled to make ends meet it became an opportunity to use my natural entrepreneurial mindset and decades of culinary skills to support myself and my family. I knew that cannabis was natural, healing and never had any issues with stigma from being a recreational and closeted user. My journey began by me educating myself and then wanting to help my son who has cerebral palsy and my wife who has extensive respiratory issues be able to partake within the health and wellness benefits of cannabis. As I began to continue to educate myself more about this wonderful plant, I also learned that there was ALOT of misinformation around it and about it. My customers didn’t understand the full power and beauty of cannabis not only for the euphoric high but for feeding our own endocannabinoid systems.
And most of that misinformation came from the fear and alienation of the stigma that surrounds the plant and also the stereotypical traits that people have come to believe about who and what the consumers of cannabis look like. So that is when I expanded the brand to not only encompass edibles but to also tackle the de stigmatizing re-educating, and advocating for the responsible use of cannabis. I am now happily out of the cannabis closet and proud to be one of the many faces of who and what a cannabis user looks like. We have a very long way to go, but I am owning the power of my story and hopefully inspiring the other women, POC and other marginalized people to come forward and educate ourselves to truly harness the power and potential of this plant. I have a podcast, a blog, I stay active on my social media and also co-created a traveling lecture series called The Vagina Cannalouges that helps to bring women and female-identifying womxn together to talk about our personal relationship with cannabis and how we are using it to heal ourselves, our families and to have the community of support as we continue the long road towards federal and state legalization.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It hasn’t been a smooth road, but then again anything that is worthy never is! I am a small business owner in an industry that is in its infancy here in the state and because of the vertical integration of the medical marijuana program, it has literally locked out all potential small businesses out of the industry. There is no funding, no grants, no money that I can use to grow my business. So it is a slow and sometimes painstaking process to gradually move forward because it is such a gray area. Now with the introduction of the hemp food establishment permit, it allows for infused foods to come into the landscape and creates some wiggle room to be able to plant your flag in the space. For all the bumps along the way and the many more to come, I believe it will make the outcome that much more rich and fulfilling to know that I was able to be on the forefront of this wonderful industry.
The Green Baker, LLC – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Through The Green Baker, LLC I use the platform that I was given to help people better medicate, I educate via my social media, my podcast, my blog. I enlighten via videos, tutorials and articles. The specialty is empowering people to medicate in the way that makes the most sense for them and their needs. I’m known as the infused baked diva with the best tasting edibles in all of south Florida. I love working with MMJ patients to infuse their meds into whatever medium they want so they can see real results and experience the power of cannabis. I am most proud of the community I have been able to create during these two years. I pride myself on offering amazing customer service and really a full experience for my customers. I don’t want them to just walk away with a cookie a brownie or some oil, I want them to walk away with a better understanding of themselves and how cannabis fits into their lives. Oh and lets not forget advocacy is a very important component to that. I am well aware that I am standing on the shoulders of those that are currently incarcerated because they were supporting their families and sharing plant medicine.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Wow, I was just having this conversation with my grandmother yesterday. My definition of success isn’t all monetary, although I know that money facilitates a lot of things in life, the continuous acquisition and then hoarding of money does not equate success for me. I want to live comfortably, I want to leave a legacy for my son. I want to use the gifts that have been left to me to leave a small mark in this world. Every time I hear a patient say that we’re able to finally alleviate something via my products that is success. Each time a mother comes to me with tears of happiness because they don’t feel alone or scared about microdosing their child that is success. When I hear a story about someone who finally learning about a specific strain that would work for their very personal ailment, that is success. I guess I measure what my success looks like in moments, in evidence. It never ceases to amaze me when I hear a positive story or outcome from people I have helped. I don’t know if I even necessarily have a specific criteria for my success, but as long as I continue to hear those stories, I will continue to do what I do and see where it all takes me. As my grandmother said, listen to that spirit that is inside me that tells me that it is good.
Pricing:
- Ready made edibles range from $10-$50
- Infused mediums i.e Butter, oils, tinctures and sugar range from $20-$180
- Green Baker Merch range from $15.00-$28.00
- Virtual classes, infused meals and personal consulting range from $20.00-$400.00
Contact Info:
- Website: www.thegreenbkr.com
- Phone: 954-546-4199
- Email: thegrnbaker@gmail.com
- Instagram: @the.green.baker
- Facebook: The Green Baker, LLC
Image Credit:
Rebecca Monzon – High Angles Photography
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