Grasslands Marketing + PR Agency Expands to Wellness CPG
Grasslands: A Journalism-Minded Agencytm, an award-winning leader in cannabis and psychedelics PR and marketing, today announces its official expansion into the broader natural products and wellness sector?a move that speaks not only to the wider normalization of cannabis and psychedelics, but also to the growing synergy and overlap between these industries and the mainstream natural wellness market.
Since its founding in 2016 by veteran journalist Ricardo Baca, Grasslands has worked with hundreds of leading brands in regulated cannabis and psychedelics markets?and other businesses in technology, healthcare, natural products, higher education, manufacturing and CPG retail. But Grasslands is best known for the key role it has played in elevating numerous cannabis brands to veritable household-name status, as well as the contributions the agency's messaging work has made toward the legitimization and momentum of the regulated cannabis and psychedelics movements, and industries, at large.
It's this expertise propelling brands to success in rapidly evolving, highly competitive consumer product categories?along with the ability to influence broad public discourse surrounding emerging CPG spaces?that uniquely position Grasslands for success in the broader natural health and wellness PR and marketing arena.
"In the media relations and brand development work we've done for so many companies throughout the global cannabis and psychedelics industries, there's an organic adjacency to the wellness PR narratives of alternative medicine, self care, sustainability and conscious consumerism," said Baca, who serves on the Colo. Gov. Jared Polis-appointed Natural Medicine Advisory Board, where he and the other voting members are crafting policy on psychedelic medicine for the state. "We've become particularly well-equipped to support a wider range of clients across these related industries, and I could not be more jazzed to combine all of these passions under the Grasslands umbrella.
"Our deep due diligence with our natural products partners revealed that these wellness brands are underserved by the status quo," continued Baca, who is moderating another SXSW panel in March 2024 on Food as a Form of Community Resilience with Grasslands clients and partners the Boulder County Farmers Markets, the Rodale Institute and others. "We're excited to offer wellness brands a new paradigm of natural products PR and marketing, where they're working with an agency that is rooted in the tenets of journalism and understands how to attract and educate a consumer population about bold brands and products in crowded, fast-paced, scroll-driven environments."
Beyond its extensive background and decades-in-the-making media relationships in consumer, food + beverage, mainstream and business outlets, the Grasslands team brings a deep bench of experience spanning natural health, wellness and food & beverage PR and marketing to this expansion, including:
- Executive PR Director Pam Lipshitz, who previously served as Director of PR for Natural Grocers and has led best-in-class creative PR campaigns for Ketel One Vodka, Katz's Deli, Boulevard Brewing Co. and others;
- Chief of Staff Debbie McHugh, former Director of People Operations & Strategy for all Rodale Inc. brands including Men's Health, Women's Health and Runner's World magazines;
- Chief Marketing Officer Jesse Burns, who led CPG brand Sweet Grass to a Gold Clio Cannabis Award for its novel infused products, and worked on brand strategy for numerous other wellness CPG brands.
- Account Manager Erin Curry, who supported clean beauty and wellness product campaigns while at U.K. agency Capsule Comms.
"It's our collective experience across a diverse group of media and wellness verticals as well as our journalism-minded approach to PR and marketing that creates real value for our clients," Lipshitz explained. "We know how to tell the brand narratives that resonate with target media and consumers alike, and we've built an extensive network of media contacts who know and trust the work we do on behalf of our clients."
Baca is attending SXSW and Natural Products Expo West in March 2024, where he will be hosting dinners and taking meetings. For more information on Grasslands' full range of services, please visit mygrasslands.com.
About Grasslands: A Journalism-Minded Agencytm
Grasslands is an integrated PR and marketing agency that specializes in strategic communications services for wellness brands spanning food + beverage, cannabis, beauty, psychedelics and supplements. The agency brings a unique Journalism-Mindedtm ethos to its operations, honing brand messaging and easing media relations for business leaders. Grasslands was founded in 2016 by 24-year newspaper veteran Ricardo Baca, whose groundbreaking work includes being the world's first Cannabis Editor for a mainstream news organization, The Denver Post, and guiding Colorado's psychedelics policy development as a governor-appointed Natural Medicine Advisory Board member. Learn more: mygrasslands.com
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