Inside the Culture at Vanquish Brands

In cannabis, company culture can often be the difference between burnout and longevity. As the industry has matured, many employees have experienced the pressure of rapid growth, constant change, and workplaces that can sometimes feel more transactional than collaborative.

At Vanquish Brands, the team says they’ve tried to build something different. With nearly 70 employees and continued expansion underway, the company behind brands like Pistol and Paris has grown quickly while maintaining what many staff describe as a close-knit, family-style atmosphere built around trust, collaboration, and shared ownership.

When employees across departments were recently asked what they value most about working at Vanquish, support, opportunity, leadership, and authenticity came up as common themes.

For Amanda Langset, a Quality Assurance Associate, the culture has had a personal impact beyond the workplace.

“Working with Vanquish Brands has been a huge part of my life for the past year and a half,” said Langset. “I’ve never bonded so closely with my co-workers as I have at Vanquish, it really does feel like a crazy, quirky family here.”

Langset added that the support she has received from leadership and coworkers has helped her grow both personally and professionally.

“Vanquish has given me a lot of confidence in myself as a leader and as a person,” she said. “Feeling their support and encouragement has given me the opportunity to take on responsibilities I wouldn’t have considered myself for otherwise.”

That sense of growth and responsibility was echoed throughout the company.

“Working at Vanquish has helped me grow both professionally and personally,” said Tracy Galceran, Vault Coordinator and Cannabis Inventory. “I’ve taken on a lot more responsibility over time and have learned skills and systems I never expected to.”

Galceran added that being part of a company where employees feel connected to the broader mission makes the work more meaningful.

“It’s rewarding to feel like the work I do has a real impact on the day to day operations and future growth of the company,” she said. “Overall, I’m proud to be part of a team that cares about quality, works hard, and continues to push forward together.”

For many employees, one of the defining characteristics of the company is that it has retained a more personal, hands-on environment despite its growth.

“What makes Pistol and Paris special is how hands-on and connected everything feels,” said Anthony Zerafa, Territory Manager for Ontario. “Dylan’s involvement in the day-to-day operations sets the tone and there’s a real sense that leadership is present, engaged, and genuinely cares about both the product and the people behind it.”

Zerafa also pointed to the collaboration between departments as something that separates the company from more traditional corporate structures.

“From cultivation to distribution, there’s a natural flow where each team supports the next, creating something bigger than the sum of its parts,” he said. “It’s that combination of strong leadership and seamless teamwork that makes this place stand out.”

Nathan Karse, Territory Manager for BC, says the company culture was immediately noticeable after joining the organization earlier this year.

“The family atmosphere that everyone brings is something I’ve always valued when working with a smaller team,” said Karse. “It never feels overly corporate or transactional, everyone truly wants to see each other win, and that creates a culture that motivates you to give your best every day.”

Karse added that the environment has changed the way he thinks about workplace culture altogether.

“Being part of a team that values relationships, trust, and authenticity has reminded me how important company culture really is, and it’s made getting up for work every day something I genuinely enjoy.”

That emphasis on relationships and trust extends beyond office culture and into the company’s operational philosophy.

For Cody Rossi, Cannabis Supply and Production Coordinator, the collaborative nature of the company has created opportunities to innovate and grow within the cannabis sector.

“My favourite thing about working with Vanquish is the culture of real collaboration,” said Rossi. “It’s rare to find a company where cultivators, genetics teams, and leadership all pull in the same direction but Vanquish actually does it.”

Rossi says the company’s willingness to trust employees with meaningful responsibility has accelerated his own development.

“The pace, the trust, the responsibility, has pushed me to level up fast,” he said. “I’ve grown more in the last few months than in the last few years.”

At the centre of much of that culture is CEO Dylan King, who says protecting the workplace environment has always been a priority.

“One thing I’ve always said when interviewing potential hires is that I’m extremely protective of my staff and the culture we’ve built,” said King. “I have a zero-drama policy.”

King says maintaining that environment becomes even more important as the company continues to scale. “My staff are the engine behind everything we do,” he said. “We’ve built a culture that feels more like a family than just a workplace.”

According to King, one thing that will not change as the company grows is leadership accessibility.

“One thing that will never change, no matter how large we get, is my open-door policy,” he said. “Every single employee knows they can come talk to me if something is on their mind or if they need support.”

That culture has also helped shape employees outside of work. 

“These past 3.5 years working with Vanquish have challenged and shaped me in ways I never expected, allowing me to grow and thrive both personally and professionally,” said Bradie Sparrow, Marketing Manager.

“What sets Vanquish apart is the culture of innovation, resilience, and collaboration that exists across the entire organization,” Sparrow added. “It’s rare to find a workplace that feels both deeply professional and deeply personal, and that balance is what makes Vanquish Brands such a special place to be.”

As the cannabis industry continues to evolve, companies across the sector are still trying to determine what sustainable long-term growth looks like. For many at Vanquish Brands, the answer appears to extend beyond products or expansion plans and comes back to something much simpler, which is building a workplace where people genuinely want to be.