Josh Kesselman's story began with a childhood fascination with the way paper burned. That curiosity became a lifelong obsession with rolling papers.
1970s New York: The First Spark
In the 1970s, a five-year-old Josh Kesselman watched his father light a rolling paper. According to the original account, the paper was so thin that it appeared to disappear as it burned. There was no noticeable ash or smell. The moment fascinated Kesselman. He became interested in how different papers burned, tasted and behaved. The caption identifies this childhood experience as the beginning of a lifelong obsession with rolling papers.
1993: Knuckleheads in Gainesville
In 1993, Kesselman opened a small smoke shop called Knuckleheads in Gainesville, Florida. He financed the business by pawning his car and borrowing $500. The store carried rare rolling papers and smoking products. According to the original account, Kesselman was living in a friend's shed while trying to establish the business. The operation was built around his interest in finding products that were different from what customers could find elsewhere.
The Arrest and the Rolling-Paper Opportunity
The original account describes an early legal problem involving a bong sold to the wrong customer. The sale resulted in Kesselman being placed under house arrest. However, the experience also helped him recognize an opportunity. The caption describes him realizing that rolling papers were not considered contraband in the same way as other smoke-shop products. That distinction became important to his business direction. Instead of relying exclusively on traditional smoke-shop merchandise, he focused increasingly on papers.
Moving West: Phoenix and HBI
After leaving Florida, Kesselman moved to Phoenix, Arizona. He established HBI, a distribution business focused on niche European rolling papers. According to the original account, HBI also developed custom paper blends through a partnership with a centuries-old Spanish mill. The move expanded his access to specialty manufacturing and distribution. Kesselman was no longer simply selling products through a smoke shop. He was building relationships with manufacturers and distributors.
Juicy Papers: Flavor Becomes Part of the Experience
Kesselman's next development involved flavored rolling papers. The original account connects menthol wraps with the creation of Juicy Papers. The products used triple-dipped flavors designed to turn smoking into a more pronounced flavor experience. The caption describes the result as a candy-like approach to rolling papers. Juicy Papers helped establish flavor as an important part of the product rather than treating paper as a neutral wrapper.
Elements: Thin Rice Paper and Clean Burning
Kesselman subsequently developed Elements. The original account describes Elements as an ultra-thin rice paper designed to burn cleanly. Its defining characteristic was the production of caramel-colored ash. The brand continued Kesselman's interest in how paper composition affected the smoking experience. Juicy Papers emphasized flavor. Elements emphasized thinness and a clean burn. Both reflected his larger approach to rolling-paper development.
2004: The $1 Million RAW Investment
In 2004, Kesselman made a major investment in an entirely different type of rolling paper. He committed $1 million to unbleached, vegan hemp paper. The product became RAW. According to the original account, critics initially mocked the paper's brown color. The appearance was different from the familiar white rolling papers available at the time. However, smokers responded positively to its clean taste. The caption presents the investment as one of the defining decisions in Kesselman's career. He was betting that consumers would value the material and experience rather than simply choosing the whitest paper.
2008: RAW Becomes a Movement
By 2008, RAW had developed beyond a rolling-paper product. The original account describes it as becoming a broader movement. Two recognizable artists are identified as early supporters:
Wiz Khalifa
Curren$y
Their association helped connect RAW with hip-hop and cannabis culture. The caption presents RAW as a lifestyle brand rather than simply another rolling-paper manufacturer.
Merch, Gadgets and Rawthentic Tools
RAW continued expanding into products beyond traditional rolling papers. The original account identifies merchandise, gadgets and solar-powered Rawthentic tools. These products reflected the company's approach to turning smoking accessories into a wider lifestyle brand. The caption emphasizes that Kesselman's interest in innovation extended beyond the paper itself. The brand increasingly connected its identity with accessories, product design and the culture surrounding smoking.
Giving Back: Solar Wells in Ethiopia
The original account identifies another part of RAW's development: charitable projects funded through the business. According to the caption, profits helped fund more than five solar-powered wells in Ethiopia. These projects reportedly brought clean water to more than 70,000 people. The account presents this as an important part of Kesselman's business philosophy. The company was not only selling products to consumers but also directing resources toward projects with a wider impact.
RAW's Cultural Footprint
The original account identifies several moments that helped establish RAW's cultural recognition. These included:
Guerrilla product drops at smoking sessions
RAW cones appearing in rap videos
Viral accessories
The RAWket Launcher
The caption credits these products and appearances with helping establish Kesselman as the joint king. RAW became recognizable through both its core products and the accessories associated with the brand.
June 2025: The High Times Acquisition
In June 2025, Kesselman made another major move. According to the original account, he invested $3.5 million to save High Times from receivership. The reported deal (MJBizDaily) was an all-cash asset purchase of the magazine, the Cannabis Cups and associated IP out of Hightimes Holding Corp.'s receivership, made by Kesselman together with former High Times co-owner Matt Stang under a new entity, High Times Media; CelebStoner put the precise purchase price at $3.45 million. The caption states that he intended to revive three parts of the publication's operation:
High Times magazine
The High Times website
The Cannabis Cup
The acquisition connected Kesselman's rolling-paper business with one of the most recognizable publications in cannabis culture. It also represented a new chapter in his involvement with the wider industry.
