Meet the cannabis company that was founded as a global premium brand committed to delivering the world's best cannabis, CBD, beverage, apparel and lifestyle products. It’s a big claim, but big is the only way to think for the team behind
IGNITE International Brands (
CSE.BILZ, OTCQX: BILZF,
Forum). With a market cap that now exceeds CDN$100 million, they’re playing big.
A global lifestyle brand unlike any other, IGNITE combines premium quality ingredients with an unprecedented level of ambition, innovation and an uncompromised standard of excellence. Inspired by its CEO and founder, Dan Bilzerian, IGNITE is positioning itself as the gold standard in the lifestyle industry.
IGNITE has designed and developed a unique business strategy that centers around monetizing, in various forms, the premium brand.
The company is accentuating its
‘International’ brand name moniker with total global sweep and scale. Following its September 2018 US launch, 2019 saw growth into the UK and Mexico, with continued 2020 expansion into Canada, Australia, and the Middle East, with additional territories to follow.
This year, the premium brand has diversified its product portfolio with a series of consumer-focused goods. Taking their CBD line one step further, IGNITE has added a line of full-spectrum CBD products including gummies, tinctures, topicals, and new innovative vape devices.
Expanding the brand beyond its cannabis roots, the company has made a bold move into the beverage space, releasing a premium energy drink, ZRO, and PH water for the US market. Vodka and premium tequila are next for the global player. Finally, for pets, Ignite now has a CBD dog coat spray, hot spot cream, drops, and dog treats.
IGNITE also
teamed up with the giant Circle K convenience store chain earlier this year, releasing 10 CBD products in more than 400 Circle K locations in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia.
Most recently, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, IGNITE pivoted into making premium masks, gloves, and hand sanitizer to help fight the spread of the coronavirus. IGNITE donated over $25,000 of supplies to local LA organizations and 5,000 tubes of its CBD-infused lip balm to the less fortunate in the UK.
On March 31, 2020, the Company
announced that it is expanding its partnership with UK manufacturer and distributor, Taylor Mammon, to add new CBD skincare products including roll-ons, bath bombs, tattoo cream, moisturizers, serums, and body oils. That’s a
global market nearing the USD$150 billion mark for 2020 alone.
In conjunction with Taylor Mammon, IGNITE is also expanding its existing range of tinctures to offer different levels of potency and will also begin to offer 10 millilitre CBD e-liquids for vape devices in the UK.
Curtis Heffernan, President of IGNITE, commented on their latest strategic partnership:
“It’s important to us and our partners that we continue to innovate and grow the IGNITE brand with new exciting products with the same premium level our customer expects. We’re excited to be able to introduce a new line of skincare products that we know will introduce the IGNITE brand to an expanded audience. Our business relationship with Taylor Mammon has been a great one for us and we know that together we will continue to expand IGNITE globally.” In Canada, IGNITE’s THC line launched in British Columbia, followed closely by Saskatchewan. Since then, IGNITE has been working its way across the country with upcoming listings in Alberta, Manitoba, and Ontario. As a horizontally integrated company, IGNITE has solidified partnerships with exceptional growers and manufacturers in Canada. Dan Bilzerian and his team only want the best, and their search to obtain and maintain the utmost premium quality and dosage has only just begun.
IGNITE’s Global Head of Cannabis, Gene Bernaudo commented on the Canadian success:
“We are happy to have forged solid partnerships with amazing craft growers that will ensure we are able to distribute quality, consistent cannabis products across Canada. All the retailers and Provincial boards have been very supportive, and we look forward to working closely with them to bring our products to consumers.” In order to bring flower and concentrates to Canadians, IGNITE has partnered with CannMart – a leading processor and distributor of Cannabis products. IGNITE sources their product from craft growers who produce small batch, high-end cannabis. With CannMart, IGNITE is able to bring craft grown cannabis to the Canadian consumer.
Gene Bernaudo breaks down this process:
“Our formula is simple – find the best growers, establish long-term relationships and provide an opportunity to get their premium product to market. We have built great partnerships with experienced growers from across Canada who are as excited as we are to be supplying one of the world’s most recognized brands with the best cannabis in the country.” IGNITING the Brand IGNITE was founded to be the
first global cannabis brand, and it has quickly built a very dedicated following. The brand’s
Instagram page boasts more than 1.7 million followers with over a 10 percent engagement rate, as well as an average of
135,000 new followers per month.
A big part of that audience comes from IGNITE’s founder and chairman, Dan Bilzerian –
a colourful social media influencer with more than 43 million followers across multiple platforms. Bilzerian’s vision for the brand involves capitalizing on the internet-obsessed market, leveraging the social media following already established.
After all, 85 percent of Bilzerian’s followers are millennials, with an average 1.4 million directly engaging with each of his posts. It’s the kind of mass market branding and recognition paired with unprecedented quality that sets IGNITE apart from their competition. It’s why IGNITE has a leg up on competition in the highly competitive lifestyle brand sector.
IGNITE International, Ltd. trades on the Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE) under the symbol ‘BILZ’ and on the OTCQX under the symbol ‘BIL