While in Boston for NECANN, I had the chance to connect with one of the up-coming legends in this game, Brendon Robinson. One half the Mudd Brothers, The New Jersey based collective has taken over their market with their lines of premium live rosin, infused pre-rolls, vapes, carts and oil. Next stop, the world! 

Our interview with Brendon will go live in a few days. Before you listen to our conversation, take a look at 5 takeaways from the interview. 

Small Town Guy 

Mudd Brothers consists of Brendon Robinson and his best friend Stanley Oroko. The two met growing up in the small town of Chesilhurst New Jersey. A town of just over 1500 people, there wasn’t much to do growing up. 

“We called it the black hole. We didn’t have a supermarket for a good part of my childhood. We didn’t have a police station. We had an elementary school, but no high school. I mean, you know, I always say like Chesilhurs wasn’t necessarily the most dangerous place in the world, but it just wasn’t any resources at all, man.

New Jersey Oilers

It was in the city of Chesilhurst that the two found cannabis. Robinson recalls Stanley being the trailblazer in the crew. 

“Stan’s always been more versed in cannabis than I am. You know, he started smoking. We were, really, really young. I didn’t get into it until about 20. I was an athlete.” Stan can also be credited for why they leaned into rosin over flower. 

That’s all my brother,” said Brendon about how they got into the rosin business. 

“We were going to roll out flower. At the time, there wasn’t a lot of variety of flower in the market. There wasn’t anything that we felt comfortable putting our name on. My brother, who’s been an avid concentrate user since, like, 2016 introduced me to concentrates. He’s always been advocating for it.” 

Teach The Masses 

Brendon and Stanley are more than just business men. They are also teachers. Through the Minority Cannabis Academy, they give the chance for others to learn about the business. The idea was a by-product of their Nj 420 Events. 

“I noticed that we were not putting anybody in the industry. That’s when the idea to create the Minority Cannabis Academy came about,” said Brendon. 

The Minority Cannabis Academy is an eight-week program. The academy puts students through an in-person course load around topics like. Bud tending, Horticulture, Extraction, and  Entrepreneurism. 

“You get quizzed every week; you’re post-tested to check your progress throughout the eight weeks. You go on a field trip to a dispensary and cultivation sites. We’re no-nonsense. You’ve got to be on time. You’ve got to show up. You have your best self. You’ve got to participate. Because we want folks when they graduate to be able to walk through and say, hey, that’s an MCA graduate.”

State-to-State

Through their partnership with Ayr Wellness, Mudd Brothers has been able to have their product available in over 100 stores across New Jersey. Their next stop, the great state of Massachusetts. 

“We’re about to expand to Massachusetts starting on April 10th. We are really excited about that, our first expansion state, hopefully not our last.”

We all Are Champions

What’s the best way to celebrate success? Some may choose medals, others may choose medallions. The Mudd Brothers went another direction. 

“We’re the first black-owned brand to launch here in Jersey. And we’re like, man, we came out of the gates with three stores. We’re in 100 stores now. We’re getting ready for NECANN. This was 2024. We need to get something to kind of commemorate the success.” 

Most people would’ve gone full rapper mode and gotten necklaces. Brendon and Stanley took it in another direction. 

“We were going to get chains, but everybody does that. You know what I’m saying? We said, ‘let’s do something nostalgic. Let’s get a wrestling belt.’

That decision was a great one. Now, whenever they are at a major event, they bring the big gold belt out and the crowd loves it! It really brings out the inner-Ric Flair in all of us.