Grower Stories #67: Brandon Dorsky

Healthy, High & Happy with Brandon Dorsky, CEO of California’s Healthiest Edible, Fruit Slabs

New York-bred and midwest raised, Brandon Dorsky finally planted his feet and roots in sunny California in 2005. After helping propel Grassroots California and G-Pen to new heights in the cannabis counter culture, Dorsky joined the forces of Fruit Slabs in 2017 and took over as their CEO in 2020. AskGrowers sat down with him to learn more about Fruit Slabs origins, their cannabis-infused gourmet products, and tips for first-time edibles users! #growerstories

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Brandon Dorsky : I grew up with, and still have, severe, deathly allergies to both foods and certain medications. When I was 9 years old, I almost died from something I had ingested. For my entire life, I have not been able to take traditional over-the-counter pain medications like Aspirin or Ibuprofen, and access to and use of cannabis has been one of my only sources for effective and manageable pain relief.

My personal experiences with cannabis, as well as my admiration of the talented artisans of cannabis, inspired me to get into the cannabis industry.

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Tia (AskGrowers) : How did you start Fruit Slabs? Tell us your origin story!

Brandon : Fruit Slabs was born out of a discussion amongst friends at a music festival and a desire to make healthy, organic, vegan-friendly cannabis edibles.

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Tia : What were the difficulties in the early stages of opening up Fruit Slabs? What was your biggest challenge?

Brandon : Launching any company without a standard blueprint for success and limited capital is always a challenge, no matter what the industry. Our biggest early challenge as a cannabis edibles company was navigating through the changes from a medical market into the recreational cannabis marketplace after Prop 64. We went from being able to self-produce and distribute our product, to needing expensive licenses to do both of those things, and ultimately requiring third parties to get our products to end retailers and customers in the State of California.

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Tia : Where do you get the cannabis for your products?

Brandon : We currently source the cannabis for our THC products from the craft cultivators with Utopia, and manufacture Fruit Slabs out of their facility in Santa Cruz, California. For the production of our CBD products, we have used multiple sources and are always on the hunt for reliable, sustainably sourced, kosher-certified full-spectrum CBD.

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Tia : Edibles are a huge part of the rise of the cannabis industry. Does something like microdosing have a place in the future of the cannabis industry?

Brandon : I believe microdosing has a place in the future of not only the cannabis industry but therapeutic and general wellness practices.

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Tia : What are your fruit edibles made of? How do you source your ingredients?

Brandon : Our edibles are made with real organic fruits, fruit purees, organic fruit concentrate flavors, and high-quality craft cannabis extracts. We source our fruit ingredients from within the United States, as well as other, more tropical countries.

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Tia : What are your strongest edibles? What dosage do you recommend to users?

Brandon : Each of our edibles is packaged in 100 mg pouches with ten 10 mg per individual fruit leather square. I would recommend half of a piece if you have your training wheels on, a whole piece for a relative noob, and maybe three pieces for anyone with a habituated tolerance.

Technically each flavor packs the same punch in terms of milligrams, but the GRAPE APE has both banana and grape in its ingredients, which each have some naturally sedative properties to them. So those SLABS leave me feeling a bit more stoned in my opinion.

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Tia : Do you think people should strive for a high THC in edibles? Or should they look for more balanced, 1:1-style strains? If not, why?

Brandon : I do not think it is a one-size-fits-all situation. I think that users of cannabis do not all desire the same experience and are not all seeking the same performance or high from their edibles. I also believe that some people metabolize edibles differently than others, that some people have difficulty feeling the effects of cannabis when ingested, and that some users benefit tremendously from having an equivalent amount of CBD in their edible products. I personally prefer an edible with a higher THC than CBD content.

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Tia : What are the benefits of using marijuana-infused edibles?

Brandon : Cannabis edibles are a safe and reliable way to indulge in cannabis and safely dose THC, CBD, and/or other cannabinoids.

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Tia : In your opinion, what activities should be avoided while under the influence of an edible?

Brandon : Operating vehicles and other heavy machinery would not be advisable while under the influence of an edible. I’d discourage people from riding a bike or using expensive equipment.

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Tia : What is your personal cannabis consumption routine? Your top three products to consume?

Brandon : My personal cannabis consumption routine includes smoking flowers, typically out of a bong or a joint, and consuming healthy edibles like Fruit Slabs.

I tend to have a preference for sativas, and love most strains that have a Jack Herer base or terpene profile within it. Although recently I have enjoyed the Oreoz and Selosa grown with Fidel’s seeds and the popular RS11. If I am going with concentrates, I like the artisanship and quality of Royal Key, Suprize Suprize, and Tarhill.

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Tia : What would be your advice to people who start their own brand of edibles? What are some of the biggest mistakes that they should work hard to avoid?

Brandon : I would encourage anyone entering the market to be cautious with their resources and not spend more than they really need to in the early stages, particularly on marketing and/or packaging. One mistake to avoid is ordering additional quantities of promotional and/or packaging materials in pursuit of lower unit costs without considering the costs of warehousing additional products or the opportunity cost(s) of spending additional sums on excess supply.

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Thank you so much, Fruit Slabs team, for taking the time to do the interview. To learn more about them, head on over to their website.