How This Female Entrepreneur Aims to Change the Industry Standards with Minimalistic and Approachable Weed Accessories

As our readers have probably come to realize, we absolutely love Session Goods! The smoking accessory brand has revolutionized ancillary pieces by creating lines that are sophisticated, sleek, and that look gorgeous in the home. 

Since its launch in 2017, Session Goods has introduced multiple products like a pipe, bong, and one-hitter, that are thoughtfully designed and don’t feel taboo. We were lucky enough to interview their CEO & Founding Partner, Esther LeNoir Ramirez about the ideology behind the brand and about what’s next for them.  

High Herstory: Esther, we know you have a background in design, can you tell us how that helped contribute to creating your award-winning bong? 

Esther: I have a design background in apparel and textiles. In 2014, I left the fashion world and co-founded an online headshop called Billowby. While at Billowby I had the opportunity to try every new gadget that came on the market, but more importantly I learned that, for me, there is nothing better than smoking out of a bong.

However, I never found a bong that checked all the boxes: clean hit; minimal branding; good quality; easy to clean; could fit in the modern home of a woman in her 30s. etc. etc.

I had the dream of creating a line of accessories but quickly learned that having a Pinterest board of beautiful glass was not enough to make me an industrial designer, so that is where my partners came in. Sam Bertain, Camden Foley, and Vinh Pho at the time were working at IDEO. We met through mutual friends, and they had the industrial design chops and design talent I needed. We all loved weed and we got to work from there. 

Sam, Camden, and Vinh took my meticulous lists of “must-haves” and “wouldn’t it be cool”s, and added their own glass inspiration to the Pinterest board. Because of my role at Billowby, I had the industry knowledge, merchandising plan, price points, and design background to help me navigate and communicate the needs for the piece to be successfully brought to life. At the time I was likely the biggest smoker in the group and raised my hand for the tough job of user-testing each piece during the developmental stages. They don’t call it “high design” for nothin’.

HH: Your bongs have gained quite the cult following and we are big fans! What has been your favorite bit of feedback about them? 

E: My favorite note of feedback I received focused on the accessibility of the piece.

It was 2019-ish, we were still really small and I was managing customer service under an alias. I received a ticket from a woman with a picture of man holding the Bong with a massive grin. She pointed to her husband’s smile saying that the Bong was the first one he’d been able to use on his own {due to the compact bowl design}. Her husband was a medical patient that had been suffering from a muscular condtion.

It was such a memorable note, because a man, for a brief pause in time, regained some of his independence. I had a heart-bursting feeling of pride, and we are forever grateful to share in that moment with them.

HH: That is such a touching anecdote! We also love your newest additions to the Session Goods family, the stash jar and ashtray are not only beautiful but also functional. Can you share with us more about what the process of expanding your line of cannabis smoking accessories has been like? 

E: Our aesthetic skews towards minimalism, and as a result, our product roadmap is simple. We view our products as an ecosystem or family, and as such, they need to seamlessly interact with each other. We made a bong and a pipe, so it was time to start expanding the line to begin rounding out more elements of the individual smoking ritual. 

The Ashtray was a no-brainer, I had owned a Debolwer for years but I hated both the smell and sight of built-up ash. We’d never seen an ashtray that had both a lid + a poker. It immediately clicked.

The Stash Jar took slightly longer to realize. Initially, the jar profile was quite similar to the Ashtray. We were playing with proportions and had a few 3-D prints in the office. During a design session, we noticed the base of the stash jar fit perfectly into our silicone accessory. It felt cool to use the same piece we used for the bong to create a secret compartment; however, after a couple of glass samples, we realized our silicone accessory base was too flimsy to hold the weight so the new stash base was created. 

Essentially, our meticulous and thoughtful design process translates into all of our products. We kick it off with a brainstorm on needs vs wants > inspiration finding > rough concept sketching > refined concept sketching > focus group and 1:1 interview sessions > 3-D modeling & printing > glass prototypes > then more user testing > final design refinement > ending in production.

As for the Stashjar and Ashtray, we began sketching these products in February 2020 with a full launch in August 2021. Something that looks simple takes a considerable amount of time to actualize. With regards to the future, we are pushing to expand our current product ecosystem towards housewares that aren’t directly tied to smoking but are still within the same sphere of relaxation, pleasure, and leisure.

HH: Can you tell us about any upcoming products or give us a hint as to what your company really wants to focus on next? 

E: This summer we are expanding our collection of small portable accessories, and in early fall we will be dropping our first collaboration piece with our friends at Weed Feed. By Holiday we will have made our first foray into soft goods. In total, we have major 4 collections in the works for 2022 and will be adding another 20+ SKUs to our line.

Outside of product, our team is in growth mode. We’ve been hiring, growing our wholesale arm, and leveling up all operations of the business.

HH: Do you have a personal favorite item that you and your team have created?

E: I’ve spoken a lot about the Bong, but I am super excited about our Cleaning Solution. This is near and dear to my heart for a few reasons:

This product fits perfectly into the ecosystem and helps solve a massive user pain-point of, “How the heck do I clean my pieces?” We get the purists who argue all you need is ISO + Salt, and I used to be one of them. I also wanted to address the people who desperately want to know if they are dishwasher safe. Is it dishwasher safe? Yes. Should you put it in the dishwasher? Only if you don’t mind resin spraying all over your dishes and the outside of your bong. We designed the Cleaning Solution to be a much simpler, and less messy, process.

