The word equity comes up a lot in today’s discussions about the legal cannabis market. Our state enacted The California Cannabis Equity Act of 2018 and the Budget Act of 2019 to earmark funding for communities to create, sustain, and build upon programs that support people who have traditionally been forced to take a back seat when it comes to U.S. industry, struggling harder to acquiring business loans and compete for space at dispensaries.
Still, when facing an avalanche of products at your typical dispensary, it’s rarely easy to know which brands and products you can depend on that will also bolster underserved individuals and their communities.
Don Perico brings together great cannabis products and a mission for Mexican-American representation in the world of cannabis, for which a 2022 MJBiz Daily Diversity Report found that cannabis licenses had been granted to an average of 5.7% Hispanics or Latinos nationwide despite the demographic comprising more than 18% of the U.S. population.
With Don Perico, co-founder and COO Cesar Guzmán is helping to publicly change the face of cannabis, providing products that we can all rely on while also providing diversity in the industry, and giving Mexican Americans strong, effective products designed for their needs that resonate with them.
A cannabis industry veteran and the son of farm workers who worked in agriculture for 25 years (his dad would go on to be president of Santa Maria’s Migrant Worker Program), Guzmán told L.A. TACO, “Don Perico’s mission is to provide a catalog of high quality and authentic products that the Latin American community can resonate with. Our goal is to promote the economic empowerment of our people."
With this mission in mind, Don Perico and its all-Latino staff have spent the last year evolving to fit the specific needs of its customers. It recently hired Gabriel Garcia, a 25-year veteran of the fashion industry and the co-founder of Brooklyn Circus, as its creative director of apparel. Don Perico has also elevated all of its packaging, with streamlined new looks and caps for its live rosin all-in-one vape carts that make them easier to use, hold, and transport.
New products have also recently been released, including new fully customized O2VAPES, the leading rosin hardware in the solventless extract space. In addition Don Perico has launched their core rosin flavor lineup that features strains like Champaya, Tres Leches, and Riviera, , mirroring the essences of real tropical fruit we enjoy in the brand’s live rosin gummies.
We don’t simply gravitate towards Don Perico for its mission or its representation, so much as we just love the products and can recognize their superiority to competing cannabis products. The vapes hit hard, the gummies work fast, and the cold cured rosin is a beautiful, concentrated expression of fine flower picked at harvest.
We’re on board with everything Don Perico is doing in the cannabis world. Now to the important question. Where do you find its products?
Here are the L.A. dispensaries you can depend on to stock the Don.
Green Goddess Collective ~ Venice
Venice’s Green Goddess Collective has been a force in local cannabis since 2001, making its mark as one of the oldest legal dispensaries in the country and the closest licensed shop to the beach. The business is also owned by a social equity recipient who champions social equity-licensed cannabis brands, including Don Perico. The legacy company is responsible for first launching a ton of popular brands such as THC Design and Canndescent, and can be depended on for its expertise and ability to identify the best of the highest quality brands out there. Which is why when we’re beach-bound, we make a point to pick up a pack of Don Perico’s tamarindo-and-mango chamoy gummies and a vape cart that pairs with our picnic on the sand.
1716 Main St. Venice, CA 90291
Cornerstone Wellness ~ Eagle Rock
16-year-old Cornerstone Wellness was the first evidence-based medical dispensary in the state of California and has won the Emerald Cup for “best dispensary in SoCal” the last three years running. The Latina-owned legacy dispensary is friendly, and offers a ton of deals and specials, as well as a point system for members that enables discounts and rewards. The menu is full of the highest grade cannabis brands, with an emphasis on those owned by women, minorities, and LGBTQIA+ entrepreneurs. If that’s not enough, it offers free delivery. Making it super easy to get your Don Perico products easily. Although, you should pay a visit to this legend at least once in your life.
2551 Colorado Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90041
Velvet ~ Eagle Rock
Like its name suggests, Velvet is dedicated to providing an ultra-smooth experience when pursuing and purchasing cannabis. Founded in Martinez, California, in 2020, the brand opened in Eagle Rock in 2022 and has plans to spread throughout the state. Its commitment to premium cannabis and the customer experience distinguish it, with a staff of experts, consistent product availability, online ordering with fast pickup, and a slew of discounts for first time buyers, active and veteran members of the military and seniors, and specials every day of the week, in addition to a recurring Tuesday and Thursday happy hour. Making it a great spot to pick up a bag of Don Perico’s fast-acting, hybrid gummies in fresa or pina before you get home and get your feet up to laugh your ass off over some Netflix with a couple of friends.
1118 Colorado Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90041
Original Green Cross ~ Torrance
For nearly 20 years, the award-winning Original Green Cross has been a destination for those seeking top-grade medical cannabis with the kind of professional service and knowledge needed to make the best purchases. It also provides recreational cannabis with the same promise, in full compliance with state laws and with a sterling, safe, and well-organized space brimming with great products. Among the standouts is Don Perico’s array of live rosin vape carts in varieties like an Indica-dominant Banana Boat, Sativa-dominant champaya and wild papaya, and Hybrid Gorilla Glue 4.These carts last as one puff can get you where you need to go for hours.
1658 West Carson St. Suite B Torrance, CA 90501
