KopSun, a cannabis education company, has assembled “gratitude boxes” filled with some of Carpinteria’s most luxurious offerings from local retail shops. Buyers can treat a special friend or themselves to orchids, French chocolates and soy candles while supporting struggling local businesses.
“We’re a tiny little community and our retail shops particularly have been hit really hard, so we thought, gee, ‘You know, if we could put together a box that is chocked full of business gifts that could be delivered free of charge, would people be interested right around Easter?’” KopSun Co-Founder Tina Frontado said.
The company purchased enough items for 30 gift boxes from six businesses. Ms. Frontado said the company plans to put together more boxes if there is enough demand.
“We only launched (Wednesday) and we’ve got 15 already sold. We can order more boxes and we can just keep going. The idea was, let’s do a beta, you know, let’s buy 30 (boxes) worth and see if there is a demand. If there is, then, we’ll keep going and maybe the next round of boxes will be items from another retail place,” Ms. Frontado said.
KopSun filled the first batch of gift boxes with a four-piece box of chocolates from Chocolats du CaliBressan, hand soap from Susan Willis, an orchid from Westerlay Orchids, and hand painted rock from Carp Rocks! and a handmade fabric mask made by Ranell Hansen.
The package comes in a hand-crafted, laser cut box made from Baltic birch plywood designed by Coastland gift shop.
“Coastland is a business in Carpinteria that is run by the high school students…so they make everything in the store and they run the store. It’s a brilliant, brilliant program. The boxes themselves are like keepsakes.” Ms. Frontado said.
She added that KopSun purchased the items for the boxes at retail price, to support local businesses. KopSun is losing money on the baskets, but the company plans to donate a percentage of the money raised to the Rotary Club of Carpinteria’s 93013 Fund which provides food boxes to needy families and supports local service organizations.
“We actually purchased the orchids and the soap and the candy and the candles at a unit price, at a retail unit price because we thought if we go in there and ask for wholesale prices, this isn’t going to help them out. We’re trying to fill the gap from the walk-in traffic,” Ms. Frontado said. She added that KopSun is not charging sales tax and is providing free delivery.
“It’s a way to make people feel good, too. We’ve already started delivering, you know, people are delivering them to their friends that’s a nurse or a friend that’s a mail person or somebody that works at Albertsons. These kinds of frontline people or people are having them delivered for Easter,” Ms. Frontado said.
“People are feeling good receiving them and people are feeling good buying them. I know we’re not saving the economy, but we’re helping to stimulate it a little bit,” she said.
To purchase a gift box, visit https://www.kopsun.com/shop/gratitude-box-1. Each box costs $45.
KopSun posts information about the healing benefits of cannabis use on their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/kopsuninc. Ms. Frontado said the company demographic is people who are 55 to 90 year olds looking to transition away from pharmaceuticals or over-the-counter medications like Advil and Tylenol.
The company is holding virtual seminars on Mondays and Wednesdays at 4:20 p.m. because of social distancing orders. “We do a little 5-minute cannabis 101 and then on Fridays we do coffee with the cannabis farmers,” Ms. Frontado said.
Westerlay Orchids is also trying to help by sending wholesale gift boxes of orchids to hospitals, firehouses, places of worship, and assisted living centers. To sponsor a gift, visit https://www.boxoforchids.com/shop.
“If you feel inspired, please consider sending a gift of orchids directly to those on the frontlines in your community, the loved ones who you are unable to connect with, or send a box to yourself, to leave them at your neighbors’ doorsteps,” a company statement read.
Westerlay Orchids will ship the boxes for free anywhere in California, Arizona, Nevada, and Oregon.
email: pgonzalez@newspress.com
