The cannabis industry holds many different opportunities for career paths. From quality assurance to retail to production, you can find what’s best for you and where your skills are best put to use. If wholesale sounds like the right fit for you, there may be a few questions on your mind as to what you can expect from the field.
Wholesale cannabis distributors are responsible for legal compliance and distributing product to retail locations from manufacturers and cultivators. This is a necessary step in the supply chain and one that interacts with various parts of the cannabis business. Read on to learn a bit more about what a career in cannabis wholesale would be like!
Cannabis Careers in Wholesale Are About Relationships
Wholesalers build relationships with cultivators and retailers, cooperating on both sides to work efficiently and profitably. Wholesalers can cooperate with retailers to:
- Build a brand
- Create and work with an integrated system
- Get customer feedback
Customer feedback is important and relies on the retailers, who have repeat customers as well as the opportunity to ask them questions. The data available through collaboration and communication with retailers can greatly benefit your business as a whole.
Data might be available on:
- Popular strains and brands
- Preferences with trimming or the amount of leaf and stem
- Comparisons between different products
Cannabis training can prepare you with the knowledge and skills you need to enter your career, and your ability to communicate will make you a stronger professional.
Cooperating and building relationships within the cannabis industry will benefit you in a wholesale role
Shipping Is a Large Part of Wholesale Cannabis Careers
Wholesalers are responsible for distributing a large volume of product in an efficient and timely manner. Quality needs to be preserved, so organized shipping practices must be in place to ensure the product is handled properly. Ontario also requires that cannabis is tracked and traceable, which includes shipping by distributors.
- Tracking requirements are met by some point of sale software, so that information can be kept all in one place.
Canada Post has strict rules around shipping cannabis
Canada Post has some rules about cannabis specifically:
- Packages must be odour-proof and anonymous
- Inner and outer packaging needs to be leak-proof and tamper-proof
- The outer packaging cannot have any markings or advertising that indicate cannabis is inside
Canada Post has been shipping cannabis since 2013, and follows all rules and regulations that are necessary. For cannabis deliveries, proof of age is always verified if the person receiving the order appears to be 25 years old or younger.
What Are Some Typical Duties in Wholesale?
Wholesalers in any industry employ people for various tasks, among them:
- Administration
- Support and client service
- Sales
- Transport
In many cases, new technologies are covering duties and you may find that you work with a smaller team assisted by the consolidation that tech provides. On the administrative side, inventory and monitoring shipments are often large priorities. Knowing what has come and gone and the quality and contents of each shipment allows a wholesale business to function profitably.
Technology is used by wholesale professionals for various tasks
Cannabis careers in wholesale will be interesting moving forward, as developments in the industry and the tools and technologies used will change how systems run. Joining a young industry in a role that interacts with many parts of it is sure to keep you excited along your professional path.
Are you interested in taking a cannabis course?
Contact AAPS to learn more.