What Burb does

Burb, operating through the legal entity Burb Cannabis Corp., is a British Columbia-based private retailer of recreational cannabis that also sells branded cannabis-lifestyle apparel and accessories. Founded in 2018 by David Hershkovits (co-founder of Paper Magazine) and John Kaye, with Clayton Chessa as COO and Steve Dowsley as President, the company opened its first dispensary in Port Coquitlam in April 2019 and has since grown to 6-7 owned retail locations across Port Coquitlam, Port Moody, Vancouver (including a pioneering store at University Village near UBC), and Victoria, supplemented by an e-commerce store at shopburb.com.

The core offering combines licensed cannabis retail — curated flower, pre-rolls, edibles, vapes, extracts, and topicals, including proprietary custom strains developed with partnered farmers and documented through genetic lineage and terpene profiles — with a cut/sew apparel line under the Burb brand (e.g., the Poco hoodie with removable roach pouch, hemp-cotton blends) and accessories (grinders, stash jars, vape batteries). The company operates an editorial/content layer through the Light Culture podcast hosted by Hershkovits and The Chronicle blog, and ships apparel domestically across Canada, to the U.S., and internationally. The technology stack is standard retail: Shopify powers e-commerce and Google Analytics provides site analytics; no proprietary software, AI/ML systems, or patents are disclosed.

Revenue is generated through one-time retail transactions across both cannabis and apparel, with no subscription, licensing, or recurring contracted revenue model. Distribution is omnichannel within BC via owned dispensaries plus DTC e-commerce with in-store pickup for cannabis and direct shipping for apparel; the business serves adult recreational cannabis consumers and cannabis-culture lifestyle buyers, with no enterprise or B2B customer concentration. The company closed a $4 million Series A in September 2021 led by Kevin Liles (300 Entertainment), with KarpReilly also participating.

Name

Burb

Legal name

Burb Cannabis Corp.

Website

https://shopburb.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Burb is a British Columbia-based private retailer that operates a chain of licensed recreational cannabis dispensaries across Metro Vancouver and Victoria while selling branded cannabis-lifestyle apparel and accessories through its own Shopify e-commerce site, serving adult consumers and cannabis-culture enthusiasts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Recreational Cannabis Retail

NAICS

Tobacco, Electronic Cigarette, and Other Smoking Supplies Retailers (459991)

akta.pro primary industry

Cannabis Dispensary + Ancillary Retail (Accessories, CBD/Hemp, Merchandise) (CRANAFAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cannabis Lifestyle & Apparel/Brand Merchandise Retail (CRANAHAJ), Cannabis Storage & Odor Control Accessories (Jars, Humidors, Cases) (CRANAHAI), CBD/Hemp Wellness & Supplements Retail (CRANAHAC)

Keywords

• Recreational cannabis
• Cannabis retail
• Cannabis apparel
• Cannabis accessories
• Cannabis lifestyle

Headquarters

HQ city

Port Coquitlam

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Cannabis Retail Sales: Sale of recreational cannabis products including flower, pre-rolls, edibles, vape cartridges, extracts, and topicals through licensed retail stores and online ordering with in-store pickup.
2. Apparel and Accessories: Sale of branded cannabis lifestyle apparel including hoodies, tees, crewnecks, headwear, accessories, and footwear through retail stores and e-commerce.
3. Podcast and Content: Light Culture podcast hosted by David Hershkovits exploring cannabis culture and creative pioneers, building brand awareness and community engagement.
4. E-commerce Shipping: Shipping revenue from domestic Canada, USA, and international orders through shopburb.com.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Burb operates licensed recreational cannabis retail dispensaries and an e-commerce store, curating THC and CBD flower, pre-rolls, edibles, vape cartridges, extracts, and topicals from Canadian and U.S. producers, including proprietary custom strains developed with farmers. The company also designs and sells a branded cannabis-lifestyle apparel and accessories line featuring smell-proof garments and hemp-blend textiles, complemented by cultural content through the Light Culture podcast and The Chronicle blog.

