OUR ROOTS
Highbrow was born in the early months of 2017 when three industry friends met over coffee to discuss and plan for the upcoming Adult Use of Marijuana legislation that had just passed the Maine house. They decided to band together and embrace the future as the laws and the industry began to change amid the brave new world of cannabis legalization.
Prior to that meeting in 2017, each of Highbrow’s three founders had faced their own various struggles. One bad harvest could beget countless nights of lost sleep, pondering how they were going to both keep the lights on and heat the house. This often meant putting ten gallons of diesel fuel in the oil tank and putting on extra sweaters. Sometimes rent would have to be delayed. Plumbing problems and water heater issues would have to wait to be repaired. In the meantime, they would do the best with what they could. Late nights and early mornings were an everyday occurrence. Financial obstacles could often take several harvests to overcome. For most people, the life of a medical marijuana caregiver in Maine could often be a difficult slog.
As they met for coffee that day in 2017 and they recounted their concerns and struggles, they realized that the odds were stacked against them. Regulations, particularly in regards to recreational cannabis, can be an intensely difficult thing to navigate. They tend to favor the big money interests that can abide by the specs outlined by the state (and in many cases influence them in their favor). One thing was certain: the three founders were resolute that they were not going to be pushed out of the industry by out-of-state forces. Three heads were better than one, they decided. If you’re not riding the wave, you’re under it. They embraced the change and took the risk. At its core, Highbrow began as three friends, a handful of grow lights, and dozens of years of combined knowledge between them. They had no money, just a shared vision and a desire to stay above the fray.
Highbrow’s vision: to bring artisan-crafted, local, high-end cannabis to the medical market with a mindfulness for community engagement and development. Highbrow prides itself on being locally grown, sourced, and owned.
This philosophy was chiseled over time. Having little-to-no funding at its outset, the founders had to look for investors, and began to take meetings with several interested parties. Different people representing different corporate interests would make their pitch. The founders noticed that all these potential investors shared one common trait: greed. They had no love for the plant, no appreciation for the holistic view of cannabis, no philosophy, no community-mindfulness. Only dollar signs.
There was tremendous risk involved: State regulations forbade separate caregivers from operating within the same facility. Anti-collective laws dictated one caregiver could not grow or sell with another caregiver, which made things difficult. Obstacles had to be overcome, and the regulations were less than friendly.
Sometimes you have to jump and wait for the net to appear. With investor meetings fizzling, the founders began looking at potential storefront spots anyway. No money and no building—they were still determined to make it work, but finding a storefront was rife with its own difficulties. Town approval, landlords who were wary of the cannabis industry, and zoning restrictions were all forces they had to contend with. After months of more long nights and early mornings, a serendipitous encounter led the founders to an interested investor with an impressive community standing: a lifelong Mainer with a vested interest in the local economy. They were interested in, and excited about, the journey the founders had embarked on, had a connection to the industry, and a love for the plant. Very shortly after, they found a building a Waldoboro that fit all of their specs. The net appeared. The pieces were falling into place.
After months of intense preparation, Highbrow opened its first store in Waldoboro in 2017. The goal was to create a high-end boutique with a rustic aesthetic that would feel welcoming to anyone and everyone. The idea was to break the mold. That direction carried over to the newer locations that they opened the following year in Topsham and Manchester. Premium assortments of pipes and medical cannabis, from high-end to affordable, in a setting that feels more like a gallery than a headshop.
Many dispensaries can feel cold, uninviting, and mechanical, where customers are often treated as numbers and are whisked away almost as soon as they enter. Highbrow seeks to transcend that archetype by forming a team that is personable, knowledgeable, and committed to providing compassion and attentiveness to each and every person that finds their way in.
Walk into any Highbrow location and you will be met with a feeling of familiarity. The sizes and layouts of the individual stores differ, but each store provides a similar experience. If you go to a different Highbrow location than the one you are used to, you will find the same flowers, concentrates, edibles, and more. While each store has its subtle differences, it still holds true to its rustic aesthetic: live edge wood, repurposed pallet wood, and black metal pipe framing the display cases that house its cannabis products, as well as those housing beautiful glass pieces—many crafted by local artists from next door in Whitefield all the way to Portland.
As Maine transitions into the recreational cannabis market, and as the legislation continues to shift, Highbrow aspires to provide leadership in the industry and strives to maintain the highest possible standards in all aspects of production and operations. Highbrow seeks to expand the knowledge of its customer base and the general public at large by being a source of trusted information when it comes to the medicinal properties of cannabis, CBD, and terpenes. Highbrow’s team, which is already well-versed in the medical cannabis market, will be able to provide valuable information for more casual cannabis consumers in the recreational, adult use market.
