The Clever Root

Fall / Winter 2015

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1 0 8 | t h e c l e v e r r o o t W e are each faced with forks in the road of life, but not all of us look down each path and boldly march toward the one with unfamiliar outcroppings and the least certain destination. In 2008, Julie Berliner found herself at such a crossroads. Having just graduated from the University of Colorado, Boulder with a bachelor's in elementary education, Berliner was approached by a friend who loved her famous chocolate chip cookies—and who wanted her to create a cannabis-infused version he could sell as a private line at the collective he operated. "I knew then that it would be one or the other," she recalls. "If I was going to move into the marijuana industry, it would seal the deal with not getting a job in the education system. But I wanted to keep my doors open and was fascinated by the emerging marijuana industry—so I went for it." After experimenting with the butter extraction method and perfect- ing her cannabutter recipe, Berliner knew she was onto something, and in 2009, at the age of 23, went through the necessary licensing to open Sweet Grass Kitchen in Denver. "I realized that I had an incredible opportunity to not only create a career for myself, but also be a part of history," recalls Berliner. "The legalization of marijuana is a movement of the people; it is something people are actively fighting for, and I wanted to be a part of that movement." Within its first year of business, Sweet Grass had 15 or so customers around Denver, but Berliner knew she had an opportunity to continue to de- velop her business even further. W In 2008, Julie Berliner found herself at such a crossroads. Having just graduated from the University of Colorado, Boulder with a bachelor's in elementary education, Berliner was approached by a friend who loved her famous chocolate chip cookies—and who wanted her to create a cannabis-infused version he could sell as a private line at the collective he operated. "I knew then that it would be one or the other," she recalls. "If I was going to move into the marijuana industry, it would seal the deal with not getting a job in the education system. But I wanted to keep my doors open and was fascinated by the emerging marijuana industry—so I went for it." After experimenting with the butter extraction method and perfect ing her cannabutter recipe, Berliner knew she was onto something, and in 2009, at the age of 23, went through the necessary licensing to open Sweet Grass Kitchen in Denver. "I realized that I had an incredible ELEVATING EDIBLES AT DENVER'S SWEET GRASS KITCHEN by Rachel Burkons photos by Jennifer Olson The legalization of marijuana is a movement of the people; it is something people are actively fighting for, and I wanted to be a part of that movement." —Julie Berliner, founder, Sweet Grass Kitchen Julie Berliner founded Sweet Grass Kitchen in Denver, CO at the age of 23. Now, the edible wholesaler operates its own cultivation in order to maintain control over the final product. 1 0 8 | t h e c l e v e r r o o t

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