Team

Eivan Shahara

As an entrepreneur and established business leader in the medicinal cannabis industry, Eivan Shahara is the Co-Founder and CEO of Brightroot Inc., parent company of the third largest cannabis dispensary in the nation, Mint Cannabis, which is headquartered in Guadalupe, Ariz.

In addition to establishing the overarching vision for the organization, he is instrumental in driving the implementation of operational, retail and product strategies to help the company achieve both short- and long-term goals at its branded locations in Arizona and Michigan, with other Mint-branded locations planned and underway in Missouri, Massachusetts, and more. Eivan is one of the most visionary leaders in today’s rapidly growing cannabis industry, which is maturing exponentially as greater public awareness and improved perceptions increase interest, trial, and acceptance. A self-motivated agent of change, he forges new ground by undertaking massive industry-revolutionizing projects to not only help patients with their needs but bring more respect to the industry. Eivan’s career in the medical marijuana industry began in 2016, when he obtained licensure in the state of Arizona, and co-founded the Mint. He has been a critical player in the company and industry ever since, leading the expansion of the Mint brand across the United States. Led by his entrepreneurial instincts and business acumen, Eivan has brought a great deal of innovation to the cannabis industry. A case-in-point – in 2017, Eivan approached the State of Arizona with an idea to create a commercial kitchen where patients could access freshly-prepared, infused foods. In 2018, the Mint Café, the nation’s first full-service cannabis kitchen of its kind, became a reality. Serving up tens of thousands of meals annually, the Café has become a national model for freshly prepared vegan and vegetarian entrées, snacks, pastries and more. The innovative advancements have only continued. Eivan integrated cultivation into the Mint’s business model to not only offer a greater variety of products but also ensure greater quality control. He introduced one of the first dispensary drive-thru concepts to Arizona, which has expanded convenience and safety for patients. Eivan also established several new food product lines to fill the variety and flavor gaps on dispensary shelves. He is now directing groundbreaking nano-pharmaceutical cannabis research to provide additional product options that can deliver more accurate dosing and better absorption rates for patients. Eivan’s strong work ethic and commitment to give back comes from the example set forth by his parents, who came to America with very little, but worked long, hard days to provide for their children. Working at his family’s small used-car dealership in Detroit, he entered the workforce cleaning cars and worked his way up to management positions. Prior to dedicating his career to the cannabis field, Eivan spent more than 10 years owning and operating a range of businesses in the automotive sector. The self-made entrepreneur’s successes are rooted in his business instinct. He founded an auto glass company at age 19, growing it to five locations and more than 50 employees in three years, achieving annual revenues of more than $1 million. He steadily grew a multi-line insurance operation, and successfully transformed a car wash from a distressed business into a multi-million-dollar venture. Years later, this admired cannabis industry trailblazer has grown Brightroot from $9 million in revenue in its first year of operation to nearly $100 million in projected revenue for 2021. Leafbuyer named the Mint as the “Best Dispensary for Product Selection in the U.S.” in 2018, and the “Best Dispensary for Product Deals in the U.S.” in 2019. In 2020, the Mint was named “Most Innovative Medical Cannabis Dispensary” by the international Commercial Cannabis Awards. Additionally, the Mint has been named “Best Dispensary” several years in a row by Phoenix Magazine’s editorial team and Phoenix New Times readers. Eivan has made it his mission to ease hardships stemming from life-altering illnesses, economic setbacks or living from paycheck-to-paycheck – without much fanfare, preferring for his efforts to remain anonymous. Seeing that families could not afford positive character-building opportunities, he funded local Little League teams. Seeing veterans and cancer patients buried under crushing debt, he created programs that provide free and deeply discounted medical marijuana products. Seeing families struggle to put food on the table, he organized a door-to-door canvassing operation that hand-delivered hundreds of turkeys to undeserved communities during the holidays. A lifelong business owner, Shahara is a member of the Tempe Chamber of Commerce and the National Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, where he supports fellow business owners as a resource, mentor and sounding board. He is also a member of the National Cannabis Industry Association. He regularly attends and speaks frequently about the Mint Dispensary’s growth and expansion at Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conferences, which regularly take place across the country and in Canada.