Shortly after its founding, Highbrow expanded into the CBD market, producing edibles, tinctures, salves, lotions, and bath bombs for people looking for non-psychoactive healthy alternatives. Slowly, as the stigma surrounding hemp-derived products, and CBD in particular, has dissipated, more patients are exploring its potential benefits, particularly older generations. As demand for CBD grows by leaps and bounds, Highbrow has sought to remain at the forefront of the ever-expanding science of CBD and its interaction with terpenes and the entire spectrum of cannabinoids. CBD for every specification, with mixtures titled Super Woman, Stress Less, Illness Immunity, and Sweet Serenity (to name a few),each item is crafted with care, and infused naturally with organic herbs that allow for greater promotion of wellness, going beyond the same old CBD isolate with a pretty label. Highbrow offers most of its CBD items on its website, providing products to a customer base well beyond the borders of Maine.
Many cannabis patients, for reasons ranging from the merely preferential to the medicinal, prefer products that they can be eaten as opposed to smoking or vaping. For this reason, Highbrow offers a broad assortment of THC and CBD edibles, and tinctures. Highbrow brand beverages are in hot demand. Offered in four flavors (Mixed Berry, Mango Pineapple, Lemonade and Pink Lemonade) with plans for more, the 100mg drinks continue to be one of their most requested offerings and are available in several different storefronts spanning the entire state.
In 2018 Highbrow partnered with Pot & Pan Kitchen, a commercial kitchen in Portland, offering locally sourced gourmet medicated confections to a broad range of customers. Highbrow even offers its own brand of infused oils, syrups, and honey, all sourced from local Maine farms. Additionally, Highbrow has paired with local coffee purveyor/roaster Rock City Coffee Co. to bring THC and CBD-infused coffee to dispensary store shelves. Offering several different roasts with names like Fire On The Mountain, Breakwater, Boatyard—they are available as THC infused or CBD-infused options, with new and different flavors that rotate seasonally. Through its various partnerships, Highbrow remains committed to local sourcing from Maine companies and Maine people.
An abundance of new science and technology has propelled the market for cannabis extracts into new frontiers that the casual user and newer patients can often find overwhelming. The brand has sought to be a beacon in the storm of information, educating its patients on the differences between things like solvents and solventless extracts, isolates, distillates, RSO, and terpene-rich concentrates that can be difficult for many patients to navigate. All concentrate products are lab-tested to ensure both quality and efficacy, with a focus on customer-specific treatment that requires both an extensive knowledge and attention to detail.
The overall wellness of its customers is always Highbrow’s primary focus. Consistency is key when it comes to both Highbrow brand products and any partnered labs, like Salmon Falls Solventless: the finest rosin, made with ice, water, heat, and pressure only. Highbrow caters to both newcomers and vape enthusiasts: cartridges, diamonds, terp sauce, crumble, caviar, and THC/CBD infusions. If you’re unfamiliar with any of those terms, Highbrow budtenders are more than prepared to guide you through the process.
Currently, Highbrow showcases a rotating cycle of 50+ strains. A convenient new classification system allows customers an easier way to choose whichever variety helps them achieve their desired effect. Uplifting, Balanced, and Relaxing categories are applied to all of their concentrates and flower, allowing the customer more ease and confidence in making the right choice for them. Highbrow seeks to provide a fuller customer experience: connoisseur flower with detail oriented, personable customer service.
The founders of Highbrow, being no strangers to struggle themselves, decided to focus some of their efforts on charitable endeavors that would serve to help local families who had fallen on financial hardship. They are acutely aware of what it’s like to have to hold off on paying a heating bill, being late on rent, or going without hot water for days on end. Those nightmarish stories from back when they were individual caregivers that they shared back in that first meeting in 2017 were something that none of them would ever forget. Ever since, they have sought to provide relief for families who are faced with a similar circumstance. In that spirit, and in its effort to build a sense of family and community, Highbrow operates the Canna Claus drive every year which, with the help of Highbrow’s incredibly supportive customer base, has raised well over $20,000 for residents of Maine that may be struggling to get through the holiday season.
With at least two new stores opening in 2020, the founders of Highbrow remain committed to hiring local contractors, designers, artists and landscapers. Having evolved from humble beginnings, Highbrow now employs over 30 people. Applicants from 22 different states have all expressed interest in joining the Highbrow team. The growth of Highbrow is a microcosm of the cannabis industry itself, which has provided the state with a measurable economic boost. The expansion of the cannabis industry has breathed new life into the state of Maine, which for the past few decades, has faced tremendous economic hurdles. For years, younger generations would tend to leave the state in droves. For the first time, in large part due to the cannabis industry, that paradigm is beginning to shift.
Expanding but still locally-minded, Highbrow seeks to be an authority on cannabis: providing educational resources, and knowledge so that the people of Maine are well-versed in the evolving science of cannabis. The brand is cutting edge but not exclusionary. Highbrow is growing, but their commitment to providing quality cannabis, and lifting up the community remains central to their philosophy.