40 Under 40: Ali & Muhammad Garawi

The Garawi brothers, Ali and Muhammad, were getting pushback from their first-generation, and relatively conservative, immigrant parents when they co-founded the cannabis vape manufacturer Muha Meds in 2018.

“They had a lot of negative, preconceived notions about cannabis, not only religiously but in the legal atmosphere as well,” Ali says. “However, as time went on, they began appreciating the medicinal aspect of cannabis, the benefits it can have on health and wellness, and how much better of an alternative it is in comparison to prescription drugs.”

Ali was entrepreneurial at an early age, getting into ecommerce at 15. By the age of 20, he and his brother were generating roughly $500,000 a year in revenue in the vaping sector.

With so many of his clients being cannabis manufacturers, the Garawi brothers crossed over into cannabis, establishing Muha Meds as a cultivation and manufacturing business.

“We wanted to do something more meaningful and something we were more passionate about,” Ali says. “Sure, we were successful selling the components of cannabis vapes to other cannabis companies, but that was never the end goal for us by any means. Rather, it was a part of the stepping stone to get us where we are now.”

Muha Meds has grown into a multi-state operation, with more than 350 employees and products in nearly 1,000 stores across California, New Mexico and Michigan.

Q&A with Ali Garawi

You mentioned in an interview with Skunk that your parents are conservative, first-generation immigrants – was their pushback in seeing their sons join a federally illegal industry? Has your success changed their outlook?

Yes, when we first got into the business there was push back from my folks. They had a lot of negative preconceived notions about cannabis, not only religiously but in the legal atmosphere as well. However, as time went on they began appreciating the medicinal aspect of cannabis, the benefits it can have on health and wellness, and how much better of an alternative it is in comparison to prescription drugs. They got to see first hand how detailed we are in the development of our products, and for what medicinal/wellness purposes the products were being made for. In addition, I think they were also very pleased to see us take serious measures to stay compliant around the laws regulating cannabis, and in turn they have seen the development of a big vertically integrated cannabis company with over 350 employees, which they seem to be really proud of.

You and your brother were already quite successful in the vape/accessories sector of the industry – what prompted the move into vertical integration? 

We wanted to do something more meaningful, and something we were more passionate about. Sure we were successful selling the components of cannabis vapes to other cannabis companies, but that was never the end goal for us by any means, rather it was a part of the stepping stones to get us where we are now. We are both really passionate about health and wellness. Having the opportunity to develop a cannabis product that contributes to safer and better options available to consumers is a blessing. We’ve made a conscious effort to demonstrate to our customers that we’ve put in the work, time and made the sacrifices to create a company that is able to independently produce products that set industry standards. 

What is your stance on white labeling and why?

I think it’s a disingenuous position to take as a cannabis brand for many reasons. You can’t stand behind your products if you’re unable to make them yourself, you’re offloading a key part of the process —  without it you’re essentially just a packaging/design company.