Today we’d like to introduce you to Shawn Sherman.
Hi Shawn, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I’ve been immersed in cannabis for a long time. Before that, and for years alongside it, I spent nearly two decades in cybersecurity, on the technical, hacking side of the industry. When I get into something, I tend to go all in, and eventually those two paths converged. Golden Apple Cannabis was founded in 2015 as an education-first brand, built on the idea that people deserve to understand cannabis through the actual chemistry of the plant, cannabinoids, terpenes, and how they interact and affect us physiologically, rather than the hype, guesswork, and outdated labels that have followed this industry since prohibition.
With persistence and support from my wife Brooke, our family, and a couple of investors, that idea has grown into two businesses working side by side in Tin City, Paso Robles: Golden Apple Cannabis Co., our licensed cannabis business, and Golden Apple: The Experience, our hemp retail and education storefront. Both run on the same framework, the Six Effect Categories, Energy, Inspiration, Focus, Calm, Relaxation, and Comfort, our way of helping people choose products based on how they actually want to feel, grounded in formulation instead of marketing.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Not smooth, no. We’re in a conservative part of California that isn’t especially cannabis-friendly, so we hit real roadblocks just getting permitted, and there’s been ongoing friction operating within our legal rights even after we were licensed. In this business, you have to be an advocate as much as a business owner, you’re constantly explaining and defending what you’re legally allowed to do on top of actually running the business. It’s taught me that persistence isn’t optional here, it’s the job description.
As you know, we’re big fans of Golden Apple Cannabis Co. and Golden Apple: The Experience. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Golden Apple Cannabis Co. is our cannabis business, handling manufacturing and retail for the Central Coast. Right next door in Tin City, Paso Robles, Golden Apple: The Experience is our hemp retail and education storefront, carrying hemp-derived products, apparel, and accessories.
What we’re known for is education first. We talk in terms of varieties and cultivars, not strains, and we explain every product through actual chemistry, cannabinoids, terpenes, and how they interact and affect the body, rather than just talking about THC percentage or outdated indica/sativa labels. We built our own framework around this, the Six Effect Categories: Energy, Inspiration, Focus, Calm, Relaxation, and Comfort, so people can choose products based on how they actually want to feel, grounded in formulation rather than marketing.
What we’re most proud of is refusing to cut corners on that education-first approach, even when hype would be the easier sell, and working directly with award-winning small-batch cultivators when we source our materials and flower. We want readers to know that cannabis and hemp don’t have to be confusing or intimidating, understanding a few compounds in the plant makes the choice simple.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
Some of my mentors don’t even know they’re my mentors. A lot of what I know came from people I’ve admired and followed for years, through articles, research papers, interviews, whatever they’ve put into the world. You don’t need a formal relationship with someone to learn from them, you just have to actually study their work.
The other kind of mentor I’ve had is the person willing to give me some of their time and guidance because they could tell my interest was real, not performative. That’s the advice I’d give: go deep enough into what you’re curious about that it shows. Most people are generous with their time for someone who’s genuinely paying attention, not for someone collecting contacts.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://goldenapplecannabis.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/GoldenAppleCannabis/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GoldenAppleCannaCo/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/golden-apple-cannabis-co-paso-robles
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@goldenapplecanna
