Erykah Badu and Cookies Bite Into Fast-Growing Wellness for Women Market

With cannabis now among the fastest-growing industries in the United States, growers and distributors of the plant routinely disregard the fastest-growing consumer segment, which is women.

International cannabis lifestyle brand Cookies, led by Billboard-charting rapper and cannabis entrepreneur Berner, this week unveiled the first product line from its new partnership with Apple Trees, a cannabis company established by American singer-songwriter, record producer and actress, Erykah Badu.

“That Badu,” a premium line of cannabis products designed with the wellness of women in mind, will be available on March 8—International Women’s Day—followed by a second wave of items to release on May 14, just in time for Mother’s Day.

Elevating women in the cannabis space

In 2020, Badu opened her online store, Badu World Market, where she debuted Apple Trees and its collection of cannabis accessories. With this release, the green-eyed singer-songwriter, best known for her hit “Bag Lady,” aims to dispel stigmas surrounding cannabis usage, particularly for moms and women, by fusing wellness, art, culture and fashion.

“This collaboration with Erykah felt right and necessary for so many reasons. I was raised by my mother who was a powerful woman and I was mentored in the cannabis space by a powerful woman, so I think it’s extremely important for more women to be in the industry,” says Berner, Co-Founder and CEO of Cookies. “What Erykah represents is extremely unique and I believe it will elevate women in the space drastically.”

When it came time to introduce her own cannabis cultivar, Badu discovered a supportive mentor and partner in Berner.

“I had to take time to do my research,” says Badu in response to why it took so long to release a strain. “I chose to partner with Cookies because it met all of my expectations–from planting and quality control, to marketing and distribution. I’m honored to be able to create under Berner’s guidance and umbrella,” says the four-time Grammy award winner.

The initial product line release on March 8 will feature Badu’s first cannabis cultivar, “That Badu,” a cross of Lemonchello and Jet Fuel Gelato, offered in eighths and pre-rolls. Additional products—including Badu x Cookies SF apparel, topical creams, edibles and a non-psychoactive mushroom tea—are planned to arrive on the Cookies CBD and Badu World Market websites for purchase on May 14.