Message from Alice Moon, Founder and CEO of Swallow.la:
After a seven-month Beta run, I am saddened to say that I am shutting down Swallow as a tech platform.
Let’s start from the beginning — While working as a budtender in 2015, I realized there was a serious need for edible education, so I started a blog, then called thisistastebuds.com. My goal was to provide honest reviews on cannabis products to help patients make informed and safe decisions when consuming edibles. Soon after starting my blog, patients began asking me where to get diet-specific edibles and I did not have an answer. At the time, most companies lacked websites & Instagram was actively shutting down profiles of edible companies, making it very hard to reach a company, let alone find the availability of a specific product. This is when I came up with the idea for Swallow. I spent the next two years trying to make my dream a reality and launched the beta version on May 5th, 2017. I am so proud of everything we have accomplished in these last seven months. Despite never sending out a press release, we received recognition and praise from some of the most respected outlets within the cannabis industry. Our official launch was announced via High Times in an article written by Cat Goldberg, who was eager to be the first one to tell the world about Swallow (thanks again for that, Cat!). Swallow was then included in two more High Times articles. In addition, I was interviewed on Direct Cannabis Network’s Coffee & Cannabis and was a special guest on Viceland’s hit show, Bong Appetit. We’ve had so many amazing moments in such a short time, but the accomplishment I am most proud of earning was our nomination for Best Tech at the SoCal Dope Magazine Awards. At the time we were still in beta, never did a big announcement of our company, and yet we were up for an award against WeedMaps, one of the biggest cannabis tech companies in the world! I’m sure you’re now thinking “Alice, if people love your company so much, why are you going to shut it down?!” The short answer: tech is hard and expensive. Swallow never made it out of beta mode because as a self-funded company, it’s been difficult to keep up. Instead of spending time fundraising, I would rather get back to my ultimate goal of helping the community. I am passionate about cannabis, not tech. So what now for Alice Moon? Even though I’ve been in the cannabis industry for seven years, I learned the most about the community this year, which helped me learn more about myself in the process. I realized I am happiest when I am helping people, whether it be via education, events, networking, influencer work, or PR. My plan for 2018 is to continue exploring and enhancing my passion. I am eager to work with brands whose visions and values align with mine and I will be releasing new content on a more consistent basis. I’ll also be working with other media outlets to produce educational and entertainment content. Swallow as a tech platform was created to help people and now we’re shifting focus to help in a different, and hopefully more expansive manner than before. I can proudly say that even though our initial plans for Swallow didn’t pan out, I still managed to launch the first cannabis tech company focused on edibles and dietary needs! A big thank you to my best friend and cofounder, Ryan. He believed in my idea but most importantly, he believed in me. Swallow wouldn’t have been possible without Ryan’s business and emotional support behind the scenes. Thank you, Ryan for being so epic! Major thanks to all of you for supporting my journey. I wouldn’t be where I am today if it weren’t for the help of my peers and I am oh so grateful. <3
Stay tuned! <3
Checkout some of the brands I am working with:
Epic yo!!!! So happy for you…
I’m so proud of everything you’ve accomplished and for following your heart 💘 Looking forward to meeting you in person one day in the near future, finally… feels like we’re kindred souls. Blessings on your next chapter 😀✌
Thank you so much for the support, Kayla! Hope we meet soon!
Can’t wait to see what you do next, Alice!
Thank you!! <3