Nirvana Investments brings marketing and distribution experience to facility applications

Bradford Goette is CEO and Managing Partner of Nirvana Investments. Nirvana Investments is the parent company of wholesaler, distributor, and online retailer Relax Brands; CBD retailer and dispensary applicant N’Bliss; manufacturing facility applicant 5150 N’Fusion; and transportation facility applicant Bold Lane Logistics. Goette (pronounced geyt-ee) is also on the MoCannTrade executive board and is the chair of the Industry Compliance and Education Committee.

Currently, Relax Brands does wholesale distribution of CBD products around the state and region. Goette said CBD sparked his interest during the hemp reform debate.

“We are in the distribution business in retail in multiple states,” Goette said. “I thought CBD was very interesting with the change in hemp laws and to see that emerge in popularity quickly, especially within our geography. Knowing retail consumer product goods, we saw there is a niche and a need for consumers. For us, we dove into education and exploration.”

Nirvana is building a suite of brands, saying their current – and future – products have benefits to many.

“We see an opportunity to give back and help,” Goette said of he and his partner’s holding company. “Everyone has their own path to bliss.”

Goette said the company has opened an office in Fenton with the goal of transitioning to an industry education center and will be opening N’Bliss storefronts shortly, offering CBD products.

Bold Lane Logistics, Nirvana Investment’s transportation company, has a mission of “safe, secure, and reliable.”

Bold Lane is prioritizing military and first responder veterans for hiring. Nirvana Investments as a whole supports the Warrior Transition Network, with Goette saying that he has a “huge soft spot” in his heart for those who have served.

Nirvana Investments is not a full vertical, having not applied for any cultivation licenses. “There are people out there who will be cultivating and doing it well,” Goette said. “We don’t have the background and experience in growing. We are confident there will be enough high-quality product for patients. The other businesses are closer to what our background and experience lend to.”

Goette brings decades of marketing and distribution experience with roots in the distribution and wholesaling of consumer product goods. From Miller Brewing Company to Dirt Cheap to Relax, Goette, his partner, and his team are mobilized now on distribution and look forward to distributing their brands and other Missouri businesses’ brands statewide, if licensed.

“If you’re in the beer business, you’re passionate and you want to know the consumer,” Goette said. “Beer does create enjoyment – it’s an occasion.”

This experience has led Goette to ask consumer-based questions as they explore their branding that was very similar to their beer experience, despite Missouri’s looming market being medical.

“Why do they like the flavor profile?”

   

“What strains do you like?”

“What’s your reaction?”

“What works best for you?”

The licensed facilities are planning to look for a variety of products, but Goette says some products will take time as the market settles.

“For us, we understand that as the industry grows, the patients are learning and so are we, we will produce for their needs,” Goette said. “We see from all the information flowing in what a good product mix will be, that will be important. Our patients may be different than what history has dictated in other states. We are big on being data-driven – we’ll study and analyze it. What it does is give us the flexibility to be innovative by listening to our patients and creating something that is helping them.”

Currently, Goette has the luxury of monitoring Missouri’s and the region’s CBD market closely through Relax Brands’ wholesale distribution network.

Goette said CBD is not just gummies – “it’s also topicals and tinctures. It depends on what your needs are.”

“There are products out there that are not great,” Goette said. “There are some key things to look for, such as certificates of analysis. CBD can be perceived as snake oil – you have to do your due diligence. We have to educate our retailers.”

Relax Brands has given Goette and his team a leg up on establishing distribution and market access.

“Patients will be consumers, whether they’re staff or patients,” Goette said. “They’re going to seek and find what fits within their needs. Product type and mix from high to low price points, there will be something for everyone.”

The one thing that Goette wants the industry to know? Experience and education matters.

“We have had a great track record on highly regulated products and we’re here to serve our customers – whether they’re growers, manufacturers, or dispensaries – the way products translate to people working in the stores and the patients, and that’s important to us.”