'90s Roots Inspire a Modern Cannabis Accessories Brand

Old habits die hard. Suppressing the scent of weed was once a necessity in the smoking community; today it is a polite norm.

“I don’t care how legal it’s going to be,” BlazeBags Founder Akono Hite said in an interview with The Green Letter. “Not everybody needs to know I’ve got weed.” 

This mindset is at the heart of Montana-based BlazeBags, which puts smell-proof technology to work for cannabis.

Before entering the cannabis industry, Hite was in the Air Force. When he moved to Montana in 2007, he became the first Black 911 dispatcher in the state. After seven years, he went back to school and earned a degree in Information Technology. Still armed with a desire to serve his community, Hite aimed to build an IT career within his local government.

When he wasn’t offered the pay public policy manuals outlined he should earn, he left the public sector to start his own tech company. “I was thinking: How am I going to fund this?” Hite said. How? He started up BlazeBags, too.

Hite, his son Amari, and his friend Jesse Webb founded BlazeBags in 2020. Offering lockable, smell-proof storage and transport solutions has allowed a cannabis enthusiast with respectful discretion around smoking to support smokers and transform his passion into a business.

Cannabis has long been a part of Hite’s life. “I'm 46 years old. I've been smoking weed since I was 15, so this is a 31 year love affair,” Hite said. Building smell-proof bags and transport containers was a logical extension of Hite’s personal relationship with cannabis. Many in the cannabis community – including parents – still wish to remain discreet. With the power of ecommerce and changing legal frameworks, BlazeBags became a viable solution. 

With the power of ecommerce and today’s internet, building containers and luggage with smell-proof technology for smokers simply made sense: oftentimes, cannabis users still want to remain discreet.

Hite sat with The Green Letter to share his insights into building a brand in the cannabis industry and how evolving legalities have affected business models, product innovation, and marketing strategies.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Where did BlazeBags come from? What is the thought process behind your products?

When I first started smoking, it was completely illegal. You couldn’t smoke anywhere, so smell suppression and discreet transportation and storage was imperative. I’ve seen 30 years of progress since I’ve been smoking weed, but deep down inside me, I can never get rid of how I started. I don’t care how legal it’s going to be, not everybody needs to know I’ve got weed.

I try to develop products that resonate with me. When I have that product developed, I bring it to my community. The lack of advertising outlets is a challenge, and like I said, in my mind it still feels illegal. Pushing cannabis and advertising like that is a challenge for me because the market isn’t ready for it, but I’m going to say what I want to say. That’s why I started my own business – to do what I want to do.

What is unique about selling accessories versus selling cannabis directly?

The accessories market enables me to go nationwide and worldwide. I live in Montana. It's a very close knit cannabis community, but those selling flower can’t necessarily sell outside of the state. 

I think that’s the way it is and will be in many states until legalization happens federally. I can go anywhere and create relationships in every market, and be kind of an ambassador for cannabis nationally, whereas local companies selling cannabis itself don’t have that same reach.

It’s hard. It’s our goal to further the acceptance of cannabis, but we think there’s a part of the general public that does not want to come to a middle ground. It could be legal, but not everyone wants to smell it, just like some people don’t want to smell cigarette smoke, so I think we have a responsibility. If we truly want cannabis to be legal and be accepted, we must transport, store, and use it responsibly. Blaze Bags is not the be-all and end-all answer, but it’s a part of it.

What’s the biggest challenge you face in your business?

I think the biggest challenge is just life intersecting with business. I’ve got a lot going on in my personal life – and I am the face of the brand – but that’s the aspect of the game I was built for. I was born to talk to people and make people feel comfortable, but sometimes that’s rough. I grew up not liking attention, but as I got older, I began to realize I can leverage my likeability for what it is that I want. That’s why now, putting my face on a screen and recording videos comes naturally for me.

What’s on the table for the future of BlazeBags?

Continue to expand the brand. We just completed our first nationwide tour, and I’m about to start planning next year’s tour. I want to add new products, and just continue to spread our message of cannabis acceptance and expansion.

We recently launched our Flip N Flick – a lighter and pipe combo – and it’s probably one of our biggest selling items. When I first started I had lighters, but we ran into issues with them. I said I’d never do lighters again. When things don’t work, though, you’ve got to get down to the nuts and bolts and see what you’ve got to tinker with and tighten into what should be a well-running machine.

I’m glad I gave it another shot because it worked. This is a quality, sturdy, and very well-built product. We call it the Flip N Flick because the next bowl is always just a flip and a flick away. When I show it to people, I flip it up into the smoking position, and their jaws drop. 

What’s your favorite success story so far?

There are a lot, and each of them is special. I don’t really want to pick one. I will say that just being here for several years is a success story in itself because the average business – especially in cannabis – doesn’t last very long. I’ve got real support from my local community, and ingraining myself within that community has been huge.

It’s all mindset; how you look at your failures and how you look at your successes matters. If you’ve got the right mindset, you can keep going. 

I set out with a goal to do something with this company, and I’m not going to stop until I do it. The only way to be successful is to stop listening to anyone but that voice inside you. Do what you said you were going to do. That’s the secret to business, and that’s the secret to success in anything.