When you walk into a dispensary and scan the shelves, it’s easy to forget how many cannabis products begin in the back office, not the customer’s hands. Too many brands start with a supply chain issue—“we’ve got too much trim” or “we need to move this oil”—rather than with a clear, resonant insight about the person they’re trying to serve.
In our recent High Touch conversation with Kristi Ryder, Head of Sales at PAX, she laid out a different approach—one that starts with deep consumer research and builds a brand outward from there.
“We're not just ordering a cart from China, putting some oil in it, and slapping a brand on it,” Kristi said. “We start with the consumer, and then we build from there.”
Lessons from Legacy Markets
Kristi’s roots are in early medical cannabis—back when retail meant sitting behind the counter with barely a menu and helping patients navigate their first cannabis experience. She carried that instinct into her brand-building work: listen closely, catalog what resonates, and build around what the customer actually wants.
“Back then, people didn’t know what an eighth was,” she said. “But when they came back and told me how something made them feel, I kept track. And I used it.”
This customer-first muscle became core to her strategy, especially as she helped launch one of the first live resin pod formats into the Colorado market. While the tech was groundbreaking, Kristi credits the success to knowing what customers actually needed—and being able to educate and inspire them at the point of sale.
PAX’s Playbook: Data, Design, and Differentiation
PAX has a full consumer analytics division dedicated to understanding buying behavior, brand perception, and product preferences. Before a product gets formulated or a campaign gets greenlit, the team digs into what their audience wants—not just what’s easy to make.
This isn’t a luxury. It’s a requirement.
In an industry still defined by inconsistent regulation and limited marketing levers, brands don’t get many chances to make a connection. Starting with the consumer gives them the best shot.
Want more from Kristi Ryder?
🎧 Listen to the full episode of High Touch to hear how she helped shape cannabis retail from behind the counter to the C-suite.
