Kief Sweeper Builds Excitement for Grinder Cleaning & Accessories

In the last issue of The Green Letter we offered a peak of our feature interview with the creator of Kief Sweeper, inventor Eric West. Kief Sweeper is a novel approach to the herb grinder, that essential accessory for cannabis smokers. Combining a high-efficiency grinder with a built-in brush tool, Kief Sweeper is designed to be easy to clean. “It’s unique,” West told The Green Letter. “It cleans the grinders, keeps them going for longer, and keeps them sharp.”

A veteran of the advertising industry and a long-time handyman, West launched Kief Sweeper in 2023 following injury and inspiration. “I've always wanted to be in the industry,” West said. Now he is, with Kief Sweeper growing quickly and selling in more than 200 retail locations. West sat down with The Green Letter to share his story and what makes Kief Sweepers unique. 

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

In your words, what was the inspiration behind Kief Sweeper? What makes the product different from other grinders on the market?

If you ask anybody on the street right now: How do you clean a grinder? None of them have a good answer.

I was using a pot scrubber for years until I hurt myself last April. 

That prevented me from raising my left arm above my shoulder, and at the time I was in the handyman business, doing ceiling fans. I couldn’t do that anymore, so my wife said to me ‘use your brain to find something to do,’ and so I started thinking. 

I've always wanted to be in this industry, and I've been a big believer in this since the 70s. I was very excited to get into the Cannabis industry.

Honestly, I came up with Kief Sweeper in what was one of those ‘there has to be a better way to do this’ type moments. I was inspired by the plant that we all love, and a little bit of plant goes a long way in creativity.

At NECANN and CannaCon, a lot of the people that were there were cannabis users. When they saw Kief Sweeper, they lost their minds because this just made so much sense to them. It was kind of one of those pet rock moments.

And what makes it unique? It cleans the grinders, keeps them going for longer, and keeps them sharp. For me, I'm just one of those OCD ‘got to keep it clean’ kind of guys, and even an extra kief stuck in my grinder all the time bugged me.

You shared before the interview that Kief Sweeper is now in 200 stores. What is your biggest success story so far in this business?

I'm finding that a lot of non-users are the buyers for the smoke shops in the vape shops, which makes my product a little bit harder to sell to them because they really don't get what it's for. They haven't used a grinder before, so they haven't experienced any of that frustration of extra kief stuck in there, or the need for something better.

Even though they buyers are harder to get through to, the budtenders behind the counter are very, very excited about the products. 

One of the biggest success stories there is breaking into Wild Bills, one of the largest tobacconists in the country. We’ll be on their shelves next week.

This space is still so new in many ways, having been illicit previously. How are you handling the inner workings of the business?

There have been challenges. Living in a state where it’s still illegal, I still feel like an outlaw sometimes. 

Initially, my logo was not well received by customs and they snagged half of one of my orders and destroyed it. So that was kind of a bummer. All because of a pot leaf the size of an eraser on it, and it's just ridiculous. I didn't know a little symbol like that could trigger somebody that badly, but it did.

I was probably expecting greater overnight success than I have had, but it’s clear that it’s just a matter of people needing to see us, get used to the product, and figure out that we're not some fly by night brand. Getting into Wild Bills is a game changer.

Could you walk us through the process of starting up Kief Sweeper from invention to production?

When I started, I got some graph paper out and started making some drawings, sketching things out. I put together an NDA and went to several American manufacturers to see if they could produce the brush part of it.

That was a learning experience. They can’t produce things for the prices you can get overseas.

It would be my dream someday to purchase the equipment and make it here in the United States, even employ wounded veterans and first responders – people who have done something for our society.

On our website, you can read about how we pay it forward by donating a portion of our profits to the DAV.

Can you share more about why that is important to you?

I’ve done a lot of stuff with veterans in the past. Just prescribing opioids for them, I think, is ridiculous. Organizations like DAV are working with medical marijuana, and getting access for wounded veterans.

