Spotlight Series: Yvonne Perez Emerson
Located in Portland, Oregon and founded in 2016. Make & Mary™ has roots in folk medicine and heritage craft making. Made with the finest ingredients using full-spectrum CBD, cannabis aromatherapy and herbal adaptogens, Make & Mary’s clean skincare solutions and lifestyle products are organic, wild-crafted, vegan, non-gmo, and cruelty free. Every product is custom formulated and crafted in-house with ingredients from local and regional sources with shared values.
This week, we’re learning more about the company history and the personal story of Yvonne Perez Emerson, the woman behind the brand.
Photo Credit Richard Darbonne
How did you get involved in the cannabis industry?
In 2016, when rec became legal in Oregon I opened up my creative studio and began hosting workshops that introduced cannabis to an audience through art and design. Our experiences are centered on creative self-care and were the first of their kind. We mostly focus on heritage craft practices and also host yoga, sound baths, and breathing sessions. Everything is infused with cannabis. In late 2017, I decided to use my experience in folk medicine to create a Make & Mary line of wellness within beauty products. We launched mid-2018 and recently introduced new products and designs as we're now reaching a much larger audience.
Tell us a little bit about your product or service
Our “highly inspired,” all-inclusive workshops are centered on self-care, process, and community. These are fun and creative maker events that are cannabis-friendly. We have teaching artists that come in and I also teach classes. We offer a diverse range of classes and have covered tincture making to natural dying to wooden spoon making.
Our product line is a premium CBD beauty and wellness line. We are vegan, cruelty certified, organic, and use only full-spectrum CBD grown just 50 miles from our headquarters. We are also sustainably conscious. All of our vessels are reusable and we have done away with labels, we silk-screen right on the bottles.
We utilize the benefits of pure cannabis essential oil in our aromatherapy products. Our candle is an airtight stash jar and our unique to market inhalers can be reformulated over and over again.
Our current product line includes: 100 MG Face & Body Serum, 150 MG Rosemary Lavender Roll-on, 150 MG Turmeric Ginger Roll-on, three 50 MG Magic Wands: Natural Wonder (plain and simple), Earth Sister (desert sun-kissed), Free Spirit (shimmery Gold); Calm Inhaler, Clarity Inhaler, and our Soulshine Candle.
What time does your day typically start and what does a normal day look like to you?
I arrive at work at 6:45 am and usually leave by 6 pm or afterward. I try to start the day with some me-time—drawing, writing, or making something. Then, I take care of emails. I am also the owner and Creative Director of The Study graphic design studio, so I manage both businesses. Typically in a day I am writing, designing, organizing maker workshops, making products, shipping products, and meeting with the community. I try to steal a long lunch for a motorcycle ride as much as possible, but, the hustle is real, sister!
What is your vision for your company going forward?
I am looking to grow Make & Mary and continue to evolve with new products and experiences. We are working on a recycling program for our bottles, and I have a philanthropy passion. I want to use my background to give back to this community through art and I am passionate about developing something to help expunge folks incarcerated for cannabis use. I’m joining a diversity board to help put that plan in action.
Eventually, I’d like to see the Make & Mary products across the country and possibly open up a retail store.
What would an ideal post prohibition society look like to you?
Legalization across the US. More women in leadership roles. Everyone incarcerated for weed set free and given the tools and funds to start over. More POC in this business with a clear path for them to succeed. More education for parents on the benefits of the plant.
What was your first experience with cannabis like?
I started smoking weed at 11 years old, but I grew up with it. Both my parents consumed and even brought weed over from Mexico several times. It’s been a long time since that first time, but I am sure we stole the weed from my mom's friends and lit up in our treehouse.
Tell us about some of the challenges you face working in the cannabis industry
I think the biggest challenge is acceptance from the government and trying to work with processors and banks. What a nightmare. I finally have a great solution, but they did not make it easy for us. I’m not too concerned about breaking rules, but it would be nice not to.
Having a luxury beauty line has also been interesting. At first, being so early to market, people did not see the value, but now it’s the magical ingredient. One of my biggest challenges is that I am self-funded and don’t come from money. I am working hard to have Make & Mary be something that is good to the core, which means things are a little more expensive for me to produce. But I have values and I want to make something that’s not harmful to the environment or anyone. I want my products to be clean, sustainable and eco-friendly. My workshops are design-focused experiences, and I believe that everyday people smoke weed, we just need to talk about it and have opportunities to be with a community that says this is normal. It would be really nice to share these experiences more publically using platforms and advertising like other businesses.
What are some solutions you've found?
I’ve used my design business to fund buying inventory supplies in higher volumes—this has really helped me reduce costs. Being resourceful, I’ve managed to put all of my money back into the business to help it grow. I’m also lucky that I am a designer and that has saved me a lot of money on packaging and strategy. Recently, I have asked for some help from family and friends and I’m leaning into programs that the community has for helping POC business owners. If I don’t stand up for myself first, no one will.
Also, I am unapologetic about what I am doing. I don’t ask permission, I come from the heart and with intention. I really believe that what we put out there will come back to us. So I keep visualizing myself where I want to be and the universe always surprises me with the right answers. I have to trust in myself and have faith.
What is one thing you wish everyone knew about cannabis?
That you don’t have to consume that much to enjoy the benefits. I really am a big fan of micro-dosing, it’s done wonders for me.
What is one thing you wish everyone knew about your product or service?
Just one thing!? OK, this product is real. It's not some money scheme, it’s made with intention, formulated simply, with a holistic approach. I believe that we should learn to be our own caretakers, that means we have to be intuitive with our bodies; internally affects us externally. I want everyone to be highly inspired; that’s not just about infused creativity, it’s about being inspired to live the life you want and need—taking care of yourself in all aspects. I feel like that’s what Make & Mary helps people do, it’s a self-care experience whether you're taking a class or using a medicinal roll-on.
If you could go back in time and do it all over again, what (if anything) would you do differently?
Buy a cannabis processing license from day one! We will eventually add THC to our line and now it’s not easy to access in Oregon—having your own. Ok one more: In the beginning, when designing this brand, I quickly put out something that didn’t look like weed but also didn’t represent me. This new brand refresh has spunk, and it’s much more reflective of who I am… and who we are. I created muses for myself to guide this brand. I wanted something that was a cross between Versace, Stevie Nicks and Patti Smith—stylish, feminine and rebellious. My first go around was safe. Now, I’m not hiding behind the safe veil of CBD—it comes from the cannabis plant, after all, and we should respect that.
What is your favorite way to consume cannabis?
I like to smoke it. There is something about that ritual. Also tinctures, I don’t drink alcohol, so making mock-cocktails is nice for socializing.
Concentrate or flower? Why?
Flower. I want that connection to the plant from its primitive form.
Do you think cannabis legalization will change the world for the better? Why?
Oh hell yes! More people should consume—we need to lighten up as a society and destress. Cannabis is good at that!
What advice would you offer to another woman who is looking to get into the industry?
Go for it. Be heart-centered. Make something people want and don’t be afraid to leap—we are more powerful than we think we are. And, let your opinions be heard..more women need to be heard.