Berner shares how he built Cookies from a coffee shop side hustle into a global cannabis and lifestyle brand worth billions.
Berner, the San Francisco-born rapper and entrepreneur whose real name is Gilbert Milam Jr., has built Cookies into one of the most recognized cannabis and lifestyle brands in the world.
But the journey from underground operation to global empire wasn’t easy.
The Mexican-Italian high school dropout worked at Tully’s Coffee during the day while hustling cannabis on the side and making music at night.
“I’d wake up at 5:00 a.m. I’d walk to the bus stop. I’d take the N-Judah down to my work, and I was hustling weed, you know, at the coffee shop. Sorry, Tully’s. But, people love me. I brought a lot of customers in there. They bought coffee as well. But, I was just building myself up,” Berner told KTVU.
His scrappy beginnings are detailed in his New York Times best-selling memoir, Becoming Legend, which outlines the billion-dollar blueprint behind Cookies.
The brand has landed him on Forbes’ cover and transformed him into a major player in cannabis culture, streetwear, and music.
Inside his two-story compound, music, marketing, and cannabis culture operate under one roof. Berner credits the Bay Area’s diverse creative landscape for giving him an edge.
“A lot of flavor comes out of the Bay Area, whether it be in the marijuana industry, whether it be the clothing industry, the music. So, we have a lot of flavor here, and I think it kind of gave me the edge I have,” he said.
The son of a San Francisco restaurant owner and a headhunter, Berner learned the art of negotiation early. When navigating high-stakes business deals, he applies street wisdom to corporate strategy.
As Cookies exploded, Berner learned how to scale a company, take major risks, and turn down lucrative offers from major names like Diddy and Jay-Z.
Navigating the cannabis world’s shift from an underground industry to legalization has come with intense growing pains and litigation.
“I could have folded a lot of times…I beat cancer already, so I’m alive, so nothing could be that serious. And two, when you build something big and you build something that’s very powerful and impactful, people will come for it,” Berner said.
The combination of hustle, resilience, and genuine connection to his roots transformed a coffee shop side hustle into a global lifestyle empire.
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