A cannabis entrepreneur and a former NBA athlete are joining together to launch Ginger Commerce, a brand-new platform. 

Two former Eaze co-founders and a former NBA athlete are partnering together to create a direct-to-consumer (DTC) service called Ginger Commerce.

Ginger Commerce seeks to change the usual way consumers purchase cannabis products by allowing brands to be able to directly communicate with consumers. The company’s thought behind this approach is to “disrupt” the reigning loyalty of certain popular brands, and give other brands a chance to grow and connect with customers. Any brand on Ginger Commerce is given complete control over “customer experience, customer engagement, sales promotions, pricing and more.”

CEO and Founder of Ginger Commerce Roie Edery is a cannabis tech pioneer with years of experience in the industry. He’s the co-founder of well-known cannabis delivery company Eaze, where he held a position as the lead of product and operations. 

“Our purpose-built solution with Ginger is a disruptive approach for both consumers and brands alike,” he said in a press release. “Ginger opens the door to better pricing, better offers and more convenient ways for consumers to engage and receive their cannabis. With us, brands have the ability to directly communicate with and market to its customers. What does that mean? Unearthing their brand loyalists and creating new ones.”

Edery is working alongside longtime partner Aleksey Klempner, the co-founder and CTO of Ginger Commerce. Together, they’ve worked on a total of four companies in the last 10 years. Aside from Ginger Commerce, the duo has partnered up with Eaze (Klempner was also co-founder of the company, as well as former head of engineering), Wayv (an online B2B service) and CLICK, an oral cannabis spray.

Klempner has high hopes that Ginger Commerce will help diversify cannabis products in California and give up-and-coming products the attention they deserve from consumers. “What I love about the technology we’ve built is its ability to democratize cannabis, in a sense,” he said in a press statement. “Our API, JavaScript SDK, and Shopping Cart plug-in allows entrepreneurs, content creators, and developers, from inside and outside of the industry, to build cannabis delivery solutions, launch DTC brands, provide services, and essentially push the industry forward.”

Edery and Klempner welcome former NBA athlete Omri Casspi into the fold as well, both as a co-founder as well as an investor. Casspi is most well-known for his career as a forward for the Sacramento Kings, although he has played on many teams over the course of his career. Casspi is also a co-founder of the oral cannabis spray company CLICK.

Edery, Klempner and Casspi all believe that Ginger Commerce has the potential to change the way consumers discover new cannabis products in California. Brands such as Big Pete’s Treats, a cannabis-infused cookie company based out of Santa Cruz, California, are getting on board. Edibles are a competitive industry, especially in the realm of cookies. 

Big Pete’s Treats CEO Pete Furtado, Jr. is enthusiastic about working with Ginger Commerce. “We’re super excited to partner up with Ginger,” he said. “Being able to offer our fans a top-notch delivery experience straight from our brand is what we’ve been waiting for. Especially for our long time loyal customers, this makes it easy, and we’re looking forward to engaging with and growing our newfound Cookie Club.”

The cannabis industry has been operating the same way for many years, but Ginger Commerce has the potential to mix things up. Edery is an ardent believer that the company will be able to help new brands get the spotlight they deserve. 

“Especially for new and up and coming brands, or brands that require education, it is extremely difficult to penetrate and get on store shelves or listed on marketplace platforms in California,” he said. “They are very selective and it’s competitive to get carried by those channels. Our DTC levels the playing field, giving brands a chance to acquire customers online, tell their brand story with their own voice, and control the entire experience without having to be beholden to retail or marketplace channel decision makers.”

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