Willy Vlasic, Co-Founder of Vlasic Labs – Interview Series

While just about every cannabis professional and entrepreneur has a unique backstory, few canna-business owners’ stories involve a family relation to one of the most well-known pickle brands in America. Yet, such is the interesting case for Willy Vlasic, Co-Founder of Vlasic Labs.

To gain a deeper understanding of the valuable lessons he’s learned from a family of entrepreneurs, as well as the intricacies of cannabinoid production and its possibilities, mycannabis.com had the pleasure of speaking with Vlasic himself.

What were the most useful topics in business management that you learned while attending the University of Michigan?

The biggest thing I learned at Michigan was how to think strategically about scaling a business. A lot of the coursework focused on operations, finance, supply chains, and long-term growth planning, which became incredibly relevant once I entered regulated cannabis markets. Cannabis is an industry where margins, compliance, logistics, and capital allocation all matter at an extremely high level, so learning how to build systems that can scale responsibly ended up being incredibly valuable once I got into cannabis.

Before entering the cannabis industry, what industries and roles did you mainly work in?

Cannabis was the first industry I went into after graduating from college. Before cannabis, I was actually pursuing acting. I initially studied film production, screenwriting, and theater at the University of Miami before later transferring to the University of Michigan to pursue business. I still have a strong appreciation for storytelling and creative development, and I think that background actually helped shape how I approach branding, marketing, and consumer engagement today.

Logistically speaking, what all went into the compliant opening of the Let’s Cheef facility in Michigan? How did you ensure everything was code-compliant and functional as well?

Opening a compliant cannabis facility is an enormous operational undertaking. Everything from municipal approvals and state licensing to security systems, HVAC design, electrical infrastructure, SOP development, testing protocols, and employee training has to be built around strict regulatory standards. In Michigan especially, regulators take compliance seriously, so we worked closely with attorneys, consultants, contractors, and compliance teams to ensure every detail met code before operations even began. I also received hands on training at the mama Js facility in Longview, Washington during my final two Summers in college. During the apprenticeship, I learned cultivation, operations, management, compliance, sales, and more. This set me up for success when it was time to open my own facility.

What in particular inspired you and your father to enter the CBD and then the cannabis industry? Did you or your family members have experience with cannabis prior to the founding of Vlasic Labs?

My initial interest came from personal experience and curiosity about the plant itself. I started researching cultivation and cannabinoids as a teenager because I was fascinated by both the science and the medical applications. As legalization expanded, I saw not only the business opportunity, but also the potential for cannabis and hemp-derived products to genuinely improve people’s lives. My father was initially skeptical, like many parents would be, but once we approached it as a business, he became more supportive. Eventually, when we created Vlasic Labs, he actually came out of retirement to help lead the company because we believed there was a real opportunity to build a credible wellness brand people could trust.

As a cannabinoid, what is so special about CBN, and how does Vlasic Labs utilize it in their products?

CBN is particularly interesting because many consumers report that it supports sleep and nighttime relaxation without the intoxicating effects associated with THC. We’ve incorporated CBN into products like our nighttime tinctures and gummies because there’s significant consumer demand for non-intoxicating wellness products focused on sleep support. One thing we prioritize is ensuring the formulations are both properly dosed and fully tested, because consistency matters tremendously with cannabinoids.  A lot of consumers have tried products that weren’t formulated consistently, which is why dosing and testing matter so much.

What are some unique or strange ways that Vlasic Labs and affiliated brands have to alter their operations across all the states where the products are sold?

One of the biggest challenges in cannabis and hemp is that every state has its own completely different regulatory framework. You might have packaging requirements in one state that aren’t allowed in another. Some states restrict certain cannabinoids, others have different testing thresholds, and some have completely different labeling or shipping rules. It creates a situation where you’re constantly adapting operations, formulations, and logistics market by market. In hemp specifically, there’s also a major difference between operating in highly regulated licensed cannabis markets versus the broader federally legal hemp market, so we’ve intentionally held ourselves to stricter standards regardless of the state.

When it comes to sales specifically in the cannabis industry, which strategies have proven most successful? Do those strategies change depending on whether it’s B2B or B2C sales?

Absolutely. B2B and B2C strategies are very different in cannabis. On the B2B side, consistency, compliance, pricing, and reliability are everything because dispensaries and retailers need partners they can trust long term. On the B2C side, education and transparency are critical because many consumers are still learning about cannabinoids and trying to navigate a very crowded market. Especially in CBD, consumers want to know exactly what they’re putting into their bodies. That’s why things like QR-coded lab results, certifications, and clear ingredient labeling have become so important to our strategy.

While many people will recognize the family name from the pickle company, what are some similar values that Vlasic Labs shares with the pickle brand that your great-grandpa founded?

The biggest shared value is trust. My great-grandfather built a brand that people associated with consistency and quality for generations, and we take that responsibility seriously. Putting the Vlasic name on a cannabinoid company means we have to hold ourselves to a higher standard. Transparency, accountability, and long-term thinking are core to how we operate. We’re not trying to chase quick trends. We’re trying to build something sustainable that consumers and families feel comfortable trusting.

What have been some of the most memorable reactions you’ve received from customers or business partners when it comes to the familial association with the pickle brand?

People are usually surprised and then curious. There’s definitely a novelty factor when people hear the Vlasic name associated with cannabinoids instead of pickles. Some reactions are funny, but what’s been most meaningful is hearing from customers who say the family association actually gave them confidence to try CBD for the first time because they recognized the name and associated it with quality. That trust is something we never take lightly.

What are some exciting future plans for Vlasic Labs? Following President Trump’s order about rescheduling, how do you envision such a huge change impacting the cannabis industry, whether that be positively or negatively?

We’re continuing to expand both our wellness product line and our distribution footprint while staying focused on non-intoxicating cannabinoids like CBD, CBG, and CBN. One of the most exciting developments for us recently was that Vlasic Labs’ CBD product line met the qualifications outlined in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) CBD pilot program, a first-of-its-kind initiative allowing participating healthcare organizations to provide eligible hemp-derived products to Medicare beneficiaries. We see that as a major step toward legitimizing cannabinoid wellness products within mainstream healthcare and expanding access for patients who may benefit from them. We also see major opportunity in pet wellness and other functional cannabinoid products designed around specific use cases like sleep, stress, and recovery.

In terms of the push toward full federal cannabis rescheduling, I think it has the potential to be a massive positive for the industry overall. Greater federal legitimacy could improve banking access, research opportunities, and long-term institutional confidence in cannabis businesses. It could also help accelerate programs like the CMS pilot by giving healthcare providers and institutions more confidence in working with cannabinoid-based products. Increased regulation and competition will likely force companies to operate at a higher standard, which I ultimately think is healthy for the industry.

Thank you for joining us, Willy! For more information on Vlasic Labs, please visit its website.