Photo courtesy of JuJu Royal Milwaukee
As long-held stigmas attached to cannabis use continue to fade nationwide, more celebrities are backing lines of cannabis brands—country music legend Willie Nelson has Willie’s Remedy, a hemp-based cannabidiol (CBD) line (Willie’s Reserve is his line of THC products). Then there’s Tommy Chong’s Cannabis. Even celebrities less associated with cannabis, like Martha Stewart, have thrown their names behind CBD capsules and gummies.
So, Greendale native Paul Bruno, who with his family opened CBD Cellar, 5328 W. Vliet St., and later The Village CBD Shoppe, in Greendale, was skeptical of celebrity cannabis brands. However, he ended up saying yes to reps from JuJu Royal, the Rastafarian-themed lifestyle cannabis brand endorsed by musician Julian Marley, son of reggae great Bob Marley.
“The Rastafarian vibe is a good, clean vibe, and they have quality products at a good price point,” Bruno says. He entered into a three-year licensing agreement with JuJu Royal. His store on Vliet Street, now known as JuJu Royal CBD, carries the company’s full line of smokable flower, flavored tinctures, topicals such as salves, lip balm and nano repair cream, and edibles.
The agreement also allows Bruno to carry his own products, a topical and a cannabis-based herbal cream. He had worked with processors and a pharmacist to craft his line. JuJu Royal has been a brand since 2016, Bruno says. “They’ve gone through an interesting growth pattern. I was their first push into a retail brick and mortar location (there’s now another flagship store in Georgia). They have a great team formulating the product and I’m excited for everything they have coming down the line.”
JuJu Royal makes a CBD extra virgin olive oil in basil, jerk or rosemary flavors. Bruno believes edibles is another way to add cannabis to one’s daily life and break the stigma of pot and “pot light” (CBD). “Before hemp became illegal, it was a main staple in our food supply. Then we took this nutrient out of our diet,” he says, “but now, people are looking at it differently. I tell them you’re cooking with vitamins, rather than food infused with a drug. I have a hemp protein shake very day.”
Bruno’s family was always interested in health and wellness. He had managed a GNC store and became well-versed in vitamins, supplements and nutrition. As a former athlete, he found CBD was the only thing that helped his back pain.
Expanding JuJu Royal and Cannabis Retail
Bruno can open more JuJu Royal stores within 50 miles of his Washington Heights location. He has not yet met Julian Marley; plans for the Grammy-nominated musician to visit in May were thwarted due to the pandemic. Bruno hopes to meet him soon.
Although Bruno has a business background and had launched web startups, he notes cannabis entrepreneurship is a totally different beast. “Mike Tyson (who also has a line of CBD-enhanced beverages known as DWiiNK) once said, ‘everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.’” Bruno says. “You’re moving on the fly, and you don’t know what you don’t know. I’m not from the cannabis industry, so I’ve been using my business savvy.”
Nobody knows exactly where full cannabis legalization is headed in Wisconsin or nationally, but Bruno believes that once it is fully legal, we can have better conversations around it. “In 10 to 20 years, we’ll have cannabis stores—not just THC or CBD stores.” He predicts they will take on more of an apothecary role, where people can come in, describe their specific issue and get a tincture or a mixture that fits exactly what they need.
“I’m a firm believer in education,” he concludes. “I don’t want to be a millionaire, but when you change someone’s life and help them, whether it’s a vet with PTSD or someone with crippling pain, it gives me a satisfaction that no other job has given me.”
For more information, visit jujuroyal.com.
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