hmbldt brand launch

hmbldt is an early-stage health and wellness startup. The challenge: The cannabis industry is highly unregulated from an outside standpoint (given the unique legalities within the category) and has been largely unregulated from the brands and companies within it because of the ability to run a brand with minimal energy or standards while still seeing big sales. There’s also an overall stigma and perception issue that haunts cannabis in which will have to shift for the industry to move into mainstream.

Catherine Merritt oversaw the launch of hmblt, positioning the brand, its self-regulated approach, dedication to science and consistency much in the way that a traditional CPG brand would position itself.

The brand launched in October of 2016 and through her efforts, in December Time Magazine named hmbldt as one of its top inventions of 2016. With that came instant validation for the brand as well as a huge effort in de-stigmatizing the entire cannabis industry and category. Merritt Group Consulting was able to secure strategic coverage through top business, innovative, medical, science, design media outlets, with less emphasis on traditional cannabis magazines and blogs. As such, hmbldt is currently one of the leading cannabis brands that is paving the entire industry to be more accountable, regulated and achieving the business opportunity ahead, projected at being a $50 billion industry over the next decade.