On Monday, January 5, leading cannabis edibles company Wyld announced the acquisition of Grön, a women-led brand focused on creating delicious, handcrafted, cannabis-infused edibles. The deal brings together two of the most recognized and respected names in edibles—both from Oregon—combining Grön’s premium, innovation-driven portfolio with Wyld’s extensive distribution reach across North America. According to the companies, the partnership is designed to accelerate growth while preserving what makes each brand beloved by consumers—a shared commitment to quality, creativity and authenticity.
“This acquisition is about scaling a brand that’s already winning,” stated Aaron Morris, founder and CEO of Wyld in Monday’s press release. “Grön has built exceptional products and a deeply trusted brand. Our goal is to support its continued growth by pairing Grön’s creativity and innovation with Wyld’s infrastructure, reach and operational strength—without compromising what makes Grön special.”
Grön Founder and CEO Christine Apple is equally excited about the company’s future. Apple, when deciding how to build the brand to ensure it will last for many generations, asked, “What’s the best chance for the brand to succeed in continuing to grow and growing rapidly?” “Wyld’s platform allows them to do this, and I don’t think there is another company in the entire industry that could perform it as well as I can.” “I really mean it.”
Apple shares Morris’ vision, and that is perhaps even more important than Apple’s conviction in Wyld’s brand power or infrastructure. She said, “I could not imagine anyone that I would trust more to take this brand forward” in an interview with Cannabis Now CEO Eugenio Garca on Tuesday. “We have a lot in common, and Eugenio Garcia is really dedicated to keeping this brand the way it is.”
Apple will take us back in time to the Oregon kitchen, when weed and medical cannabis were both legal. Weed was also less acceptable socially. Apple shares insight on how she’s found success by staying lean, efficient, privately funded and “laser focused” as well as her unwavering passion for Grön—”her baby,” so to speak—and all that the brand represents. It’s certainly been a labor of love over the past decade, and now she’s finally ready to let Grön leave the nest and soar to new heights as the legacy carries on.
Eugenio Garcia: To kick things off, can you share Grön’s origin story?
Christine Apple: So I’m a recovering architect. This is a joke. I graduated from architecture school at the University of Texas in ‘99 and moved up to Oregon and started working at an architecture firm, and did that for about 16 years, 14 years—something like that.
In my own kitchen I made chocolates edibles on a random whim. It was a little side project that turned into something much bigger. In the past, I was an architect by day and a chocolatier at night. [cannabis] It wasn’t “adult use” or legal. Socially, I felt it was frowned on, and so, in a way, I lived a double-life.
At some point—I think 2014 in Oregon—they passed adult-use, and I took a gamble and cashed in my stock options and left my architecture firm and bought chocolate machines and said, “I’m going to give this a go.” Since the beginning of this year we have not used any external capital, and that has probably been one of the key factors in our success because of how volatile the chocolate industry can be. We are very efficient. It’s a very efficient operation. It’s definitely been the most exciting journey of my entire life.
EG: Wow, Good for you. How large is your current brand footprint?
CA: We are in nine states right now—Oregon, Arizona, Nevada, Ohio, Missouri, Illinois, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey. Nous are currently relaunching Nevada and Canada. In most states, we have a penetration of 90% or more. Also, we’re Canada’s number 1 edible. Grön is on a on a tremendous growth trajectory. It was the right time to take advantage of the Wyld distribution channel and platform to further grow the Gron brand.
EG: What does the name Grön mean? What is the significance of this name?
CA: Yes. It is. [for architecture]It means “green” (in Swedish). The word is “green”. The funny thing about this is, there was no business plan, there was no intent to start a business—I just started making chocolate. After that, I was asked to create a brand name. The exercise took an hour to come up with meaningful words and things. When I researched chocolate companies, many of the names had difficult-to-pronounce words. Sustainability is an important issue for people on this side of world. It’s also green. Grön is kind of a cool word that’s a little difficult to say and the umlauts make it fun, although difficult to type.
I really like that. And although you’ve expanded from chocolates, Grön soley offers edibles, right?
CA: We’ve been laser-focused. And I think again, that’s another real strong point to the company and our success and profitability—staying really laser focused and building the brand. I can look back on it now and say it takes a long time to mature a brand to a place where it’s really a brand—a brand isn’t a brand if you don’t recognize it and people aren’t following it and really understanding it and believing in it, and it takes years to generate that kind of trust.
EG: Moving into Grön’s next chapter, how did you and Wyld’s CEO Aaron Morris come to meet?
