Viola
Viola Brands is a privately held premium cannabis company founded in 2011 by Al Harrington, producing flower, prerolls, and edibles across four strain lines for adult consumers via dispensaries in 9+ U.S. states and Canada, plus direct e-commerce and branded merchandise.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersDenver, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Viola does
Viola Brands is a privately held, U.S.-domiciled cannabis company founded in 2011 by former NBA player Al Harrington and headquartered at 6422 Selma Ave, Los Angeles, California. Named after Harrington's grandmother, who used cannabis to manage glaucoma, the company produces and sells premium cannabis flower, prerolls, and edibles organized around four strain-positioned product lines — Get Up & Go (sativa), Good Times (sativa hybrid), Kick Back (indica hybrid), and Lights Out (indica) — each replicated across flower, preroll, and edible formats. The company self-identifies as the largest Black-owned cannabis brand in the United States, and its distribution footprint spans licensed retail dispensaries in at least nine U.S. states (Arizona, Colorado, Missouri, California, Pennsylvania, Nevada, Michigan, New Jersey, Florida) plus Canada, with stated expansion plans into Illinois and Maryland funded by a $13 million January 2022 round led by DelMorgan & Co.
Revenue is generated through one-time retail sales of cannabis products to adult consumers via wholesale-to-dispensary partnerships, direct-to-consumer e-commerce at violabrands.com, branded merchandise at violagoods.com, and a hemp-beverage collaboration with Allen Iverson and Horticulture Co. distributed through Circle K convenience stores. Go-to-market combines celebrity/influencer-driven brand-building (Al Harrington as founder/CEO, Allen Iverson collaborations, NBA-network associations), earned media in tier-one publications, and owned social channels on Instagram, Twitter/X, and YouTube, supported by an interactive "Find Your Vibe" quiz that routes consumers into the product portfolio. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and varies by state and retailer.
Underlying capabilities center on cultivation and product manufacturing — over a decade of premium-flower growing and award-winning extract production — rather than on proprietary technology. The firm has 51–100 employees, no disclosed mobile application, no public API or software platform, and no AI/ML capability in evidence. Strategic direction in recent years has been geographic and channel expansion, leveraging the brand's social-equity positioning to differentiate in a crowded multi-state cannabis CPG market.
Viola firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Viola
- Legal name
- Viola Brands
- Website
- https://violabrands.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Viola Brands is a privately held premium cannabis company founded in 2011 by Al Harrington, producing flower, prerolls, and edibles across four strain lines for adult consumers via dispensaries in 9+ U.S. states and Canada, plus direct e-commerce and branded merchandise.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Viola industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Premium Cannabis Products
- SIC
- Food And Kindred Products (2000)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Cannabis Dispensary with On-Site Consumption Lounge (where permitted) (CRANAFAF)
Keywords
Where Viola is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Denver
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Viola business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Cannabis Product Sales: Revenue from selling premium cannabis products including flower, prerolls, and edibles across multiple U.S. states and Canada.
- Merchandise: Branded merchandise sales through violagoods.com including apparel and accessories.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Viola product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Viola is a premium cannabis producer and brand that cultivates, manufactures, and distributes cannabis flower, prerolls, and edibles across four strain lines (Get Up & Go Sativa, Good Times Sativa Hybrid, Kick Back Indica Hybrid, and Lights Out Indica) through retail dispensaries in 8+ U.S. states and Canada, and direct-to-consumer e-commerce. The company also sells branded apparel and merchandise under the Viola Goods sub-brand.
Product overview
Viola Brands is a premium cannabis company operating as a single unified product portfolio centered on four core strain varieties—Get Up & Go (Sativa), Good Times (Sativa Hybrid), Kick Back (Indica Hybrid), and Lights Out (Indica)—each distributed across three product formats: loose flower, prerolls, and edibles. The product architecture is built around these four named strains as the foundational offerings, with format variations (flower, prerolls, edibles) enabling different consumption methods for each strain. A merchandise sub-brand, Viola Goods, extends the brand into apparel and lifestyle products via violagoods.com. An interactive 'Find Your Vibe' quiz serves as an engagement and recommendation tool to guide consumers to the appropriate strain-product combination. The company holds operations across eight U.S. states (Arizona, Colorado, Missouri, California, Pennsylvania, Nevada, Michigan, New Jersey, Florida) and Canada, having grown from its founding in 2011.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Get Up & Go: Sativa strain product line including flower, prerolls, and edibles
- Good Times
- Kick Back
- Lights Out
- Lil Vibes
- Viola Goods
Products and services
- Get Up & Go Sativa-dominant cannabis strain product line offered in flower, prerolls, and edibles formats; positioned as an energizing, uplifting product for adult consumers.
- Good Times Sativa Hybrid cannabis strain product line offered in flower, prerolls, and edibles formats; positioned as a balanced hybrid effect profile for adult consumers.
