By: Matthew Marcone
When Principal Consultant with BizFix Solutions Eric Duffus decided to become a partner in THCK, nobody would accuse him of thinking small.
“We’re not a bunch of jokers growing weed in someone’s basement,” said Duffus. “It’s a legi
timate operation and we’re trying to make a $1 billion company with this. We just want to crush the Ontario cannabis market.”
Duffus – an expert in digital marketing with several years of multi-industry experience – sees technology and distribution as key components to making that dream a reality.
He is currently one of four partners in the company and has been leading the charge in creating its new website at www.THCK.com, which aims to be the best of its kind in the marijuana industry and offers free, same-day shipping to Canadian customers.
“When somebody comes to the site, it’s clear that we didn’t just throw it up,” said Duffus.
“We put a lot of time into it. It’s really good and it’s filled with intellectual, custom-coded properties and legal work. We built in an entire ‘skip the dishes’ level distribution system and have free delivery. Nobody can compete with us with free delivery.”
THCK is branding themselves as both a marijuana and technology company.
In its first year, business is booming – mostly through word of mouth – as its licensed customers love having legal access to high quality medical marijuana, a sign of what’s ahead as Canada aims to legalize the drug in 2018.
“We sell marijuana to people, so we’re doing alright,” laughed Duffus. “Right now our costs are half of our competitors. They can’t compete with our prices now and even more so once we have our own supply chain locked down. By sticking to automation and vertical integration, we think we’re on track to creating something with enormous value.”
THCK is looking to acquire a licensed marijuana producer preferably in the Toronto area.
Duffus said their strategy could include taking the company public or selling to a private equity firm, and that the company’s partnership with Leafly is also a big step because it can help them get to the top of Google.
“We think we’re on track to being able to do that,” said Duffus. “And with our distribution system, we can pretty much deliver anywhere and everywhere without having to touch the product. It’s beautiful.”
As for Duffus’ favourite strain currently offered by THCK, he says White Fire OG is so good that he’s considering smoking it exclusively.
“I get a lot of work done when I’m on it,” said Duffus. “We have a lot of great stories about weed and marijuana culture, so we’re looking forward to continue sharing those.”