Kiva was born in the Bay Area, where there is an inspiring, intertwined history of cannabis and LGBTQ+ activism right in our backyard. The first major push for cannabis legalization came nearly 30 years ago amidst the AIDS Crisis in San Francisco when cannabis was found to treat symptoms of the disease. As a result, members of the Bay Area LGBTQIA+ community helped push Proposition 215, the law that first permitted medicinal cannabis in the state. All of us in this industry owe a great deal of debt to the legion of community activists who made this happen, which is just one reason why this celebration means so much to Kiva.
As the legal cannabis industry stabilizes, Kiva is committed to leading by example, pursuing inclusion and diversity both in our workplace and in our product line. We believe leading means holding ourselves accountable, maintaining a safe and rewarding workplace, supporting the communities that we live in, and, importantly, not seizing the banner of a holiday that is not ours for the sake of profit. Kiva has a year-round commitment to celebrating, supporting, and advocating for the LGBTQIA community. In 2019, when we first launched our Tropical Punch, Pride-inspired Camino, Kiva made donations to the GLBT Historical Society, Harvey Milk Center for the Arts, and Los Angeles LGBT Center to support the important work of those making continuous strides towards equality, equity, and justice. In 2020, we hosted an important conversation between Monet X Change and Jinkx Monsoon raising funds for the Last Prisoner Project, a non-profit organization dedicated to cannabis criminal justice reform through legal intervention, public education, and legislative advocacy. According to the Prison Policy Initiative in March 2021: “The data is clear: lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people are overrepresented at every stage of the criminal justice system.” We also made a donation to the impactful organization GLAAD. This June, we are proud to support GLAAD for the 2nd year in a row with our largest donation yet. This donation will help fund GLAAD’s critical and culture-changing work accelerating acceptance for LGBTQ+ people everywhere. This year, we are also once again partnering with the talented Monet X Change for an exciting IG Live event inviting more unity through community, and more donations to further GLAAD’s important mission.
In 2019, Camino Tropical Punch was pioneered by Kiva’s lead product developer to pay homage to her LGBTQIA+ family. She worked with renowned San Francisco drag queens Heklina & Peaches Christ on the gummy flavor profile, packaging, color, and even the body type of the drag queen that strikes a pose on the front of the bag. It was important for them, and for Kiva, that this product be born out of the authentic pride they have for themselves and their community. This year, and every year, Kiva is proud to release these shimmery, stimulating limited edition gummies. Tropical Punch boasts a custom blend of energizing, sativa-like terpenes and sweet fruit and tropical flavors designed to rally your spirits and help you stand Loud, Proud, and Unbowed.