Kikoko founders Jennifer Chapin and Amanda Jones are early pioneers and innovators in the cannabis wellness space for women—currently a fast-growing category attracting major attention from both consumers and investors. Kikoko’s mission is to empower women to take back their health and live with more joy by bringing cannabis, a plant medicine that has been used for thousands of years, back into the mainstream as an option to help with insomnia, anxiety, stress, mood, and low libido.

Not too long after Kikoko launched in 2015 and after a particularly stressful day, Amy and I shared a pot of Positivi-Tea, a cannabis infused mint green tea designed to “banish grumpiness” and inspire a happy, fun time (minus the hangover and calories). It was summer so we let it cool and added ice to it. After roughly 20 minutes we felt calm and convivial, not too unlike the effects of a gin and tonic except without the need to imbibe more. We gave samples to girlfriends who, back then, were hesitant to try anything with THC yet freely knocked back cocktails or wine without hesitation. The cannabis for women category has come a long way since those days and there’s no doubt Kikoko had a lot to do with changing perceptions of this perennial plant medicine. We’re excited to watch them continue to bloom into more cannabis categories related to women’s health. Read more about this dynamic duo …

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR JEN & AMANDA

1. How and why did you two decide to get into the cannabis business?

Kikoko was born when we saw our dear friend Jan, who had terminal cancer, struggle to use cannabis to help the side-effects of her chemotherapy treatments. She didn’t want to smoke, was frustrated by the inconsistency of high dosed THC products, the scarcity of healthy ingredients, and the stoner tie-dye packaging that was geared to men. It was Jan who had the brilliant idea to create cannabis medicine that was reliably low-dosed and available to enjoy discreetly—a product that focused on women’s health and wellness. Jan was the one who saw the opportunity to destigmatize this life-changing plant and create products that were beautifully packaged in a way that would encourage women to give themselves permission to try. Although Jan didn't live to be a part of Kikoko, we have created the company in her memory. And we discovered that she was right—there are scores of women who are looking for alternatives to help them with sleep, pain, anxiety, stress, and loss of libido. We’re really proud that Kikoko teas are the #1 selling cannabis beverage in California—we know this is in large part driven by the power of women seeking change in their approach to wellness.

“I rarely drink wine anymore, as it gives me a terrible headache, something a lot of women experience as we get older.” - AJ

“We know that once women try low-dose products they discover that it is not the “devil weed” we were raised to believe it was.” -JC

2. Talk to us about cannabis and women. How did you get women to go beyond "getting stoned in college" to looking at THC tantamount to having a glass of wine or using cannabis as a wellness cure?

Amanda: I rarely used Cannabis in college, and then infrequently, until I saw the light when we started Kikoko!

Jen: I was a PRUDE in college and never used cannabis until the late 90’s, and after that I only occasionally tried it. Then along came Kikoko and cannabis has changed my life!

The topic of cannabis and women is one we understand intimately, as we fight to change the stigma every day. With our commitment to education and that of many other amazing cannabis education forums, women in CA are rapidly becoming aware of the benefits of cannabis. We know that once women try low-dose products they discover that it is not the “devil weed” we were raised to believe it was. In fact, cannabis has been used by women for 5,000 years for many health conditions — menstrual cramps, childbirth, general pain, glaucoma, and the list goes on. Unfortunately when cannabis was made illegal in the US in 1937, the government did a superb job of spreading “fake news”, making people believe it would drive them insane (remember Reefer Madness). To this day we’re still living with that false impression, which is a cautionary tale of how fake news can change a society. Many people don’t know that until the cannabis propaganda began, the plant was widely used in the US by medical doctors.

