It was the 12 months 2013 and Santiago, Chile’s capital, was unknowingly about to change into the epicenter of a digital phenomenon that may redefine the notion of hashish within the Spanish-speaking world. Simón, Pascual and Joaquín Espinosa, three brothers with unparalleled imaginative and prescient and connection, breathed life into En Volá, a mission that began as an change of humor-filled messages and deep reflections underneath the affect of marijuana.
This change, initially non-public, discovered its means into the general public area due to a buddy who noticed potential of their conversations. “I actually like this story,” Simón remembers, “it occurred in 2013… In the future, buddy unintentionally learn our conversations and… emphatically advised us that we must always publish them.”
The Espinosa Brothers. COURTESY OF EN VOLÁ
As En Volá started to take form, the nation’s hashish market was in a promising progress section. Whereas nascent on the time, it is estimated that hashish market revenues in Chile reached $175.7 million in 2023, with an anticipated annual progress charge of 16.76% till 2028. This financial potential displays not simply the rising acceptance and regulation of hashish in Chile but in addition in lots of different nations in Latin America and Spain, the place the market dimension is even larger. Nations like Argentina, Uruguay and Colombia have already regulated hashish for both medical or grownup use, with gross sales already within the lots of of hundreds of thousands of {dollars} per 12 months.
On this context of growth and alter, En Volá positioned itself not simply as a pioneer in digital hashish content material in Spanish but in addition as a key participant within the rising hashish business, connecting with an more and more huge and various viewers searching for info, schooling and cannabis-related merchandise.
The creation of En Volá wasn’t nearly launching a web site; it was the start of a cultural dialogue that may tackle hashish matters from a perspective by no means earlier than seen within the area. With a concentrate on user-generated content material at first, the mission shortly advanced right into a hashish content material platform that has now accrued almost 62 million views on YouTube alone. This compares to Cannacribs’ 31 million views, Home of Weed’s 49 million and Forbes’ 200 million; not too shabby, proper?
“A neighborhood shortly started to develop round this portal,” Simón notes, highlighting the fast acceptance and explosive progress of En Volá. All one must do is stroll the streets of Santiago de Chile with Simón to understand how beloved the platform and its crew members are: not one hour will go with out Simón being stopped by a random individual asking for a selfie or trying to ship a present.
What began as a modest Tumblr weblog reworked into an authoritative voice in hashish tradition, each nationally and internationally. The corporate’s technique, deeply rooted in listening to its neighborhood, allowed the Espinosa brothers and their crew to seize the wants and curiosities of their viewers. This closeness with followers turned the engine of their progress: “The bottom of our technique is sort of easy: we hearken to our neighborhood, or learn them, truly,” Simón says.
Humor And The Mainstreaming Of Hashish
Simón sporting Crocs. COURTESY OF EN VOLÁ
The leap from a weblog to turning into a phenomenon on digital platforms like YouTube and Instagram not solely demonstrates the crew’s skill to adapt and evolve but in addition its dedication to creating content material that educates, entertains and connects the worldwide hashish neighborhood, all on the identical time. Authenticity and real curiosity in hashish have been key to attracting significant collaborations, together with famend manufacturers like Adidas and Crocs, which not see weed as a distinct segment or fringe subject, however moderately as one other buyer demographic to faucet into by means of colourful winks to its tradition. “That real curiosity is what makes our content material natural,” explains Simón, underlining how a ardour for the topic has allowed En Volá to transcend the hashish area of interest and seize the eye of a broader viewers.
Past content material, this can be a story of innovation and entrepreneurship. Simón’s curiosity and entrepreneurial spirit led him to enterprise into the enterprise of importing and distributing hashish paraphernalia, addressing the shortage of high quality choices within the native market. “I started to analysis and realized that different individuals, in different elements of the world, had the identical concern,” he remembers. This entrepreneurial enterprise not solely complemented the platform’s content material but in addition bolstered its place as a frontrunner in hashish tradition, displaying that its dedication went past phrases and translated into concrete actions to enhance the hashish shopper expertise.
As En Volá solidified its digital presence, its focus expanded past leisure to embrace a deeper mission: to teach and alter the general public notion of hashish. This evolution displays a dedication to empowerment by means of info, responding to a palpable want for data in a society marked by many years of stigmatization and misinformation about hashish. “We realized that the lack of understanding was absolute,” feedback Simón, emphasizing the significance of schooling in constructing an knowledgeable and aware neighborhood.
On this context, the enterprise morphed into an academic useful resource, utilizing humor and creativity as instruments to make details about hashish accessible and simply digestible. It was not a lecture or a TED Speak, it was now edutainment.
The technique of mixing leisure with schooling proved to be a powerful success, permitting the crew’s message to succeed in a large and various viewers “by delivering our message to many individuals who most likely would not have been prepared to pay attention in the event that they hadn’t been laughing whereas watching our movies.”
The collaboration with acknowledged manufacturers, together with Adidas, marked a milestone in En Volá’s trajectory, evidencing the cultural shift round hashish and its rising acceptance within the mainstream. These collaborations, removed from diluting the platform’s essence, bolstered its id and mission to destigmatize hashish. “Now we have by no means felt that hashish is a distinct segment; fairly the opposite, hashish is mainstream,” asserts Simón.
