Herb

Herb.co operates as a prominent media and commerce entity within the cannabis sector, positioning itself as a comprehensive resource for cannabis culture, news, and product discovery. The company traces its origins back to 2006 when it was founded in New Zealand as The Stoner's Cookbook by web developers Lucas Young and Daniel Crothers. Initially a user-generated online database for cannabis recipes, the site grew to become the most visited of its kind by 2009.

A significant transformation occurred in 2014 when Matt Gray, a serial entrepreneur who previously co-founded and sold the tech skills accelerator Bitmaker, joined as CEO to scale the operation. Gray's arrival marked an expansion of the platform's content to include news, a cannabis strain database, and video productions. Following the successful release of the cookbook “Herb: Mastering The Art Of Cooking With Cannabis” in 2015, the company officially rebranded from The Stoner's Cookbook to Herb. Gray subsequently acquired the company that same year. Under his leadership, Herb secured $4.1 million in a seed funding round in August 2017, with backing from notable investors like Lerer Hippeau Ventures, Slow Ventures, and Shopify's CEO and COO.

The firm's business model centers on creating and distributing a wide array of content—from articles and recipes to video series like 'Strain Stories'—to a large and engaged community of cannabis enthusiasts. This content-driven approach serves to build a loyal audience, which the company monetizes by connecting cannabis brands with consumers through measurable marketing solutions. In April 2020, Herb expanded its offerings by launching Herb Pickup, a platform that enables users to find and order cannabis products for pickup from local dispensaries, integrating with major point-of-sale systems and updating product availability in near real-time.

Herb targets cannabis consumers who view the plant as a part of a modern lifestyle, similar to coffee, rather than just a niche hobby. The company provides educational guides, strain recommendations, and cultural content, aiming to destigmatize cannabis and present it as a tool for wellness and creativity. By building what it calls the largest cannabis community in the world, Herb provides a distribution channel for brands in an industry where traditional advertising is heavily restricted.

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