Episode 5: Bringing an Iconic Alcohol Brand to the Cannabis Industry with Kevin Forde

In our fifth episode, host Benjamin Ballinger sat down with Kevin Forde, Chief Sales & Marketing Officer of Fireball Cannabis, which first launched in Las Vegas, NV. Most people know the brand Fireball as the hot cinnamon-flavored whiskey loved by college kids. Kevin and his team built an edibles brand through a licensing deal with Fireball and brought that same iconic flavor over to the cannabis world.

In 4 short years, Fireball Cannabis has expanded into more than 10 states/territories and has established a strong foothold in the gummy segment—primarily due to Kevin's integration of customer service and success into his team's sales cycle. As of today, the brand is currently available in CA, CO, IL, MA, MI, MO, OK, OR, and PR.

Fireball's success is unique—most alcohol brands that have tried to transition into cannabis have struggled to succeed. In this episode, Kevin outlines why they picked the brand in the first place, and how he has approached sales and marketing to ensure that Fireball efficiently gets on shelves, and then into consumers' hands—even in expansion markets where the sales are fully outsourced to a partner operation.

For the episode notes, transcript, and linked resources, please visit ⁠https://podcast.diamondminers.co/episode-5/