Bend company creates online cannabis ‘trade desk’

The cannabis industry is in full bloom, and a Bend company is hoping to take it to new heights online.

CannaFo representatives say the marijuana business is one of the fastest growing industries in the nation, but it lacks trustworthy platforms where businesses and vendors can connect.

Now the company has launched an online trade desk, and co-founder Joshua Pardee said Wednesday it’s about making connections.

“We actually give the opportunity for a retail dispensary or a producer to get in touch with each other and be able to transfer goods basically,” he said.

The platform is a centralized source, where people can buy, sell, trade and wholesale marijuana.

“The way that it works right now is that basically the growers put their product in their vehicle, they drive around the dispensaries or the retail outlets and show their product off,” said CannaFo CEO Kelly Martin.

He said the trade desk saves time and makes the process easier for everyone involved.

Buyers browse or search for specific inventory, and sellers show off and promote their product.

The idea might not seem all that new, but Pardee said they’re revolutionizing the game.

“There are other places where it can be the same general concept, get Person A and Person B together and hopefully they interact. We’re the first of our nature to really go to the legality level,” he said.

CannaFo makes sure all necessary licenses are in place for buyers and sellers, and complies with individual state laws. They also say it’s the industry’s first transparent open market.

“Users can actually look into a region for a specific strain of marijuana that they have, and it will tell them based on the dispensaries in the area what the retail pricing is for that region,” Pardee said.

Representatives said they’re hoping this technology will build and improve the industry they love.

For more information, visit www.cannafo.com.