Because the crew navigated the advanced authorized and social challenges inherent to the hashish area, it remained steadfast in its dedication to schooling and legality. The technique to beat these obstacles consisted in delving into the data of laws and civil rights. “A very powerful factor has been to teach oneself and strictly advise on our drug legislation, our establishments, media legislation and civil rights,” notes Simón, demonstrating the significance of enjoying by the principles, even when searching for to alter the sport.
World Ambitions
The upward trajectory of En Volá has been marked not solely by its cultural influence and progressive content material strategy but in addition by its strategic imaginative and prescient towards growth and diversification. Trying to the long run, Simón envisions a plethora of alternatives, not simply by way of viewers progress but in addition in exploring new markets and diversifying its content material providing. “We are going to proceed to nurture that relationship [with our audience] and develop with new content material in an increasing number of Spanish-speaking nations,” affirms Simón.
Pascual Espinosa. COURTESY OF EN VOLÁ
This worldwide focus isn’t a distant aspiration however a actuality within the making. En Volá’s resonance has already crossed Chile’s borders, discovering echo in Latin American nations, Spain and areas the place Hispanics have vital cultural and financial affect, like Florida and California, a attain that stands as a testomony to the platform’s skill to adapt and resonate in numerous cultures, demonstrating the universality of its message and the relevance of hashish as a topic of worldwide curiosity.
However En Volá’s affect extends past content material creation, positioning itself as a significant bridge between shoppers and the hashish business. The platform has emerged as a useful useful resource, providing a novel mixture of instructional, informative and entertaining content material. This distinctive place out there has not solely consolidated the enterprise’ preliminary success but in addition broadened its influence. “Now we have helped international corporations enter our market and in addition quite a few native corporations enter markets within the Northern Hemisphere,” Simón feedback.
Adaptability and foresight have been essential to En Volá’s continued success amid the challenges of the digital content material business. “Being on all platforms may be very clever, understanding that, any day, a social community may shut us down,” mentions Simón, mentioning the fixed closures that cannabis-related pages grapple with on social media platforms, particularly on Instagram and TikTok – a subject we’ll discover intimately in an upcoming story. This technique has allowed En Volá to stay related and interesting to its viewers, even in a continually evolving and hard-to-navigate digital panorama.
‘Belief Your Intuition’
En Volá’s dedication to its authentic roots and values stays a elementary pillar of its long-term technique, Simón argues. The deep reference to its origin and neighborhood is essential to establishing an enduring legacy. En Volá conjures up and empowers, fostering an setting of studying and collective progress. “Our editorial line has at all times been clear: creativity, humor, and schooling,” he states.
The legacy of En Volá, palpable in each considered video, really helpful product and challenged stigma, is a narrative of how ardour, creativity and real dedication can remodel a cultural area. The Espinosa Brothers and their crew have navigated the advanced hashish panorama with a mixture of boldness and knowledge, proving that it is doable to be a constructive agent of change in an business surrounded by controversy. What’s extra, this story is a testomony to the facility of aware communication and digital activism.
Trying to the long run, Simón doesn’t see En Volá merely as a content material platform however as a key agent serving to drive the transformation of the notion and understanding of hashish globally. “Our imaginative and prescient is to be a reference not simply in content material, but in addition in the best way society perceives and understands hashish,” he emphasizes. This ambition displays a dedication not simply to the expansion of the platform however to the broader social and cultural influence of its work.
Simón Espinosa will get excessive. COURTESY OF EN VOLÁ
The true legacy of En Volá, nevertheless, transcends follower numbers or model collaborations. It lies within the private tales of change, in conversations between dad and mom and kids, within the reduction of those that discovered a medicinal answer in hashish and within the entrepreneurs impressed by its instance. “It has been very thrilling, listening to the tales of 1000’s of youngsters who repeat ‘Due to you, I used to be capable of clarify to my dad and mom why I smoke,’ and 1000’s of oldsters who reply ‘Due to you, I used to be capable of discuss in regards to the subject with my kids’,” shares Simón, highlighting the emotional and private influence of En Volá on its neighborhood.
In a world the place digital content material is ephemeral and a spotlight is fleeting, En Volá has managed to create one thing enduring: an knowledgeable, empowered and linked neighborhood. Fixed adaptation to the digital content material business has been essential, permitting the platform to not simply survive however thrive. “The digital content material and leisure business may be very dynamic… change is everlasting and fascinating,” displays Simón. This proactive strategy to innovation and adaptableness has been key to its steady progress and relevance.
Lastly, Simón’s recommendation to different content material creators trying to delve into area of interest matters like hashish resonates with a name to authenticity and keenness: “All the time belief your intuition and, if you’ll be able to establish your ardour on this world, chase it.” These worlds encapsulate the essence of what has made En Volá a phenomenon: an unbreakable ardour for the topic, a dedication to authenticity and an unwavering dedication to schooling and empowering its viewers.
En Volá positions itself not simply as a media outlet however as a catalyst for cultural and social change within the notion and understanding of hashish. Because the world strikes in direction of higher acceptance and recognition of hashish, the platform’s contribution to this shift can’t be underestimated. Its story is an inspiration for future generations and a shining instance of how one can deal with advanced matters with humor, honesty and an indefatigable inventive spirit.
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This text was initially printed on Forbes and seems right here with permission. It doesn’t symbolize Benzinga’s reporting and has not been edited for content material or accuracy.
