Building a bold brand for a disruptive cannabis lab

Abraxas Labs is a small but driven cannabis testing startup with one goal: to raise the bar for scientific integrity in their industry. While their team of PhD-led scientists had the passion and expertise, their early marketing efforts were scattered and unfocused. I came in to help them find their voice, define their position, and create a game plan that would cut through a noisy, lookalike market.

In an industry flooded with generic promises of “accuracy” and “innovation,” we saw a gap: honesty. Oklahoma’s cannabis testing space had already seen multiple scandals, so we positioned Abraxas as the lab that tells the truth, even when results aren’t convenient. This commitment to transparency became the heart of the brand.

Through a two-part brand strategy workshop, we clarified Abraxas’ positioning, identified their ideal customers (large-scale growers looking for dependable partners), and defined a brand personality grounded in the CEO’s bold mindset: a mix of Creator and Outlaw. From there, we built a foundation (vision, mission, tone of voice, and messaging) that would guide all future efforts.

The result was a sharp differentiation strategy, a copywriting system the team could use without a marketer on staff, a full website, and a five-part launch email campaign. Even before opening day, Abraxas had inquiries coming in and customers lining up.