Noelle Frontz, Founder & CEO of Mecca Mid City- Interview Series

“2023 is a very exciting year for us! We’re officially launching our product line to new retailers and opening another location, Mecca Hollywood. National and international markets are on the horizon!”

Noelle Frontz

Surviving as a legal cannabis business for over a decade is a feat, more so when this is LA that we are talking about. My Cannabis has been having conversations with cannabis entrepreneurs from across the world, literally, to gain insights on the unique motivations and challenges  that they might have encountered along the way. Last week we got a chance to catch up with none other than Noelle Frontz, the brains and heart of renown LA-based cannabis brand Mecca Mid City.

Mecca Mid City is a female-owned cannabis brand that’s based in the heart of Los Angeles. The business has been in operation since 2012 and is a recipient of several cannabis licenses for retail, delivery, distribution, manufacturing, and cultivation. In this brief interview, Noelle narrates to us her journey into the legal industry, upheavals of operating under prop 215, and she also shares the secret of remaining relevant as a leading cannabis brand through the years.

As a brief introduction, how did your career path lead you to the cannabis industry? 

What started as a side hustle quickly became my main hustle. I went from a garage grow to an 8000 SF commercial grow, where along the way I fell in love with taking care of plants and experimenting with new strains and growing techniques. 

The grow got robbed and around that same time, shops started popping up in the LA area, so I pivoted and started making edibles, concentrates and selling other grower’s flowers to the shops. It was then that I knew I wanted to give people an experience; one that felt inviting, yet upscale. 

Of course, operating in the Prop 215 days came with its own set of challenges. We were raided three times, had attempted robberies, my personal safety was at risk, bank accounts got closed, my staff got arrested, and I even had two kids amidst all of this!  Introduce your role in Mecca Mid City and tell us a little bit about how the company is transforming the cannabis industry in California? 

My name is Noelle Frontz and I’m the Founder & CEO of Mecca Mid City. I’m still very much hands on from seed to sale, but now I am lucky to have an amazing team by my side. People don’t see how much work goes on behind the scenes–nor should they–but the industry has changed significantly, causing even more barriers for every aspect of the industry. We’ve gone through our own transformation with licensing and regulation, but our goal is to actually conserve the original culture. We’re not afraid to do things differently, we care about our people, and our focus is the customer. We don’t display a lot of packaging, letting the strains speak for themselves. We don’t order every item from a product line because the brand wants us to or because they want to give rewards to the budtenders. Our budtenders recommend what they know is best for each individual customer.

Would you say that women have an “equal fighting opportunity” or possibly even a “competitive advantage over their male counterparts” in the industry? 

All females have a competitive advantage if they know how to use it! But you also have to be excellent at what you do, be an expert in your field, and be willing to work harder than anyone else. 

Mecca Mid City is planning a grand 420 celebration this year. Can you tell us a little bit about what to expect? 

This year’s goodie bag is the best one EVER! The store will be transformed into Area 420, with a live incubation, immersive experiences, giveaways, games, and many more surprises! The entire store will be 20% off—including BOGO’s which are never on sale! It’s a two-day event, so if 4/20 is too crowded, join us on 4/21! 

Please note the goodie bag is while supplies last… 

What's next for Mecca Mid City? Any plans to venture into other retail markets outside California?

 2023 is a very exciting year for us! We’re officially launching our product line to new retailers and opening another location, Mecca Hollywood. National and international markets are on the horizon! 

Mecca Mid City is organizing a sizzling 4/20 event in LA dubbed AREA 420.This will be a two day affair with interactive 420 inspired activities. The theme is: AREA 420 and the affair will ooze fun in terms of games, prizes and of course some infused delicacies.

It was a great honor to have this conversation with Noelle Frontz, Founder & CEO of Mecca Mid City.  If you are in LA you’re invited to check out the coolest 4/20 event organized by Mecca Mid City- Super Maria 420!