Daron Coon35
Owner
Swell Cannabis
Daron Coon has spent his entire adult life in the cannabis industry. The 35-year-old owner of the edibles manufacturing company, Swell Cannabis, first became interested in the industry while researching alternative medicines to help his mother cope with her auto-immune disease.
“Through that process I found myself becoming utterly fascinated with all-things cannabis to the point that I started spending all my free time in one of the medical shops I frequented,” Coon says. “Honestly, I annoyed my way into a budtending role by basically being so passionate that I couldn’t contain my excitement while talking to other patients when they came into the shop.”
Having found relief for his mom, Coon continued in the industry, working his way up from being a volunteer budtender, to trimming to marketing and becoming a sales manager for Cheeba Chews during its expansion into Washington. He says his first year in Washington was a blur of learning the market, sales and developing his own “Starburst-style confection” in his down time.
Q&A
Your brother nominated you, saying you’ve been in the industry your entire adult life –
True statement. Started in 2009 as a volunteer bud tender back in Colorado Springs, CO.
What brought you to the industry?
Unfortunately, my mother was diagnosed with an auto immune disease in 2008 and started looking into cannabis as an alternative method to alleviate some of her symptoms. I quickly realized that although the intentions of the people she was working with were good, she wasn’t reliably getting the relief she was so desperately seeking. I decided to get my medical card (prescribed for old baseball injuries) and started looking for products that would have a positive impact on her quality of life. Through that process I found myself becoming utterly fascinated with all things cannabis to the point that I started spending all my free time in one of the medical shops I frequented.
Honestly, I annoyed my way into a bud tending role by basically being so passionate that I couldn’t contain my excitement while talking to other patients when they came into the shop. So much so that the owner eventually just told me to take over bud tending for him. That opportunity let me use what I learned from both patients and products to help find some relief for my mom.
I ended up staying at that location for almost three years until earning a chance to come home and run sales for Cheeba Chews as they expanded into WA. I spent the next 4 years selling and delivering products throughout the state, learning the ins and outs of the market. Once I502 passed, the company I was working with struggled to gain market traction with its original product line, but all the while I never stopped looking for a way to combine as many aspects of my mom’s favorite products as possible into my own confection for her.
My first year in I502 was a blur of 12 to 14-hour days spent making and selling products, only then to go home and work to develop a Starburst-style confection in my “down” time. As my confectionary experimentations began to show potential, it became clear that the company I was working for needed to do something different to survive in the new landscape. When my boss came to me and said that they were looking at shutting down I urged him to let me try to release the product I had been working on. Kudos to him for believing in me, we launched our fruit chews back in summer 2017 and have been cranking out our candies ever since.
What was compelling?
Without question the resilience that my team has shown throughout the years. This industry is constantly changing and I am extremely fortunate to be surrounded by such a dedicated and passionate crew who make it possible to share our products with so many people.
You have worked from the ground up and now own your own cannabis business – how did those early experiences inform your later business decisions?
My background in small business instilled a desire to treat every company with the utmost respect and appreciation. At Swell we genuinely respect and treat our retail partners with the same level of kindness and respect regardless of size. I know what it feels like to run a small shop and see others receive preferential treatment because they are perceived to be more lucrative accounts. So many amazing people have sacrificed greatly to help bring this industry from its risqué or fringe past into the light for the masses to enjoy, and those people deserve recognition and to be applauded for all their efforts.
What has been the biggest milestone in your career thus far?
Being able, after working with my old boss and business partner for almost a decade, to then be able to purchase the business we built and give him the opportunity to retire after so many years of hard work, was a pretty fulfilling experience. That, and being able to work side by side with my family day in and day out. My brother, Garrett, has been the best teammate/sales director I could have imagined, and my dad has been a rock from the beginning, the OG Swell Guy. Seeing our relationships grow stronger through our experiences working together is something I could never have expected and will cherish forever.
What is on the horizon for you and your business?
National legalization is obviously looming, so there are conversations taking place with a few different groups about expanding into other markets. That said, we’re always looking to develop new fun products for our customers to enjoy. I’m extremely excited to see what direction the industry will go in the years to come.
As chaotic as this industry can be I do my best to remember that life is all about the journey. No matter where this crazy road may lead, together with my team I’m excited to continue to spread some Swell vibes for years to come.