Founded in 2010 by rapper and entrepreneur Berner (Gilbert Milam) and Bay Area cultivator Jai Chang in San Francisco, Cookies built its empire around the legendary Girl Scout Cookies strain and authentic cannabis culture. Berner leveraged his music career and strategic branding, including wearing Cookies apparel in music videos with artists like Wiz Khalifa and Chris Brown, to create global recognition. Today, Cookies operates over 70 retail locations across six countries and is valued at approximately $1 billion, with Berner becoming the first cannabis executive to appear on the cover of Forbes magazine in 2022. The company was named one of America's Hottest Brands by AdAge in 2021, marking the first time a cannabis brand received this prestigious recognition.