Adam Jackson
At the Green Market Report Midwest Women’s Cannabis Business Summit in Chicago on Nov. 2, we recognized some of the stellar industry players with the GMR Midwest Women in Cannabis Awards.
The ancillary provider award went to Jennifer Whiteley, CEO and co-founder of CannaCarton, which specializes in packaging solutions for marijuana companies.
Whiteley already had an established career in packaging for various sectors, including food, beverage, pharmaceuticals, and health & beauty, before she set her sights on cannabis. But she brought her expertise into the blooming industry in 2018, when she co-founded CannaCarton LLC.
“We founded CannaCarton on the empathic understanding that this market is critical in supplying a product that helps patients get the medicine they need while also helping companies stabilize their supply chains,” she told Green Market Report.
She saw a gap – a lack of specialized packaging solutions tailored to the unique needs of cannabis products – and “endless opportunities to help.”
“I quickly noticed our customers really needed guidance in the packaging sector as they typically didn’t have a packaging/marketing/branding background prior to their role in cannabis,” Whiteley said.
Her achievements extend beyond her own entrepreneurial success. She takes particular pride in the role she plays in nurturing fledgling cannabis brands.
“Helping launch and support so many great brands and their products across the country from conception to retail shelves is truly inspiring,” she said, emphasizing her passion for facilitating the growth of others.
“I’m humbled to be a part of such wonderful people doing such impactful things for this industry.”
Looking ahead, Whiteley simply wants to be a good leader in the face of any obstacles that may arrive for her, her staff, or the company’s clients. Scaling her business doesn’t hurt, either.
“The continuation of helping our teams and our customers overcome the daily hurdles we all experience,” she said. “Every challenge is an opportunity to learn and grow as a person, team, and business!”
