Hispanic Heritage Month Q&A Featuring Carolina Vazquez of LUCHADOR
What is a Luchador and why was a Luchador your inspiration for your brand?
“A Luchador is a wrestler in the Mexican style of wrestling, Lucha Libre. Growing up in Mexico, I lived close to a famous arena known for hosting Lucha Libre events with tens of thousands of attendees. I always wanted to go as a child but we could never afford to. To make matters worse, when I would go with my mother to clean houses, we would take the bus past the area, often during events. I never forgot how that felt.
The years passed and I eventually moved to the US to start a Ph.D. in chemistry, I learned English, I moved into the cannabis industry, and I founded a successful cannabis sleep brand called dreamt. We had decided to launch a recreational brand and were thinking about names. I knew I wanted to call it LUCHADOR; not just for the fun of the brand and what it embodies, but also to celebrate my path to success and to come full circle. I used to be a little girl on a bus who cleans houses and now I live in the United States, own a business, and lead an army of Luchadors at wrestling shows all across California.”
In what ways does LUCHADOR celebrate your Mexican heritage and culture?
“To me, the obvious way is how I’m bringing Luchadors and Lucha Libre to the United States with my brand. It’s a fun and interesting part of Mexican culture that is now being celebrated and cheered by our users, fans, and supporters here in the US. And as Mexicans, we have great cultural pride and take true joy in seeing non-Mexicans enjoying Mexican culture. I want a LUCHADOR gummy in the hands of every Californian, and someday every American.
More abstractly, as an immigrant entrepreneur living the American dream, I’m celebrating my Mexican heritage and culture in tune with the long and beautiful American story of immigration. The LUCHADOR brand, just like street tacos and mariachi, is part of our contribution to the American melting pot.
The mere existence of our LUCHADOR brand highlights why millions of Mexican and Hispanic immigrants have come to this incredible place in recent decades. As Mexicans, we come here to work and to improve our lives and the lives of our children. I am incredibly lucky to have the opportunity to come here to work, build my business, and show the world what a Luchador is.”
How do you think your LUCHADOR wrestling matches have paved the way for celebrating your heritage within your community?
“Sitting in an office all day managing your Mexican-themed cannabis brand is a flaccid, ivory tower means of celebrating Mexican heritage. Academic and clinical. Throwing 3-hour wrestling shows around the state with an 18’ by 18’ fully branded wrestling ring is much more authentic and street-level. We aren’t little princes and princesses of Hollywood and Silicon Valley, we are working people who like free stuff. We work hard and don’t want to dress up after work to go to some pretentious restaurant or theater. We want an environment where we can relax, feel comfortable, eat some tacos, and have a fucking awesome time watching wrestling. And when we throw these shows, particularly in Southern California, the audience is 70 to 80 percent Hispanic.”
What makes you most proud of LUCHADOR?
“Seeing hundreds and sometimes thousands of people coming to our events to watch live Lucha Libre and learn about our products makes me incredibly proud! When we first started this we didn’t know how people would respond to it or if anyone would even come out! But the response has been overwhelmingly positive.
I can see the brand evolving into something much bigger than just the products. And as we look at the brands in the cannabis industry and beyond that hold a special place in people’s hearts, I think LUCHADOR can become one of these.”
LUCHADOR
LUCHADOR is the #superfuerte cannabis brand from the makers of dreamt. With fuego Mexican flavors like Cucumber Chili Lime and Horchata, and an excellent price point, LUCHADOR is the super fun social equity brand your customers have been waiting for.
