If you know where to look, you can still locate the inception of Daily High Club on the internet. Harrison Baum, the founder of DHC, had what he claims was a high idea—to start the Dollar Shave Club of smoking supplies. So he posted the idea on Reddit to gauge response from the r/trees community, a popular subreddit with more than a million subscribers.
“Enjoy your riches bro, because this is a million dollar idea!” the top comment reads.
Fast forward to two years later and Daily High Club has emerged as one of the premiere subscription boxes for cannabis enthusiasts. With high-profile collaborations with comedian Tommy Chong and the rapper Riff Raff, the company boasts more than 500,000 subscribers across its social media platforms and claims status as the world’s largest smoking subscription box service. You might expect Baum to be blow away by the success, but he’s not.
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“I had envisioned this from the very beginning. I saw that there was a huge opportunity in the industry—and no one else is doing a good job at it,” Baum wrote over email. “I had doubts along the way, of course. There were times where I would be so encouraged, and there were moments where I would wonder if all the time and investment was worth it. To see the company where it is at right now is really a dream come true.”
The DHC founder believes that what separates their company from other potentially similar subscription boxes is their knowledge of the culture and their custom glass. They’ve got “awesome pieces shaped like beer bottles, tanks, a honey bear, apples, and lots more.”
But what really separates DHC is their promotional approach. Using a very social media-forward strategy, DHC marketed itself by building audiences on popular platforms like Instagram and YouTube. Because marijuana companies can’t participate in traditional advertising, DHC used influencers like Casey Neistat and Tommy Chong to promote his company. You can search YouTube for the latest DHC subscription box and find several reviews from popular cannabis vloggers and enthusiasts.
“After we got our initial boost from Reddit, we turned to YouTube to generate grassroots buzz around the brand,” Baum wrote. “YouTube is great because it gives you a direct line to a vlogger’s audience. We were able to gauge their video comments to get feedback and know where to grow and improve.”
DHC breaks down their subscriptions into three categories: all-natural, connoisseur, and El Primo. All-natural goes for $1 per month (plus $2 for S+H) will include your old-school products like rolling papers and hemp wick. Connoisseur is a more curated experience at $12/month, featuring 7-9 products with higher-quality natural products plus stuff like pre-rolled cones, filter tips, and lighters. But the best deal is the El Primo box at $30/month which incudes a featured glass piece tied to the month’s theme, plus various swag and smoking essentials.
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Baum thinks he can explain why subscription boxes like Daily High Club and others have taken off in the way they have.
“People love surprises and the thrill of discovering new things! In our industry, there are new products coming out every day. It can be dizzying,” he writes. “We live and breathe this stuff, and are confident we can curate every box with cool things people haven’t seen before. Also, people don’t want to go to shops anymore. Especially in the smoking industry, there’s a lot of confusion when you go in-store, and the stigma.”
Baum wouldn’t reveal any upcoming collaborations, though hinted the June subscription box will be exciting. Based on the past boxes and the growing popularity of their platform, it seems DHC has firmly established its niche within the growing cannabis marketplace. And like the rest of the industry, they won’t be going away anytime soon.
