An Edmonton business is garnering international attention and aiming to shatter any remaining stigma of using cannabis with its fresh take on smoking pot: ceramic bongs that can double as art pieces.
Brnt Designs, which was started by a group of University of Alberta students trying to capitalize on Canada鈥檚 legal recreational marijuana industry, is shattering its sales goals and rapidly expanding its business.
鈥淲e were actually just working out of my parent鈥檚 house,鈥� Andrew Feltham, Brnt鈥檚 chief design officer, told CTV Edmonton. 鈥淲e kind of took over the den. It was a bit of a disaster. We had so much stuff in there.鈥�
The ceramic bongs feature a hexagonal top and base and are meant to be functional art.
鈥淵ou can actually leave it out on your table and you don鈥檛 have to be embarrassed and hide it as soon as someone鈥檚 coming over,鈥� Paige Hodgins, Brnt鈥檚 chief development officer, said.
One year after Brnt鈥檚 founding, its products have gone from turning heads at trade shows to garnering international recognition 鈥� even being featured in Rolling Stone magazine鈥檚 2018 cannabis gift guide.
鈥淲hen the in-laws come over, you can pass it off as a vase,鈥� wrote Rolling Stone, adding, 鈥渂ut honestly, aren鈥檛 we a little past hiding?鈥�
Feltham said the international acknowledgement is a 鈥渃ool feeling.鈥�
Brnt鈥檚 products are now in 60 stores across Canada, with sales eclipsing $500,000. It is expanding, hiring more people and opening a second office in Toronto.
鈥淣ever in a million years did any of us think this bong would鈥檝e done what it has done,鈥� Feltham said.
