Skip to main content

Lola Lola Leads the Pack in California’s Upscale Cannabis Culture

The cannabis industry finds itself at a unique intersection.

While the old guard of purveyors and growers are holding on to a relaxed image and minimal regulations, a new generation of entrepreneurs is flooding the marketing with capital, moxie, and an urge to shed stereotypical notions of marijuana’s yesteryear.

Recommended Videos

Producers like San Francisco’s Lola Lola represent a wave of cannabis companies offering up enjoyment and an elevated lifestyle brand.

“We want to be inviting to the everyday consumer, not just regular users,” says Co-Founder Michael Gargenese, Jr., who left a sales and marketing role at Google in 2014 to focus on his business full-time with his father, Mike Sr.

The whimsical colors and sharp edges of the brand’s marketing present an almost Coachella-lite approach in a state that feeds on the outlandish. It is tailor-made for the incoming onslaught of consumers when Prop 64 (passed in November 2016–take that Jeff Sessions!) goes into effect sometime in late 2017 or early 2018. It will legalize recreational sales across the state.

The Gargeneses funded their business from private investment and employ somewhat of a corporate model, offering regular feedback and opportunities for input from their backers.

One of their first initiatives was a proprietary extraction method called “Golden Clear.” It removes unhealthy fats, lipids, and other impurities from their oils, leaving the user with a product that’s 80-90% THC. It ends up providing a cleaner cannabis smoke, too.

They continued this type of brand consciousness with a series of heart-shaped concentrates they launched on Valentine’s Day. It all links back to their upscale marketing and pricing as part of the foundation for a new set of consumers.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

“The stigma is changing,” Michael says.

With that decline in stigmatization, comes a line of vape cartridges and flower tailored to specific users and a colorful guide offering basic education on strain type and desired effect.

“We want you to feel more comfortable with what you’re putting inside your body and that happens through education,” he says.

For now, the focus is on more accessible products. Later this year, they’ll release a disposable vape product and cannabis oils targeted for specific day and night use.

They want to be a connective brand as well for people who may have stopped using at some point, but are now returning as recreational use becomes more accepted.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

And as the guise of old continues to subside, Lola Lola may find themselves in pole position as an example of high-end cannabis culture on the West Coast.

Geoff Nudelman
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Geoff is a former contributor to The Manual. He's a native Oregonian who’s always up for a good challenge and a great hike…
Nina Dobrev talks love for F1 & the ‘electric’ feeling of race day
From Netflix to the paddock: Nina Dobrev on her passion for Formula One
Nina Dobrev holds a Peroni and smiles.

When Nina Dobrev first attended an F1 event over a decade ago, she went as a casual observer. Similar to many recent Formula One fans, she streamed Netflix's Drive to Survive and immediately fell in love with the sport. Fast-forward to now, and Dobrev is all-in with F1 thanks to her greater appreciation for the world-class drivers and their sensational teams.

This past weekend, Dobrev attended the 2025 Miami Grand Prix on behalf of Peroni Nastro Azzurro 0.0% to support their iconic partner, Scuderia Ferrari HP. The Vampire Diaries star is also friends with Lewis Hamilton, one of the greatest drivers in F1 history, who competes for Ferrari.

Read more
8 intense and gripping movies like Sinners to watch next
These movies are just like Michael B. Jordan and Ryan Coogler's hit
Michael B Jordan in Sinners

Sinners is the biggest original movie of 2025 so far. With an overabundance of franchises and retreads, fans have fervently crowded theaters to see Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan's next collaboration. The movie follows twin brothers who must fight back against evil spirits in a Mississippi town after returning to civilian life following World War I. The mix of racial commentary, social analysis, and beautiful set pieces has transfixed viewers to the big screen so far.

Going to a movie two or three times is always a good antidote for your movie craving, but if you've already exhausted your Sinners allotment for the time being, it might be best to look for similar films. Vampires, period pieces, racial implications, and so much more feature in this wide array of movies like Sinners. We've got you covered right here.

Read more
The best feel-good shows to watch when you need a pick-me-up
From Gilmore Girls to Schitts Creek, these are the best feel-good shows ever made
The cast of Ted Lasso

Television is, by its very nature, something that we invite into our lives over an extended period. Unlike the movies we watch, TV shows are designed for you to develop some sort of familiarity with the characters on them.

Sometimes, that familiarity doesn't necessarily breed love, but other times it does. The shows on this list will make you fall in love with their characters and leave you with a warm, fuzzy feeling inside. These are what I'll call feel-good shows.

Read more