“We are huge, huge believers that women should be shrugging off the stigma, doing their own research, and perhaps looking to replace some of the alcohol and pharmaceuticals they take without asking too many questions.” - AJ

Amanda: In its wild form, cannabis has very low percentages of THC. It wasn’t until cannabis was forced underground and grown in large quantities, that the demand for potency was driven up — potency that today can get people very high. Too high, in our opinion. Kikoko is committed to delivering the THC doses that the plant naturally presents — which is low. Although we have slightly higher dose products for those occasions where you want to get more of a buzz and giggle, most of our products are low THC and formulated with other cannabinoids that don’t get you high. Our new Kikoko Little Helper botanical mints, for example, have between 1-2 milligrams of THC paired with either CBD for calm or CBN for sleep. We also use ingredients like Vitamin B6 and 12 and L-Theanine for additional wellness. These mints are barely perceptible other than to cause a calm or focused or sleepy sensation. Our teas range in THC from 3 mg to 10 mg. We are huge, huge believers that women should be shrugging off the stigma, doing their own research, and perhaps looking to replace some of the alcohol and pharmaceuticals they take without asking too many questions. No one has ever died from cannabis. That can not be said of those other substances.

“In keeping with Kikoko’s credo, “We won’t sell anything that we wouldn’t put in to our own bodies, and we won’t put anything in packaging that will be on the planet in perpetuity.” - JC

3. Has Kikoko changed the way you entertain? Do you offer guests Kikoko cocktails or teas at your personal social events?

Amanda: Oh absolutely, I rarely drink wine anymore, as it gives me a terrible headache, something a lot of women experience as we get older. My husband and I like to make a concentrate of Positive-Tea or Sensuali-Tea and keep it in the refrigerator, and from there we have an endless array of sensational cocktail replacements. We have a list of fabulous “mock-tail” recipes to make using Kikoko teas. My personal favorite is simple, Sensuali-Tea concentrate with agave syrup and lime juice. Sensuali-Tea cocktails are my go-to cocktail, and my guests love them too!

Jen: What’s wonderful about Kikoko products is that they’re all delicious (no cannabis aftertaste), good for you, and good for our planet. In keeping with Kikoko’s credo, “We won’t sell anything that we wouldn’t put in to our own bodies, and we won’t put anything in packaging that will be on the planet in perpetuity.”

4. Advice to newbies who have never tried THC, Cannabis, or CBD?

Jen: We strongly believe that the cannabis plant is intended to be put to its best use when all of the plant phytochemicals are present (THC combined with CBD, CBN, or any of the other cannabinoids). Evidence has shown that CBD is more effective in the body when there are low levels of THC present too. But, that being said, we always recommend to start low and go slow.

Amanda: For new users to cannabis, or “newbies” as we affectionately call them, we recommend our lowest dose THC products; Sympa-Tea, is a wonderful entrance to the world of cannabis, with only 3 mg THC, 20 mg of CBD (non psychoactive), and blended with ginger, turmeric and black peppercorns. Kikoko’s Calm, Focus, and Snooze HoneyShots are also wonderful for newbies. They are on-the-go low dose cannabis goodness made with Manuka honey, acclaimed for it’s healing properties and anti-inflammatory effects. These are brilliant for your body and mind, and such a lovely, relaxed effect. And our newest products, Little Helper Botanical Mints are also designed for newbies with low doses of THC and other cannabinoids, formulated for Focus, Calm and Sleep. The mints allow you to start with one, see how it feels, and then titrate with more throughout the day if you’d like to prolong the effect. People typically buy what their body tells them they need, so for the holiday’s we designed Kikoko’s Bundles, a sampling of all Kikoko products for Sleep, Calm, Joy and Party.

5. What are some other canna-related products or companies you love?

Amanda: We are known as a tea company, but Kikoko is really a cannabis women’s wellness company, with a product line that is growing. Although we have great respect for many other cannabis companies, I don’t consume many products other than Kikoko. With tea, honey and mints (and tinctures coming very soon), I truly don’t have a need for other products. But, I’ve been trying pre-rolls lately, and I really like Garden Society’s little pre-rolls. I am not much of a cannabis smoker, but I want to introduce this into my usage so I understand it better.

Meet The Perennials—Kikoko