Meet Tay Walker | The Ganja Diva

We had the good fortune of connecting with Tay Walker and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tay, how do you think about risk?
I have always considered myself a big risk taker, but I never thought my risk would lead me to the marijuana industry. The medical industry held a special place in my heart and became a path I knew I wanted to follow even in my youth. I believe the character, Dr. Huxtable from The Cosby Show jump-started my desire to explore medicine and healthcare. I attended Xavier University of Louisiana, which was & still is the number one HBCU to produce Black doctors. I graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology Premed and Chemistry. Instead of going to medical school, I dove into the chemistry aspect of my degree and began working as a Chemist. I was working for a huge Fortune 500 company when I started longing to actually make a difference in this world. I saw how the addiction to prescription drugs was overwhelming our communities, so I wanted to be able to heal people more naturally. This led to the birth of Ganja Diva. This was the biggest risk I had ever taken since marijuana was still a big taboo, but it paid off once I started getting flooded with cancer and chronically ill patients thanking me for my products. I was truly making a difference.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am a Black woman in STEM! I worked as a chemist for a little over 10 years when my business took off. The new eyes on my business propelled me to a place of full self-sufficiency, so I was able to fully leave my job and devote 100% of my time to growing my company. My favorite accomplishment was opening a brick & mortar in Houston Texas during the pandemic, however, I have recently shifted my focus to the E-commerce side of things. My short-term goals are to get our CBD products (Tay’s Taste) into large retailers such as Target and to wholesale our THC edible line (Ganja Diva) to a wide range of medical dispensaries. I want the world to know that being in the very small 5% of minority women in this industry is extremely difficult, but believing in your vision regardless of what others think, is worth every ounce of stress. We didn’t have a road map to follow in this industry, so we had to hit a lot of roadblocks along the way. But I would not trade this experience as it helped me to become more resilient, and confident in my journey. The moment I am most proud of thus far is being invited to the MTV Awards to have my products included in the celebrity gift bags. Unfortunately, we chose not to participate in favor of taking some time to re-brand, but we look forward to attending next year.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I’ve only recently moved back to Atlanta and love it here. Whenever my friends visit, my first stop is the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, however, I have a love affair with all of the amazing civil rights museums that Atlanta has to offer. I cannot overstate the importance of how hard our ancestors and civil rights leaders worked so that we can have the privileges that we have today. My next stop would be the Botanical Gardens and Aquarium because I am a nature girl and find them both to be absolutely beautiful. Finally, we all know that Atlanta has so many great restaurants to offer but I truly love the Buckhead area.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Jesseca Dupart (Kaleidoscope) aka BB Judy and my husband Anthony Walker Jr. were my biggest support. Jesseca would answer my questions about business in the middle of the night and when we met in person, she pushed me to really make a brand out of my side hustle. I’m not sure if she even knows how much of an impact she made on me and my business, being that she changes lives on a daily, but I definitely have to give her the flowers she deserves. My husband was my backbone in all of this, and he financially helped me with the start-up funds for everything. When I decided to move to California to get everything legitimized, he never second-guessed my decision and was right by my side the entire way. I also have to give thanks to my entire crew that helped grow my company. They are some of the most intelligent, hard-working people I have ever met. Samantha Blair, Albert Hayes, and Damani Buffalo. I couldn’t have asked for a better team.

Website: taystaste.com & ganjadivas420.com

Instagram: Taystaste_

Other: ganjadiva2012@gmail.com

Image Credits
Nelson Thomas