A MOTHER AND HER TWO SONS ARE RESHAPING CANNAPRENEURSHIP IN A CITY THAT HAS NOTORIOUSLY KEPT BLACK OWNERS OUT OF THE LUCRATIVE INDUSTRY.
Chuck Brewer was arrested for marijuana possession as a youth. He always knew cannabis use would become less taboo in the early 2000s. Just not when. Matt, his brother, knew when it would happen.
“It’s funny, I first got involved in the business side back in 2014, and I remember having a conversation with my mum about getting into cannabis, and it was very different than what it would be now,” Matt told ESSENCE. After Illinois legalised medical marijuana that year, the Chicago litigation attorney became interested in the industry.
“Although the general public’s attitude was still very largely negative at the time, I knew what a revolution was coming and I wanted to a part of it,” he said, adding that his mother Diane was very supportive but asked, “are you ready for the risks?
Matt prepared his family to join him, making history.
The family opened The Grasshopper Club, the first minority-owned cannabis shop, in February 2023. Matt and his family mostly funded the venture.
In 2019, a state programme helped the Brewers get a social equity licence to open the dispensary. Matt, the shop’s business manager, self-funded without hesitation.
Matt told ESSENCE that he desired ownership and authority. “And there’s nothing wrong with cooperating with MSOs, and a lot of other groups have found it their best option. But we wanted to be in a position to select what sort of experience we wanted to deliver, how we showed up in the community, and even what products we carried on our shelves. When someone funds the enterprise, you lose that freedom.”
Diane Brewer, the company’s accountant, said her involvement is new. She retired from accounting to support her sons.
Diane told ESSENCE that she had been volunteering until her boys asked her to join the business. “I love watching people use the product and where the industry is going.”