Sugarleaf Insurance Services

What Sugarleaf Insurance Services does

Sugarleaf Insurance Services is a privately held retail insurance agency headquartered in San Diego, California (Encinitas), specializing in coverage for high-risk and emerging industries that standard insurers systematically decline or misprice. The agency serves small-to-mid-sized business owners across five core verticals: cannabis and hemp (dispensaries, growers, CBD, Delta-8 THC), gas stations and convenience stores, psychedelic mushrooms and psilocybin therapy, smoke shops and vape stores, and racing operations and motorsports. Per company disclosures, the firm has served over 1,000 clients across more than 20 U.S. states despite a headcount of 1-10 employees.

The product portfolio spans industry-specific packages (e.g., crop insurance for hemp, environmental liability for underground storage tanks, professional malpractice for psychedelic therapists, participant liability for racing) and a core coverage suite covering property, commercial auto, general liability, business income, workers' compensation, employment practices, business owners policy (BOP), directors and officers, product liability, umbrella/excess, and event coverage. Coverage is sourced from a network of A-rated carriers and surplus lines insurers, with the agency generating revenue through carrier commissions on placed policies. There is no proprietary technology platform; operations rely on a website with SEO-optimized industry landing pages, a contact form, and direct phone/email outreach, with a stated quote turnaround of within 24 hours.

Sugarleaf claims over 12 years of specialty insurance experience and self-reports being the "#1 CBD Agency," though no awarding body or methodology is disclosed. The firm holds no disclosed funding, no parent company, no partnerships or channel alliances, and no management team or leadership information is publicly available. Its competitive positioning rests on regulatory expertise in federally illegal or grey-area industries, accumulated carrier relationships in surplus lines markets, and the high switching costs facing clients in complex regulated verticals.

Name

Sugarleaf Insurance Services

Legal name

Sugarleaf Insurance Services

Website

https://sugarleafservices.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Sugarleaf Insurance Services is a privately held specialty insurance agency based in San Diego, California, providing tailored commercial coverage (property, auto, liability, workers' comp) to high-risk SMB verticals including cannabis, hemp, gas stations, psychedelic mushrooms, smoke shops, and racing operations across 20+ U.S. states.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Commercial Insurance Brokerage

NAICS

Insurance Agencies and Brokerages (524210)

SIC

Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411)

akta.pro primary industry

Commercial Lines Insurance Brokerage (FSAEADAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Insurance Program Administration & MGA/MGU Services (FSAEADAK), Wholesale Insurance Brokerage (Excess & Surplus Lines) (FSAEADAD)

Keywords

• Specialty insurance agency
• Commercial insurance brokerage
• Cannabis insurance coverage
• High-risk industry insurance
• Surplus lines insurance

Headquarters

HQ city

Encinitas

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Insurance Agency Commissions: Sugarleaf Insurance Services operates as a retail insurance agency, generating revenue through commissions paid by insurance carriers on policies placed. The company works with a network of A-rated carriers and surplus lines insurers to provide coverage across its served industries. Revenue is derived from policy premiums paid by end-client businesses, with commissions retained by the agency upon binding and renewal.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Sugarleaf Insurance Services is a specialty retail insurance agency that places business insurance coverage for high-risk and emerging industries that traditional insurers decline or misprice, including cannabis, hemp, Delta-8, psychedelic mushrooms, gas stations, smoke shops, and racing operations. The agency works through a network of A-rated carriers and surplus lines insurers to provide tailored property, liability, commercial auto, workers' compensation, product liability, and other coverage lines to small and mid-sized business owners across 20+ U.S. states.

Product overview

Sugarleaf Insurance Services is a specialty insurance agency offering a unified portfolio of industry-specific coverage products and core insurance coverages for high-risk and emerging industries that traditional insurers decline or misprice. The company provides five core industry verticals: Cannabis & Hemp Insurance, Gas Station Insurance, Psychedelic Mushrooms Insurance, Smoke Shop Insurance, and Racing Operations Insurance. Each industry product is supported by a suite of core coverages including Property, Commercial Auto, General Liability, Business Income, Workers Compensation, Employment Practices, Business Owners Policy (BOP), Directors & Officers, Product Liability, Umbrella/Excess, and Event Coverage. Additional specialty coverages such as Crop Insurance, Environmental Liability, Professional Liability, Participant Liability, and Garage Keepers are offered within specific industry verticals. The company works with A-rated carriers and surplus lines insurers to provide coverage for businesses others won't cover.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cannabis & Hemp Insurance

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1,000 clients served across 20+ U.S. states

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• CannGen Insurance Services: Specialty insurance agency focused exclusively on cannabis, hemp, and CBD risks. Closest direct competitor to Sugarleaf's flagship vertical with similar carrier access and product offering.
• Insurance Canopy: Cannabis-focused insurance brokerage offering property, liability, and product coverage to dispensaries and cultivators. Competes head-to-head for the same cannabis SMB client base.
• Starport Insurance: Specialty agency covering cannabis, psilocybin, and other emerging regulated industries. Direct peer in the psychedelic and cannabis verticals where Sugarleaf competes.
• Westwood Insurance Agency: Multi-line specialty retail agency with significant experience in non-standard commercial risks including smoke shops, convenience stores, and gas stations — direct overlap with Sugarleaf's non-cannabis verticals.
• CBE Insurance Services: Specialty broker serving cannabis, hemp, and ancillary industries with multi-line coverage. Direct overlap in target verticals and product menu with Sugarleaf.
• MFE Insurance Brokerage: Cannabis-specialty insurance brokerage placing commercial property, liability, and product coverage. Comparable in size, vertical focus, and carrier-led distribution model.

Broad incumbents

• Amwins: Largest U.S. specialty wholesale broker and underwriting manager with deep E&S relationships. Indirect competitor for placement capacity and a potential strategic acquirer.
• Burns & Wilcox: Large national wholesale brokerage and MGA specializing in surplus lines and hard-to-place risks. Provides the wholesale capacity that Sugarleaf accesses indirectly, and represents a potential roll-up acquirer.
• RPS (Risk Placement Services): National wholesale broker and MGA with specialty practice groups including cannabis. Provides E&S capacity and is a likely M&A counterparty for specialty retail agencies like Sugarleaf.
• NSM Insurance Group: Program manager and specialty broker building vertical-specific insurance programs (including motorsports and recreational). Adjacent competitor in the racing/automotive specialty vertical.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sugarleafservices

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Sugarleaf Insurance Services