L.A. based Vertical, one of the world’s largest vertically integrated companies in the cannabis industry, is pleased to announce a partnership with rap icon The Game that brings Trees By Game, his line of premier cannabis products, to retail locations throughout California.
West Coast rapper The Game is among the most successful artists to transition from music to the cannabis industry. He launched Trees By Game in the fall of 2016. The Game said: “The product, the taste, the quality, and how it makes the people that use it feel is everything to me. I’ve been patient…. waiting for someone that can take the community that we’ve built to the next level. Vertical stood out with their ability to scale cultivation, manufacturing, distribution, and sales infrastructure. But what really mattered to me was finding a team that could put out products that I could be proud of and excited to use myself.”
Trees By Game joined Vertical’s other brands at last week’s Hall of Flowers, the world’s first cannabis business-to-business trade show, which featured a keynote from legendary global investor Gary Vaynerchuk.
“Gary Vee,” as he is known, is no stranger to the industry, having acquired an equity stake in Green Street, a cannabis focused branding and licensing company. Completing the circle, Green Street partnered with Game to create Trees By Game, along with 2 Chainz to create the GAS brand, plus brands for comedy icons Broken Lizard (Super Troopers), among others, and has ownership stakes in more than a dozen premier brands.
“The greatest business collaborations are when they are actually authentic,” said Vaynerchuk. “There is nothing worse than watching a celebrity or tastemaker do a deal with a brand that makes no sense. Yet there is nothing better than watching something that makes perfect sense, this deal with Trees By Game and Vertical makes perfect sense.”
J. Smoke Wallin, President of Vertical, said: “Trees By Game brings Vertical a brand with a strong consumer following. Partnering with both Game and Green Street brings us brand champions who believe in the product and speak to their audience uniquely. Our plan is to reach and service all licensed retailers in our chosen markets, starting with California. We couldn’t be more excited to launch Trees By Game in the California market!”
Vertical is expanding exponentially, with its seed to shelf supply chain covering everything from cultivation to manufacturing to branding to distribution. Vertical’s growing stable of more than twenty brands delivers top shelf flower, pre-rolls, oils, edibles, vapes, and will soon add beverages. Vertical is now one of the largest permit holders in California and one of the largest companies in the global cannabis industry. Notable is that all parties were brought together by industry veterans and cannabis consultants Josh Priebe and Kerry McDonough from the Bevel Group.