- Kick Back Indica Hybrid cannabis strain product line offered in flower, prerolls, and edibles formats; designed for relaxation among adult consumers.
- Lights Out Indica cannabis strain product line offered in flower, prerolls, and edibles formats; designed for deep relaxation and sleep support for adult consumers.
- Prerolls (Lil Vibes) Pre-rolled cannabis cigarettes available across the four core strain varieties (Get Up & Go, Good Times, Kick Back, Lights Out), including the Lil Vibes mini-preroll line, offering convenient consumption for adult cannabis consumers.
- Edibles Cannabis-infused edible products available across the four core strain varieties (Get Up & Go, Good Times, Kick Back, Lights Out), offering an inhalation-free alternative consumption method for adult cannabis consumers.
- Viola Goods Branded apparel and lifestyle merchandise sub-brand offering apparel and accessories through the dedicated violagoods.com storefront, extending the Viola brand into non-cannabis consumer goods.
- Iverson Line of Hemp Beverages Hemp-infused beverage line co-developed with NBA legend Allen Iverson in partnership with Horticulture Co., distributed at Circle K retail stores.
Companies that use Viola
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Viola technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Viola partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Al HarringtoncoreAl Harrington is the founder and CEO of Viola Brands. Named after his grandmother who suffered from glaucoma, Harrington's personal story drives the brand's social equity mission to increase representation for Black and brown communities in the cannabis industry.
- Allen IversoncoreAllen Iverson collaborated with Viola Brands on cannabis product lines, including the Iverson Line of Hemp Beverages launched in partnership with Horticulture Co. at Circle K stores. Iverson has diversified his wealth through ventures in the cannabis industry.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Viola competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Cookies: Founder-led (Berner) premium cannabis brand with celebrity-driven identity and multi-state dispensary distribution; like Viola, it leads with flower, branded sub-lines, and athlete/cultural endorsement, making it the closest direct peer.
- Stiiizy: Premium multi-state cannabis brand best known for vaporizer hardware and flower/prerolls; competes with Viola for the same premium dispensary shelf and consumer in California, Michigan, and beyond.
- Wyld: Leading multi-state premium cannabis edibles brand with a similarly broad sub-line architecture; targets the same adult-use consumer with lifestyle-positioned THC products and overlapping geographic footprint.
- Lowell Farms: Premium California-anchored cannabis cultivator and brand focused on sun-grown flower; comparable to Viola in premium flower positioning, lifestyle branding, and California retail-heavy distribution.
- Kiva Confections: Established multi-state premium cannabis edibles brand; comparable to Viola on edible product format, dispensary-based wholesale model, and cross-state expansion playbook.
- Glass House Brands: Vertically integrated premium cannabis cultivator and brand with retail and wholesale operations in California; comparable to Viola on premium flower positioning and California-centric footprint.
- Bhang: Premium cannabis-infused chocolate and edible brand with multi-state distribution; comparable to Viola on premium positioning, edibles-led catalog, and lifestyle-driven branding.
- Backpack Boyz: Culturally driven premium cannabis brand founded by a rapper with multi-state dispensary distribution; competes with Viola for the same cultural, celebrity-led premium consumer.
Broad incumbents
- Curaleaf: Large multi-state cannabis operator with owned dispensaries, cultivation, and broad brand portfolio across more than a dozen states; not a brand peer, but a competitor for retail shelf space and capital in the same cannabis category.
- Cresco Labs: Large multi-state cannabis operator with both wholesale and retail operations across the U.S.; competes for distribution, capital, and shelf with Viola and similar premium brands.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Viola social profiles
Digital presenceViola financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Viola leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Viola funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Viola M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Viola
What does Viola do?
Viola is a premium cannabis producer and brand that cultivates, manufactures, and distributes cannabis flower, prerolls, and edibles across four strain lines (Get Up & Go Sativa, Good Times Sativa Hybrid, Kick Back Indica Hybrid, and Lights Out Indica) through retail dispensaries in 8+ U.S. states and Canada, and direct-to-consumer e-commerce. The company also sells branded apparel and merchandise under the Viola Goods sub-brand.
Is Viola a public or private company?
Viola is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Viola founded?
Viola was founded in 2011. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Viola based?
Viola is headquartered in Denver, United States, in the North America region.
How does Viola make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Cannabis Product Sales are the primary driver. The others are merchandise.
Who are Viola's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Cookies, Stiiizy, Wyld, Lowell Farms, Kiva Confections, Glass House Brands, Bhang and Backpack Boyz. Broad incumbents are Curaleaf and Cresco Labs.
Does Viola have an API?
No public API is recorded for Viola.
What industry is Viola in?
Viola's product category is Premium Cannabis Products. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRANAFAF, Cannabis Dispensary with On-Site Consumption Lounge (where permitted). Its SIC code is 2000.