I'm a son of the American Revolution. My family has been here for 11 generations. My grandfather served for 30 years in the Air Force, and I had two uncles who did five tours in Vietnam. Both my sons in law are former Navy. I just think it's important that we support those who protect us.

It’s a benefit of business that when you make a profit you can support others. I think it's just the right thing to do.

What was your background before launching Kief Sweeper, and what are the differences you’re noticing about being in the cannabis space?

I was in advertising for about 25 years, and I actually used to have a magazine that served the veteran community. It was a discount and coupon magazine for veterans and military families in my area. I’ve been in business for myself. I used to own a garden center. I've done a lot of things over my life.

In cannabis, everybody is super friendly. It is such a different experience – one thousand percent different. People are so much more open, and they’re not jerks. It's just a different world dealing with smokers.

That’s the one thing. I’ve been to a bunch of shows and trade conventions, and if you bump into someone, they’ll apologize 10 times. To be in a room with people that do it, and they get it, and understand it, and love it, and believe in it is very very neat for me.

It’s such a different world than advertising or the corporate world at all. 

As a business in cannabis accessories, are you running up against regulatory and enforcement issues beyond that first issue with customs?

So far that’s been the only issue. I make a brush, basically. One has a grinder attached. If you want to call that paraphernalia? Okay. 

We changed the logo, and instead of a pot leaf it’s a smiley face.  It’s back to being an ‘herb grinder’ now. We’re not changing the name, so if they get triggered by the name, they get triggered by the name. 

Besides keeping the grinder clean with Kief Sweeper, do you have other cleaning tips for people who use cannabis?

Well, I clean my glass with Formula420. I was a big Grunge Off user, and still am for some parts, but it’s a very different product than when I was introduced to it about 30 years ago. Back in the day, Grunge Off came in a powder.

Lastly, if I were a dispensary owner: why should I stock Kief Sweeper in my store?

Because at the very least, you can sell at least the plastic brush to every single customer that walks through the door. When they see it, they get it. They understand it. They’ll gladly pay for it.

Budsuds Soapery Offers Relaxing Clean with CBD-Infused Soap

Based in Massachusetts, Amanda and Joe Caracciolo entered the cannabis market as a medical manufacturer a decade ago, launching Budsuds in 2014 before recreational adult use was legalized in the state. Budsuds manufactures CBD-infused soap and bath topicals in Westfield, MA, where the couple operates a storefront.

Speaking with The Green Letter, Amanda Caracciolo shared her favorite product: “it's our lavender and peppermint CBD infused cream,” she said. “It's 500 Mg, and it's definitely by far my most popular product that I sell.”

Beyond being the best-seller, “I personally use it every day, so it's actually my favorite product that I make,” Caracciolo said. “I've also noticed that it's the best seller. A nice one-two punch? Yeah, basically. It's also the hardest product to make. It has more ingredients, and it is an all-natural beeswax cream, so it's something that I hand make and whip up myself.”

Find Budsuds Relief Cream Lavender & Peppermint online or at the Budsuds store in Westfield, and look for a full feature interview with Caracciolo in the next issue of The Green Letter.

Powerful & Soothing CBD Salve from The Healing Rose

Salve was the starting point for The Healing Rose, also based in Massachusetts. CEO Laura Beohner founded the company in 2016 after experiencing a knee injury playing basketball.

“I dislocated my kneecap that summer,” Beohner told Growing Season in 2023. CBD salve took the pain away, and inspired Beohner to launch The Healing Rose with her fiancé Zach McInnis. 

To date, the brand’s Organic Lemon Ginger Menthol Salve is one of their best selling products, clocking in at 1200 Mg of CBD. Customers say it “takes the edge off of my back and neck pain,” and at The Green Letter we can confirm that the topical is powerful. We have found it to be effective for reducing lower back pain, and recovering after a tough workout. It smells great, too.

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