Grower Stories #56: Conrad Griese

Tia Moskalenko, author of the AskGrowers blog, brings a unique blend of content to her readers. She is known for conducting insightful interviews with key figures in the cannabis industry, including brand representatives, manufacturers, and experts. In addition to her interview skills, Tia has a keen focus on CBD. She expertly curates product selections and reviews, offering her readers detailed insights into the various effects and benefits of CBD. Tia's ability to combine in-depth interviews with comprehensive CBD analysis makes her a valuable asset to the cannabis community, offering a well-rounded perspective on the industry.

Published

Jan 27 2021

Updated

Nov 08 2023

Interviews

616

5 min

Alo-High: Our Interview With Co-Founders of Hawaii PipeFarm About Their Premium Pipes

While many might think Hawaii is just a gorgeous vacation spot, there’s more to the six islands than meets the eye. Thanks to Hawaii PipeFarm, a premium cannabis accessory maker, there’s more than just gorgeous scenery to enjoy. Conrad and Kevin sit down with AskGrowers to talk about their brand, their top-notch accessories, and what makes a quality pipe.

I started life with a traditional education and worked in the technology sector for about 18 years after realizing the office life wasn’t for me. I quit and sold everything and started a different journey. I lived in Costa Rica for five years running a hostel kitchen on a beach where I met many interesting people. After that I decided to follow my cooking dreams and become a chef - after about ten years I realized cooking & baking were skills I preferred to keep personal and not professional. At this point being an entrepreneur is my next endeavor.

Tia (AskGrowers) : Tell us your brand story. How it all started?

Conrad Griese : I met Kevin about 15 years ago in Costa Rica - I was living there, and he was house sitting - over the years we stayed in touch and I watched him develop his technique and loyal following under the brand name “Cobocreations” - when he developed the hybrid pipe I saw a product he could produce in larger quantities and had the potential for bigger sales. Kevin’s a big fisherman and always wanted to kayak fish in Hawaii, so we picked the Big Island as the home and brand image for Hawaii Pipe Farm.

Tia : How difficult it may be to make a pipe?

Conrad : Kevin used to make every component in the hybrid pipe by hand and this of course increased the difficulty level. His design goal was to outsource specific pieces of the pipe and keep the artistic portions in-house. We made a big step forward in finding quality suppliers.

Tia : Do the materials impact the easy and fast creation of the pipe, or it doesn’t matter?

Conrad : Materials matter and do impact creation time as seen in our hardwood mouthpieces - we tried an outsourced version which was faster, but we weren’t satisfied, so we stayed with local hardwoods.

Tia : Speaking of materials, which ones do you use?

Conrad : Red, white and black clays, local hardwoods, neodymium magnets, and real brass internals

Tia : Can you walk us through the range of pipes you’re making? What’s the difference between each of them?

Conrad : Our premium hybrid pipe features high fire multi-hole ceramic bowls that burn better and act as a primary screen. These bowls connect magnetically to our brass-lined hardwood mouthpieces with a unique screen in the middle for the ultimate filter. A straight-through hole from front to back means cleaning is easy.

Our ceramic pipes feature the same high fire multi-hole ceramic bowls and a straight-through hole for easy cleaning and at half the price they are an incredible value.

Our lava tubes resemble chillums with a high fire ceramic deep bowl and single or multi-hole configurations - small and easy to use these portable pipes are our most economical pipe.

Tia : If you could share a joint with anyone on this planet, who’d that be? :)

Conrad : [tooltip title="Richard John Steves Jr." content="American travel writer, author and activist."]Rick Steves[/tooltip] :)

Tia : What’s your best-selling product? Why do you think that one connects so well with customers?

Conrad : The hybrid pipe by far - it really is the perfect pipe and our customers confirm it through reviews and personal letters - they understand that Kevin’s design solves problems plaguing pipes for years and does so with incredible beauty - art meets engineering.

Tia : What’s your attitude towards microdosing?

Conrad : Don’t do it myself, but have heard it helps some.

Tia : What do you think would be the ideal outcome for the cannabis industry with time?

Conrad : Better organization with legalization at the federal level - market always feels held back by fears of litigation.

Tia : Are there any brands you appreciate and follow in your state?

Conrad : Not at this time.

Tia : Can you specify why your brand is much better than others similar to yours that produce pipes?

Conrad : We really are unique and create a new handmade style of pipe - we are mixed media using both ceramics, different kinds of wood, and metal to create something never before seen. Our craftsmanship and artistry separate us even more beyond genius engineering.