Legacy: From a New York Childhood to a Billion Cones
The original nuggnotes account traces Kesselman's journey from a five-year-old fascinated by a burning paper in 1970s New York to the founder of a global rolling-paper brand. Knuckleheads opened in Gainesville in 1993 after he pawned his car and borrowed $500. HBI expanded his access to European papers and Spanish manufacturing. Juicy Papers introduced triple-dipped flavors, Elements emphasized thin rice paper and clean burning, and RAW, launched with a $1 million investment in 2004, became a movement by 2008. By 2008, the brand had become associated with artists including Wiz Khalifa and Curren$y. The business expanded into accessories, merchandise and Rawthentic tools while supporting more than five solar wells in Ethiopia for more than 70,000 people. In June 2025, Kesselman and partner Matt Stang bought the High Times brand out of receivership (reported at $3.5 million; $3.45 million per CelebStoner). The original account describes RAW as producing a billion cones a year — a figure no opened source supports; Kesselman's own on-record scale claim is that RAW's retail sales exceed a billion dollars a year. The account presents his story as one of obsession, innovation and cultural impact.
Sources
nuggnotes (@nuggnotes). "Raw Life: The Josh Kesselman Story." Instagram, July 22, 2025. https://www.instagram.com/p/DMcEwmeOdf9/
The original Instagram post behind this article.
Yakowicz, Will. "He Started With $500. Now This Entrepreneur Leads an Empire Selling 'Vegan' Rolling Papers." Inc., April 19, 2018. https://www.inc.com/will-yakowicz/josh-kesselman-raw-rolling-papers.html
The fullest reported Kesselman biography. It confirms the age-five moment in Manhattan (his father lit a leaf of rice paper that seemed to vanish), Knuckleheads in Gainesville opened after his 1993 University of Florida graduation with $500 scraped together to rent the storefront, and sleeping in a shed behind a friend's house. It also documents the bong sale that led to a federal raid, a felony paraphernalia charge and a few months of house arrest (Inc. dates this to 1996, not immediately after opening), the move to Arizona and launch of HBI, the partnership with an old paper factory in Spain's Alcoy region that produced Juicy Jays and Elements, the 2004 search for unbleached natural fiber that required a minimum $1 million order — the bet that became RAW — and roughly $2 million donated to build clean-water wells in Ethiopia.
"Burn Theory: Inside the RAW World of Josh Kesselman and His Cult Collab with Zushi." Honeysuckle Magazine, April 19, 2025. https://honeysucklemag.com/elements-zushi-rolling-paper-collab-raw-josh-kesselman/
Documents Elements as Kesselman's tribute to his father's favorite Spanish paper, Marfil, revived with maker José Emilio, whose family had produced it for generations in Spain — supporting the draft's Spanish-mill thread. The profile dates RAW's launch to 2005 and describes it as the first translucent, unbleached paper of its kind (the 2004/2005 investment-versus-launch split is covered in the research notes).
"Josh Kesselman: How RAW Papers Went from Niche Product to Global Phenomenon." Ganjapreneur, September 7, 2023. https://ganjapreneur.com/josh-kesselman-how-raw-papers-went-from-niche-product-to-global-phenomenon/
Kesselman's own account of RAW's guerrilla growth through free product in smoke circles, matching the draft's "guerrilla product drops" claim. Crucially, he names Curren$y as the first bigger artist to champion RAW — Curren$y sang about the papers, requested cones, and introduced Wiz Khalifa to the brand, after which Wiz also sang about it; Inc. likewise notes Wiz dedicated a song titled "Raw" to the brand.
"Juicy Jays: The Best Flavored Rolling Papers From The Founder of RAW." Herb, April 23, 2018. https://herb.co/learn/best-flavored-rolling-papers
Confirms the Juicy Jay's lineage: Kesselman's menthol papers were first branded Cool Jay's (from his teenage "Cool Jay" nickname), the watermelon flavor launched the Juicy Jay's name, and the papers use a "Triple-Dipped Flavouring System" marketed as three times the flavor — supporting the draft's menthol-origin and triple-dipped claims.
"RAW Giving in Ethiopia." RAW Giving (RAW's own philanthropy site). https://rawgiving.com/projects/addis-ababa-ethiopia/
RAW's own project record confirms the Ethiopia water work: a first deep bore well in drought-hit Southern Ethiopia built with Wine to Water, then a deep "super well" rebuild at the Missionaries of Charity center in Addis Ababa serving an 800-plus-person hospital. It documents wells as an ongoing RAW-funded program but gives no total well count or people-served figure (see the research notes).
"Marijuana brand High Times to return after $3.5 million acquisition." MJBizDaily, June 17, 2025. https://mjbizdaily.com/news/marijuana-brand-high-times-to-return-after-3-5-million-acquisition/405176/
Reports the June 2025 deal: Kesselman and former High Times co-owner Matt Stang paid $3.5 million in an all-cash purchase of the magazine and brand, including the Cannabis Cups, after parent company Hightimes Holding Corp. entered receivership and put the IP up for sale. Plans were to revive print as limited-run collectible editions, rebuild the digital platform, and relaunch the Cup in early 2026.
Bloom, Steve. "Exclusive Interview with Josh Kesselman, the New Owner of High Times." CelebStoner, June 19, 2025. https://www.celebstoner.com/news/marijuana-news/2025/06/19/interview-with-josh-kesselman-new-owner-of-high-times/
Gives the more precise purchase figure of $3.45 million and the structure: Hightimes Holdings collapsed under more than $20 million of debt, the receiver died and the assets went back on the auction block, and Kesselman and Stang formed a new company, High Times Media. Kesselman also describes heavy additional legal and runway spending beyond the purchase price, and estimates RAW's retail sales at over a billion dollars (see the research notes on the "billion cones" claim).
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