Angela Brown
38
Co-Founder
Coast Cannabis Co.
Angela Brown has big plans for Coast Cannabis, Massachusetts’ first licensed adult-use manufacturing company.
“We have some really exciting things on the horizon at Coast,” Brown says. “After our successful launch into Rhode Island in late 2023, we’re preparing for a launch into Connecticut later this year and a couple mid-Atlantic markets soon after.”
Brown co-founded Coast Cannabis with her husband Brian Cusick in 2017. The company has since grown into one of the largest woman-owned, family-operated cannabis product manufacturers in New England. Brown credits part of the company’s success to her prior experience working in sales for an international seafood company and as an early employee of the tech startup CarGurus.
“Looking back, my time at an industry-leading business in the seafood industry really gave me great insight into how a food processing and distribution company should operate,” she says. “Being an early employee at CarGurus really exposed me to the broader aspects of business and how truly exciting and rewarding being a part of a startup team could be.”
Coinciding with the growth of Coast, Brown has also committed the business to giving back to the Massachusetts shores as part of the company’s business plan.
“As we continue to grow our footprint, we are continuing to grow our commitment to keeping our coastlines and waterways clean through our growing beach cleanup program and launching more eco-friendly packaging made from ocean recovered plastics,” she says.
Q&A
What brought you to the industry? Was there any apprehension?
My path into cannabis didn’t begin until graduating college. Dealing with insomnia and digestive issues was complicating my young career. I tried traditional healthcare methods but had little success and lots of concern related to the risks associated with sleeping medication. My husband and now co-founder, Brian Cusick, suggested the use of cannabis, which I ignored as that wasn’t my “thing”. So yes, there was a lot of apprehension for me. It was a few years later meeting with girlfriends and sharing my experience and Brian’s suggestion, they enthusiastically encouraged me to try it out! I began consuming cannabis shortly after and quickly realized the wellness benefits and the positive impact it had on my health. I was able to stop taking the prescriptions I was on for sleeping and digestion. Early in my journey I realized edibles were my preferred ingestion method and started sourcing edibles from traditional market channels as well the first medical dispensaries here in Massachusetts. More often than not these left me with something to be desired, not only from their effects, but the quality of the products and their ingredients. Often low quality and artificial. This inspired me to start making my own edibles and working with a local testing lab to hone my recipes. From there I began sharing the edibles I was making with my network to great acclaim and through that experience, a lot of advocacy, and self-determination we launched the first stand alone manufacturer in Massachusetts, Coast Cannabis!
What were you doing prior to launching Coast Cannabis?
My professional career prior to launching Coast Cannabis was in business development & sales. Beginning in 2009 on the fish pier of Boston working in sales for an international seafood business. Seeking a more innovative path I spent time at some of the best Boston-based tech companies like Constant Contact, CarGurus, and Robin. Looking back, my time at an industry leading business in the seafood industry really gave me great insight into how a food processing & distribution company should operate. Being an early employee at CarGurus really exposed me to the broader aspects of business and how truly exciting and rewarding being a part of a startup team could be. That exposure really encouraged me to take the leap into entrepreneurship myself!
What would you say has been your biggest milestone in the industry?
I am not sure I can sum it up as just one milestone as I feel everything we have done has been a big milestone for us. From taking this from a dream, to a plan on paper to an actual business has been amazing. To be the first independent manufacturer in the state of Massachusetts, to being woman owned and family operated have been huge milestones for us. Above all, sticking to our beliefs, building an amazing team, and executing our plan, while thriving in this ever changing industry has brought the biggest smile to my face.
What is on the horizon for you and your company?
We have some really exciting things on the horizon at Coast! We’re growing the business beyond Massachusetts. After our successful launch into Rhode Island in late 2023, we’re preparing for a launch into Connecticut later this year and a couple mid-Atlantic markets soon after! More to come on that in the near future 🙂 Coast will continue being a leader in the industry by creating products with purpose that harness the power of cannabis through market leading ratios of cannabinoids in our products! As we continue to grow our footprint we are continuing to grow our commitment to keeping our coastlines and waterways clean through our growing beach cleanup program and launching more eco-friendly packaging made from ocean recovered plastics.