The Cleaning Solution is specially formulated to bond with the resin and rinse off the glass in virtually no soaking. It’s concentrated, so the same 3oz of cleaning solution may be used for 3-4 cleanings without having to add more. After application, it just needs a good rinse with hot water. My favorite detail, and definitely the most frivolous, is that we specifically designed the scent profile so that when the solution is rinsed, a delicate aroma will bloom and compliment the scent of the resin. So after a good cleaning, your hands smell like fancy soap.

For me, a dirty piece is a real letdown. It sours the taste of anything you’re smoking, and it also can be full of other harmful bacteria. I generally think of it similarly to eating or drinking out of dirty dinnerware. We don’t eat off of dirty plates, so why would you smoke out of something coated in resin?

HH: We are so excited about whatever is coming next for ya’ll! As a business owner in the cannabis industry, is there any advice you would give to someone who is thinking about entering the cannabis space now?

E: Be flexible. Starting a business is hard. Starting a business in a highly regulated environment without access to basic tools is harder. There is often a disconnect between traditional forms of business and the cannabis industry, and this disconnect can be jarring for aspiring entrepreneurs. Almost every business owner I know of has had to build each element of the business twice. Ex: Start an online store using Stripe for merchant processing. The business gets to a size that Stripe notices, and the company gets kicked off. Everyone has a story about being kicked off a platform or banned because of the industry affiliation. 

Raising money can be difficult when there is only a small pool of institutional investors able to invest in cannabis brands. Debt options are often scarce and can carry heavy repayment terms.

Everything takes twice as long as you think it should. Pile on the potential for customs seizures, counterfeiting, or the dreaded IG/FB de-activations that are rampant in the industry. It will soon feel that you have to be absolutely nuts to want to build a business in this space. But, in signing up to take on these struggles, there is a unique camaraderie that I’ve only experienced in this industry. I love what we do, and despite the struggles we experience, we know that they are shared struggles and that in itself makes it all worth it.

There is nothing that makes me prouder than figuring out loopholes or “work arounds” when some agency tells me “No.” The foundations of this industry are rooted in DIY ethics, so it’s no surprise that often time we’re left to our own agency; however, because we are on our own, we often rely on each other to navigate the waters, so-to-speak, of how to obtain necessities that are normal in other industries. These tips of the trade are passed through the community of entrepreneurs in the space and are shared openly between companies that in any other industry would be considered competitors. We are still in the pre-legalization era, and right now our community of business owners and operators is stronger because of how we work together. It’s truly an amazing time to be a part of the industry.

HH: When you and your team started Session Goods, did you all instantly know you had a great concept and that your pieces would be such a welcome addition to the cannabis community? 

E: We knew we had something unique and we trusted in our own design sensibilities to make something that was both beautiful and functional. Having already owned a brand in the space, I knew people were looking for something modern, but the options on the market were priced at a premium which alienated a large base of casual consumers. 

My biggest fear during pre-launch was that the brand would not resonate with the core base of stoners. Our main positioning is towards a more casual smoker, but, naturally, we were overjoyed to receive such a glowing recommendation from the die-hard stoners. We set out to create an experience that celebrates weed, from the unboxing to the final cleaning, to good design. We owe a great deal to the people that have been pilars of support during the process, as we have been unbelievably lucky to be involved in such a dynamic and inclusive community.

We see Session as your “daily driver.” You can live in a world where you own both a Jerome Baker {or insert your glass-blower of choice} and a Session piece. One is used for special occasions, and the other is what you keep on your coffee table. Everything is designed to be modular and consistent so every glass piece can be replaced or repurchased. If your cat or your friends happen to be clumsy, rest easy that you’ll never have to buy a new bong just because the neck broke.

HH: Do you have any trend forecasts about where the luxury cannabis accessory market is heading or is there a place where you would like to see it head?  

E: I don’t necessarily want to see more expansion of the luxury cannabis market. I feel that the term “luxury” connotes exclusivity. It conjures images of wellness-focused once-a-day cure-all vitamins, diet cannabis that misses the mark on what this plant means to the vast majority of stoners. Where is the joy in that? Everyone would do better with a little more silliness in their life.

Cannabis, like coffee, is shared and celebrated across many socio-economic backgrounds, races, genders, and identities. I want to see more brands expanding into these spaces and communities. I would love to see the industry, especially the ancillary products like our own, become something seen more of an everyday appliance versus a luxury item.

A coffee pot, for example, is a vessel much like a bong. People purchase one over the other because of their preferred method of consumption and perceived functionality: pour-over, espresso, drip…etc. These products are not genderized, they aren’t selling “coffee pots for women” because in reality they know that both men and women drink coffee. So why are we so focused on building brands will only result in division of consumers?

My hope is that, as the industry progresses toward legitimacy in the eyes of the government, we hold on tight to the things that make cannabis fun. I say that we push brands to communicate to wider audiences and bring forward products that unite and foster community.

Session Goods is now having a huge 4/20 sale! They are offering 20% off site wide with the code: FOUR2022. Offer good till 4/20/22. See their website for details.

More About Esther LeNoir Ramirez

After studying apparel design, Esther LeNoir Ramirez began her career in New York working for fashion labels such as Lucky Brand, Tommy Hilfiger, and VPL. 

In 2013, she moved to San Francisco to join the early team at Everlane where she led the product development and technical design of the accessories collections. In 2014, she saw an opportunity in the emerging cannabis market and left Everlane to co-found her first company, a playful e-commerce marketplace for cannabis accessories.

After years of selling unbranded products, Esther partnered up with a few friends to create a line of smoking accessories that would fit into the modern home. This project came to be known as Session. Since its launch in 2018, the Session Bong has won 3 awards for packaging and excellence in product design. Session has been featured in Forbes, Rolling Stone, Buzzfeed, Thrillist, and more. Esther currently resides in Los Angeles with her husband and two rescue dogs.

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