CA: So both Grön and Wyld grew up during the Oregon medical days, so my founder’s story is not very different from his. The timeline was identical. We both lived in Portland throughout the existence of these two companies, but we hadn’t met until six months prior. Seth Yakatan, a dear friend, actually introduced Aaron and Draper Bender, president of Grön. Draper Bender, the president of Gron, came to me with an idea after they went out for coffee. What do you say about it? You said “No Way”? Your mind is a mess. After that, I took a nap. And, you know, the reality is, both these companies—everyone in this industry—is trying to figure out what to do next.
Since years we have been opening new markets. That’s great until you can’t find any more. You then need to think about how you want to grow. The federal law is stifling this entire industry. Wyld dominates all states and has been to them all, but it needs to find a way to keep growing. While we have all conquered the newer states, some of our older, more saturated states such as California, Colorado Washington and Michigan were passed by. We need to start thinking about how to break into those markets. Wyld, the market leader in those areas is an absolute fact.
It makes perfect sense that both companies share many common values and are based in Oregon. He is also committed to maintaining the current brand. It was impossible to think of anyone better qualified than him to continue the brand.
EG: January 2026, and Trump has yet to complete his executive order rescheduling cannabis that he issued at the end last year. What impact has this announcement had on your plans for 2026?
CA: We’re not affected by it at all, to be honest. You know, this is a private business. Since years there have been a lot of news, we just try to ignore the noise. Right now it is business as usual for us. We deliver excellence, and we bring products to people who are interested. This is what we do.
EG: With Grön, we’ll go back to your slogan, “the best-tasting edible on the planet.” What is the source of this? What’s the source? What about the method? What are your plans to meet that standard?
CA: When I first started to make chocolate at home, it was a success because the chocolate tasted great. And, edibles don’t taste very good. The edibles taste just like marijuana. Cannabis will never improve the taste of anything. Although I may disagree, the majority of people seem to agree.
The success of any product is based on three factors: the product must be good to look at, good to feel and good to taste. All three of these pillars must be met. We have to do this with every product that is made, or that goes on the market. We’ve also spent time experimenting with different terpene and flavor profiles, and added acidity to counter the flavor of cannabis. This has been an exciting journey.
In 2025, I had many conversations with leaders in the industry about this question: “How can we survive?” How can we flourish? The past four years have been challenging for many companies, but one answer was “It is time to work together.” We need to think about business differently and form more alliances. How did you decide to partner up with Wyld and what factors influenced your decision?
CA: From the beginning, I have always put my brand’s needs first. This is to ensure that the brand can last for many generations. As I studied the situation, I thought, “What are my best chances for growth and success?” Wyld’s platform allows them to accomplish this. They are, if I am to believe, the only business in that space that is able to surpass me. “I really do mean it.” Aaron will do this much better than me, and I am confident that he can accelerate our brand’s expansion.
I am Grön’s biggest fan, and I will be her cheerleader until I die, and I want to see this brand carry on as a legacy brand in this cannabis space. The cannabis industry is young and volatile, so most brands will not make it. The tech industry is a good example. Who’s left? Google? I want Grön to be a lasting brand. It’s important for my own selfish reasons that I set Gron up for success in the future. This is what I think will do that. It’s great that we managed to put this all together.
Remarkably Grön and Wyld, don’t eat each other’s market share on shelves. We actually bring in more consumers when we visit markets. In all of the markets we operate in, this is a remarkable phenomenon. Together, these two firms control close to 30% market share.
EG: You’ve spoken of Grön as a “she,” giving her an identity. What made you think of that idea?
CA: It’s probably because I think of the birthing, raising and nurturing this business as I would a child. This has been 11 years of my life—fully committing this brand to a point where it can stand on its own and has the stability and an identity of her own. It’s a great feeling to see her. It is a good idea to use a bilingual translator female. She is fun. I also mean that the brand itself has personality. We can connect better with customers. There’s not a lot of females in this industry, and Grön is one of ‘em.
EG: What is the single most important thing to do in order to create a unique brand and differentiate yourself from others?
CA: It’s important to find something people can relate to. Brands that people love and respect are more likely to be followed. This commitment comes from your marketing, as well as the relationship you share with retailers and consumers. I think part of our reputation in the industry has come from that—making sure that we’re being honest, that we’re delivering excellence every single time, that we take care of people and that we take care of our products and that we’re being good stewards of the planet. These things are evident, and the people enjoy it. They want to support and buy products they are passionate about.