Dimitrios Mano, 21, is the founder of Bloom Express, a CBD provider that uses an online platform to provide a quick service that will accommodate customers’ needs while also showcasing the most up-to-date cannabis research from various research centers across the country.

Bloom was launched in April of 2019 by Mano and his co-founder Saad Subzwari.

“When first had the idea of starting Bloom, he offered to be a part of it from the start and has been supporting and guiding me throughout the journey of this venture,” Mano said.

They met freshman year at Baruch and became friends because they shared similar interests in business and law.

“With the increasing growth and development of the cannabis industry, we both became interested and began following the cannabis market, specifically the CBD market in the east coast. Seeing how the current cannabis companies are primarily focused on the west coast and are disconnected from the East Coast consumers, we founded Bloom Express.” Mano said.

Mano and Subzwari’s mission is to make CBD delivery simple while also giving education to help decrease the stigma associated with cannabis.

Mano stated that he had two goals in mind when it came to addressing the stigma around CBD products.
First, keeping his clients informed about new studies regarding cannabinoids, using the app to highlight all of the most recent research, the effects that different strains can have on a user and other patient-related news.

His second goal is an online media campaign centered on garnering interest within the CBD community.

Part of this campaign would include planning social events and discussions led by industry experts and the most knowledgeable researchers, in order to assist the CBD community in removing the stigma associated with something that he believes benefits many people.

By doing so, he will keep members engaged in the app while also attracting new ones.

“We offer a wide variety of products and services, from pre-curated boxes, to build-your-own boxes, customers are also free to buy individual products at lower than retail costs.. Along with

the boxes, you can also buy the products individually depending on what your needs are.” Mano said.

When Mano launched his business, he changed his major from finance to entrepreneurship. He cited professors in Baruch’s Entrepreneurship Department of having been of tremendous assistance to him.

They aided him in identifying, validating and pursuing a potential opportunity, and understanding emerging issues, challenges and opportunities of technology to apply them to innovation. He also learned how to start a business and manage its finances and culture.

Setting up Bloom Express did not come without its issues though.

Apart from the core problems of raising funds, testing the market and establishing a customer base, Mano mentioned two other major obstacles he personally experienced: dealing with age prejudices and the stress of running a business while studying full-time and working part-time.

Mano has received a lot of criticism and suspicion as a 21-year-old attempting to join the cannabis sector, which is strictly regulated. .

“I was able to manage the stress and balance between the three relatively fast, but I did have support from friends and family during the process. However, for someone without that support, it can become very heavy on their mental health and we start to see the effects a lot more nowadays.” Mano said.

“Over the next three to five years, we will push to enter the medicinal and recreational cannabis markets and become a one-stop shop for all cannabis needs. We are working on introducing even more services and products that will streamline and simplify the CBD, and medicinal and recreational cannabis ordering experience.”

Mano will begin accepting pre-orders on his website on June 25, and his business will officially open on July 6. He wants to provide CBD users with a dependable, safe and convenient means to obtain it.