Product overview

Burb is a BC-based private retailer of recreational cannabis operating a multi-channel business consisting of licensed cannabis retail stores, a proprietary cut/sew apparel line, and digital content platforms. The core offering centers on curated cannabis products including flower, pre-rolls, edibles, vape cartridges, extracts, and topicals from Canadian and U.S. producers, supplemented by proprietary custom strains. The apparel division (Wear) encompasses streetwear collections including hoodies, crewnecks, t-shirts, and accessories under branded lines like The Poco, Kits Crew, Only Fire, Peace Collection, and collaborations with artists and musicians. Digital content includes the Light Culture podcast and The Chronicle blog. The company operates seven physical dispensary locations across British Columbia and Victoria.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Light Culture: Weekly podcast hosted by David Hershkovits featuring conversations with cultural disruptors and creative pioneers
• The Chronicle

Products and services

• Recreational Cannabis Products Curated THC and CBD products including flower, pre-rolls, edibles, vape cartridges, extracts, and topicals sold to adult recreational consumers (19+) through licensed retail stores and online ordering with in-store pickup.
• Cannabis Lifestyle Apparel Design-forward streetwear and apparel including hoodies, crewnecks, t-shirts, long sleeves, joggers, socks, headwear, and accessories sold under branded collections (Poco, Kits Crew, Only Fire, Peace Collection, Stoned) for cannabis culture consumers.
• Cannabis Accessories Consumption accessories including stash jars, grinders, rolling trays, lighters, rolling papers, vape batteries, dab rigs, and storage bags for cannabis consumers.
• Legacy BC Bud Strains (BC Zaza, Beaver Tail, Butter Tarts) Proprietary cannabis strains developed with partner farmers, featuring documented flavor profiles, genetic lineage, and terpene information for craft cannabis consumers.
• The Poco Hoodie Branded hooded sweatshirt made from 350gsm 100% cotton sueded French terry with a built-in removable roach pouch for cannabis consumers.
• Burb Stash Jar Branded storage container designed to keep cannabis flower fresh.
• Burb Grinder Brass grinder branded by Burb for breaking down cannabis flower, priced at $30.
• Burb 510 LED Vape Battery 510-thread compatible vape battery with LED functionality for use with cannabis oil cartridges.

Quantifiable outcome

• First cannabis store on a university campus (UBC)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Tantalus LabscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBurb collaborated with Tantalus Labs to launch a limited edition streetwear clothing collection, combining premium cannabis cultivation with fashion-forward retail experiences.
• David HershkovitscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-founder of Paper Magazine hosts the Light Culture podcast for Burb, bringing cultural credibility and media expertise. Hershkovits has been on frontlines of culture since 1984 covering rise of hip hop, indie film, fashion, and cannabis.
• Danko JonesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership with Canadian rock musician Danko Jones for Unison Fund t-shirt. All proceeds from t-shirt sales go directly to the Unison Fund, a non-profit music industry charity providing counseling and emergency financial support.
• Clara BerryminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFrench influencer collaboration on 'Safely Fried' t-shirt collection, combining cannabis lifestyle with fashion influencer marketing.
• Shylow StoopsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCollaboration on 420 hoodie collection featuring custom embroidery and Black History Month themed designs.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Spiritleaf: Spiritleaf is one of Canada's largest franchised cannabis retail chains with a multi-province footprint and curated premium-store positioning directly comparable to Burb's owned-retail model across BC.
• Tokyo Smoke: Tokyo Smoke is a Canadian cannabis lifestyle retail chain blending dispensary operations with branded apparel, accessories, and content, making it the closest lifestyle-retail analogue to Burb's hybrid retail/apparel model.
• Fire & Flower: Fire & Flower is a publicly traded, licensed Canadian cannabis retailer with stores across multiple provinces including BC, offering a directly comparable owned-dispensary footprint and competitive pressure in the same geographies.
• High Tide / Canna Cabana: High Tide operates Canna Cabana and other Canadian cannabis retail banners at large scale with multi-province presence, representing a high-volume national competitor to Burb's BC-anchored chain.
• Meta Cannabis Co. Meta Cannabis is a Canadian licensed cannabis retailer operating boutique dispensaries across BC and other provinces with a curated craft-cannabis positioning directly comparable to Burb.
• Nova Cannabis: Nova Cannabis operates a multi-province Canadian licensed retail chain with value-and-premium tiered stores, providing a comparable regulated-cannabis-retail benchmark.
• Sessions Cannabis: Sessions Cannabis is a Canadian licensed cannabis retailer with a multi-store presence including BC stores, comparable to Burb in retail format and regulatory environment.

Broad incumbents

• Leafly: Leafly is the dominant cannabis discovery platform and retailer directory in North America, a broad incumbent that complements Burb's retail operations through consumer traffic and brand-level strain discovery.

Emerging players

• Hippie Modernå (and BC bud lifestyle apparel peers): Hobo Noir and similar streetwear-forward cannabis lifestyle apparel brands compete with Burb's cut/sew apparel line for the same cannabis-culture consumer across streetwear and headshop channels.
• Pacify Labs / Stigma Grow (cannabis accessory brands): Stigma Grow and similar cannabis accessory and lifestyle brands overlap with Burb's accessories and smell-proof apparel offerings within the same niche merchandise category.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/burbcannabis/jobs
• Xx.com/shopburb

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors3 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Burb