On June 4th, I had the pleasure of meeting with Tanara Boxer, the owner of Ümi dispensary – almost about to open their second location – in Chicago.
We met at the Bourgois Pig in Lincoln Park, conversing on the sun-ridden patio – all while I thought about the pipe and flower I had in my bag. I came to the conclusion, however, that smoking with an interviewee at eleven in the morning would not be the most appropriate.
I decided, if we were still talking by the time noon rolled around, I would offer.
Over my charry chai and her breakfast burrito, I began:
How did you get into the cannabis industry?
In 2006-2007, she was working in tech and wanted out. Tech was becoming too close to the finance world she was used to, and cannabis was coming to Illinois legally. Coming in from a different angle – not white, rich, etc. She joked with me that she “didn’t know shit back then,” but the cannabis industry has become a “smart market” because of the limited licenses being given and a market where you have to know what you’re doing.
She didn’t know what she was doing, and her first steps in the industry were to partner with people she trusted and people who were experts that she could learn from. From there, she set forth on a path to create a cannabis company but also a niche in the city. She was originally caught in the COVID round of applications, meaning there were more applications than opportunities. At least, back then. There was more development in the application processes in order to help the people who weren’t on the forefront of cannabis and without the deep pockets of the white men.
What struggles have you run into specifically because you’re a woman of color in the industry?
Social equity is more about people who are disenfranchised by the war on drugs.
But, in a time when diversity programs are being sacked, Illinois has made sure to keep theirs in place.
For Tanara specifically, she struggles with her fight to be taken seriously in any industry, but especially in cannabis. The first licenses went to white men, but Illinois has focused on the diversity programs within the legalization of weed and the need to get creative when it comes to being accepted into those programs.
What are the ethicalities of your products?
To start off strong, Tanara made sure to stress her compassion for farmers in hemp, but understands that the regulations surrounding the industry are incredibly important for safety.
Ümi only distributes the weed, but the partners they work with come from west coast companies. Through this, and because of how many people are finding careers in cannabis, the farmers are highly regarded. They have autonomy in their contracted work – most of them have loyalties, but they are able to sell to as many people as they want.
Many companies are doing seed to sale, which Ümi does not, but Lab Eleven – Tanara’s first project – did. When they were going seed to sale, it was a very small group that focused on their own sects of cannabis. Seed to sale is basically when the company is the one to grow, cultivate, harvest, dry, and sell weed instead of outsourcing the product, like Ümi does.
Tanara believes that if you’re helping people, you’re reaching your goal. In comparison to alcohol, which weed is constantly compared to, weed helps in a variety of ways, both medically, physically, mentally, and emotionally. If you’re helping someone with mental, physical, and other medical benefits, you’re reaching the goal of having a cannabis company.
Tanara, with this in mind, created Ümi to reach not only the college stoners cough me cough, but also to reach the grandma on the corner who uses extracts to help with arthritis. Ot the new mother who takes indica gummies to sleep when her baby is. Cannabis, to Tanara, is a community that is often overlooked, but can be incredibly important and helpful to the community members.
Who is your target audience for your dispensaries?
In Lincoln Park, the audience is for people who didn’t have as much access to weed. The people at Karma Club or Sunnyside – as much as we love them – created a demographic of people who were traveling miles to get their products. But, if Tanara and her crew dropped the ball when it came to their education, product development, etc., then their patrons would have decided Ümi was not for them.
What I love about Ümi is the overall vibe. The entire building has windows, plants in every corner, and incredible looking couches. Tanara wanted to create an environment that is welcoming to everyone, not just people willing to go into a sketchy-looking dispensary simply because it’s the only one around. She’s even partnering with shelters to promote her dog-friendly policies.
Tanara says that the demographic for her dispensary is always there as long as you can meet them where they are and with what they need: the first time mom, the older adults who need topicals, the students changing from a smoke shop to a dispo for the first time.
How do you stand out against your competitors?
Ümi wants you to sit down in the store, ask questions, and learn before buying. When more women and a diverse population come into Ümi – which is turning into something of a destination dispensary – Tanara knows she’s doing something right because she’s opening the door to people who might not have felt comfortable partaking in the first place, people who have been partaking in more dangerous ways, or people who want to try something new.
What education would you recommend someone to have for the industry?
There’s nothing collegiate– besides many cannabis studies – for dispos. However, according to someone who didn’t have formal training in the field, Tanara believes the best education is starting from the bottom and learning your way up. Junior budtending as a novice, brushing up on product knowledge, learning how dispos work from seed to sell, the taxes, what states you’re trying to profit in, etc.
Come in as a budtender for product knowledge, then learn the hierarchy of how to sell, where to get product, connections with the customers and vendors. Learn about the plants and the people standing in front of you.
It comes down to: do you know what you’re selling, who you’re selling to, and why are you selling it.
Because of how important education about cannabis and the cannabis industry is to Tanara, Ümi is partnering with DePaul next year for the cannabis minor! She intends to focus on the botany aspects as well as the business aspects of how to run a dispensary.
After a lovely hug goodbye and a promise to tell my mother “hi” – no pun intended – from Tanara, I sat down to write this. Looking back on my interview with Tanara, not only do I feel more informed about the active aspects of the cannabis industry, but I also have a starting point for a possible job or career opportunity. Just like Tanara shows us, it’s always an option to leave one thing in favor of bud.
Until next time, my partners in what used to be crime!
Disclaimer Regarding Cannabis Use:
The DePaul University Honors Program reminds you that, while the purchasing, possession, and consumption of cannabis is legal in the state of Illinois for anyone over the age of 21, it is still illegal at the federal level. Therefore, all U.S. college campuses (including DePaul University) must comply with the Drug Free Schools and Communities Act that does not allow cannabis, medicinal or recreational, on school property.
Studies show that cannabis can cause addiction. Learn more from DePaul University’s Office of Health and Wellness.
If you or someone you know is struggling with drugs or alcohol, help is available through the DePaul University Counseling Services
About the Author
Hi! My name is Christopher Cervantes Dunn! I’m a second-year undergrad student; I’m majoring in English, with a concentration in Creative Writing, and a minor in French. I’m a published poet, but my current hyperfixation is how and why we as a species have evolved to process cannabis in our brains and bodies.
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