In this month’s Cultivera Spotlight, we highlight the incredible growth and evolution of i502 Producer/Processor Hitz, LLC, now available for retail purchasers in Washington’s Cultivera Marketplace. Read on the learn the fascinating story of how this unique brand got started and evolved.
Introducing Hitz, LLC
Dedicated to natural plants and a commitent to purity and care, Hitz, LLC serves Washington’s i502 industry with a complete cannabis lifestyle brand. Founded in 2018 by Tom Hutchinson and Nater Youngchild, the Hitz story actually began long before.
According to Tom, the story of Hitz Cannabis truly began in 2005, when he received an unexpected diagnosis of Crohn’s Disease. The condition led Tom to drop out of school, quit sports, and spend more time navigating his own health.
This led him to cannabis for symptom relief, and years dealing with underground networks. At 21, an arrest resulting in a heavy fine and house arrest forced young Tom into a period of introspection.
Years later, after reconnecting with chidhood best friend Nater Youngchild, Tom transitioned into consulting in the legal cannabis industry. At 27, they purchased a cannabis farm in Washington, named Rainier Organics at the time.
This was only the beginning.
A Commitment to Purity, Care, & Community
After purchasing the farm, Tom and the team worked to grow it into a creative brand that focuses not just on cannabis, but on “natural plants, original music, and ordinary people.”
To this end, Hitz products are developed with a distinct commitment to purity and care, while offering a “unique journey” to their consumers.
We create products with a commitment to purity, care, and a unique journey for those who use Hitz Cannabis. Our products are a testament to this dedication, embodying a dream fulfilled and shared with the world.
Offering natural plant products at low costs, and partnering with unique musical collaborators, Hitz has the potential to take the Washington industry by storm through dedication and creativity alone.
How Hitz Offers High Quality at Low Costs
Despite the team’s dedication, Hitz initially had trouble generating B2B interest in their products.
In a marketplace as complex and unique as Washington’s legal cannabis industry, it was difficult to get new buyers to believe in such a fresh young company, and owner. The newness of the brand, youth of their owner, and the low pricing they’d built into the core of their business, all worked against them.
The combination caused many potential retail partners to doubt the brand’s long-term value.
"Our biggest barrier was convincing buyers that a new company with a young owner was here to stay in this industry."
As a result, Hitz was often not taken seriously by Dispensary purchasers. “With low price points,” Tom explained, “most buyers think you are doing a flash sale to offload products then disappear.”
But Hitz pricing isn’t set up to be a quick race to offload inventory. Rather, their stable prices are based on good preparation and minimal debt.
7 years ago we purchased the company and land, enabling us to operate debt free. This amount of freedom allows us to undercut competitors pricing without sacrificing quality.
Since they fully own both the company and the land it’s on, Hitz can offer retailer purchasers lower costs without offering lesser products. This means they can pass down that savings to their retail partners, and final consumer purchasers.
More Than Just A Brand; A Lifestyle
Hitz stands out not only because of their low inventory prices, but also the creativity of their collaborations and style.
Beyond their commitment to quality and cost, Hitz also works to build a sense of fun and community with their brand, products, and partnerships.
"Hitz Cannabis is more than just a brand, it's a lifestyle combined of music, cannabis, and friendship."
Working to bring people together, Hitz combines both cannabis and music with a lifestyle brand that is friendly and approachable, all promoted through creative musical collaborations.
How does it work?
Hitz teams up with musical artists to support and promote their work. Together, they cultivate a synergistic relationship with the musical community through custom songs and sponsored events. Over the years, collaborations have included artists like Whitebear, and Rappin’ 4-Tay.
These partnerships have allowed Hitz to reach larger audiences in places they already enjoy, like music shows and events. You can find their music on the Hitz website and on Youtube, and find their collaborators performing all over the world.Â
"If you aren't having fun and enjoying working together, there is no point..."
Plus, by supporting and promoting cannabis-friendly musicians, the Hitz team better connects their brand and products with the values and communities they serve.
Utilizing video content to tell their story, and a lively social media presence to promote their products and partners, the Hitz team continues to build a sense of positivity, fun, and friendship. You can find Hitz, LLC on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Youtube.
Boosting B2B Sales With Cultivera Pro + Market
The Hitz team signed on with Cultivera Pro in 2020, looking forward to Cultivera’s streamlined traceability and management solutions from seed to sale.
After a seamless transition to Pro, they took the opportunity to launch an online menu on Cultivera Market.
Now Washington’s most popular i502 sales portal, Cultivera Market makes it easier to boost B2B activity for licensed cannabis vendors with a 24/7 online order portal for retail purchasers.
By combining Cultivera Pro and Cultivera Market, Hitz has maintained streamlined workflows across their supply chain. From cultivation tracking to product conversions, seed-to-sale traceability and insights, all the way through B2B networking and sales.
How has it been going?
When our team checked in, Tom said their initial transition to Cultivera was very simple, describing the switch as “seamless.”
On top of the simplicity, they noticed an increase in sales right away from their Cultivera Market portal!
“We have used Cultivera for over 3 years and the transition was not only seamless but immediately increased sales.”
Since then, they’ve continued to be some of Cultivera Market’s most consistent and strong users. In fact, since 2022, Hitz has appeared in six of the last eight of Washington’s Quarterly Market Reports for either utilization or sales!
These days, their Cultivera Market menu offers a variety of their low-cost, high-quality product options. Retail purchasers can easily shop Hitz pre-rolls and flower, dabs and distillates, oils, vape cartridges, and more, with just a few clicks.
On top of it all, they offer both budtender education samples and money-saving value packs, to help dispensary teams save money while staying informed.
Learn More About Hitz
Learn more about the Hitz story in this introductory video from the owner, Tom. You can follow their journey on their website, and on social media @hitzcannabis.
Consumer shoppers can find Hitz products at licensed dispensaries across Washington.
Retail purchasers can find Hitz menu any time, day or night, in Washington’s Cultivera Market. Shop now.
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