From Magic Tricks to Global Smoke Circles: How Josh Kesselman Built the RAW Empire
Inside the sprawling halls of MJBizCon 2024, amid the neon-lit booths and the endless
hum of conversations about cannabis futures, you’ll find a man in a jacket that sparkles
like a Vegas marquee. He’s wearing Balenciaga sneakers, sportin’ a diamond-encrusted
watch and carrying himself like a rock star. But make no mistake: Josh Kesselman is no
ordinary trade show figurehead. He’s the founder and driving force behind RAW, the
iconic rolling paper brand that has turned an age-old art into something of a cultural
movement.
Across the enormous convention space, fans stop him for pictures, journalists vie for a
moment of his time, and industry insiders pause just to see what he’s unveiling next. He
looks equally at home here among executives and connoisseurs as he does in the
small, centuries-old Spanish paper mills where his products are made. If RAW is the
name on everyone’s lips, Josh Kesselman is the reason.
A Childhood Spark and a Family Legacy
Kesselman’s journey began long before legalization changed the landscape. It’s a story
he’s told time and again, yet it never seems to lose its magic. Growing up in New York,
a young Josh watched his father perform a simple but astonishing trick: lighting a rolling
paper on fire and letting it vanish into thin air. For a five-year-old, it was an unforgettable
bit of sorcery—an everyday object turned into pure enchantment. That rolling paper
became a symbol, a spark lighting the fuse of an obsession that would fuel Josh’s
career.
Years later, that wide-eyed kid became a savvy entrepreneur with a singular passion:
bringing the purest, thinnest, most natural rolling papers to smokers everywhere. While
most people looked at rolling papers as a mere commodity, Josh saw something
different—a canvas for improvement, a frontier wide open for innovation. It was never
about following what had been done; it was about reaching for what could be done.
Building a Better Mousetrap
From the outset, Kesselman took inspiration from his grandfather’s “mousetrap theory.”
The idea was simple: Make a better product, and the world will beat a path to your door.
Rather than replicate what was already on shelves, Kesselman set out to reinvent
rolling papers—stripping them of chemicals, chalk, and bleach, insisting on natural
fibers and an ultra-thin profile that enhanced flavor rather than masked it.
In the 1990s, he opened a modest smoke shop in Gainesville, Florida, where he learned
his first real business lesson: listen to customers’ needs and exceed their expectations.
He catered to niche tastes, tracking down rare European papers that, to Americans,
seemed exotic and transformative. He learned that true connoisseurs craved
authenticity and quality. That insight guided him as he developed Elements and Juicy
Jays, and it ultimately led him to the crown jewel of his career: RAW.
When RAW first launched, the market didn’t quite know what to think. Customers were
used to bright-white papers that had been bleached and thickened with additives.
RAW’s unrefined, brownish, translucent paper looked different—and tasted different,
too. It wasn’t an instant hit. But Kesselman wasn’t rattled. He knew that once people
tried them, once they actually tasted the purity of their plants instead of their paper,
RAW would sell itself.
From Smoke Circles to Celebrity Endorsements
No TikTok hype or Instagram influencer planted RAW in the world’s consciousness—it
was smoke circles. RAW found its way into the hands of discerning smokers who
shared joints at weekend gatherings, passing them from friend to friend, converting
each new person into a believer. Word-of-mouth became the brand’s secret
superpower, and these social rituals turned RAW into a quiet revolution. Before Josh
knew it, RAW started popping up in songs and on stages. The first rapper to sing its
praises was Curren$y, who loved the papers so much he introduced them to Wiz
Khalifa, who then folded RAW into his music and persona. Suddenly, RAW wasn’t just a
preferred paper; it was a cultural statement, a badge of honor that aligned
connoisseurs, celebrities, and the average smoker alike.
A Relentless Pursuit of Perfection
At MJBizCon 2024, Kesselman teased a collaboration with premium vape maker
CCELL—a device under the working title “RAW-sin,” tailored for live rosin vaping. He’s
also at work on the next generation of his Raw Ethereal line, which he proudly claims is
“the thinnest unbleached rolling paper in the world.” Soon, these ethereal cones will hit
the market, promising an experience unlike any smoker has tried before. For
Kesselman, this isn’t just product development; it’s a quest to create the “best products
in the history of smoke-kind.” It’s a lofty goal, but lofty goals are what he does best.
As he puts it, each new product must be better, more honest, and more forward-thinking
than the last. If a product doesn’t hit the mark, if it doesn’t delight and surprise, he views
it as a failure. Every sheet of paper that comes off that Spanish mill’s line should be
nothing short of exceptional—otherwise, what’s the point?
Hard on Staff, Kind to the World
Kesselman’s pursuit of excellence is famously exacting. He admits he can be tough on
his staff because the standard he sets is unwavering. Yet the ethic he fosters is one of
service: Humans are here to help each other, he often says, and if RAW falls short of
that ideal, he and his team haven’t done their job.
This philosophy extends beyond product perfection to philanthropy. The RAW
Foundation has funded numerous humanitarian projects, from drilling water wells in
Ethiopia to supporting reforestation efforts worldwide. It’s not marketing; it’s a moral
imperative—an extension of the brand’s authenticity and heart.
Leading, Not Chasing
By the time you read this, there may be a handful of so-called “RAW imitators” on the
shelves. Kesselman welcomes that competition as confirmation of his mousetrap theory.
After all, if they’re imitating him, it means he’s leading. “As long as we’re leading the
way and they’re behind us,” he says, “that’s great!” And leading the way means
continuous refinement—like a perpetual R&D mission to deliver papers that burn
cleaner, taste purer, and elevate the overall smoking ritual.
A Community Built on Trust
At its core, RAW is a brand built on trust, camaraderie, and a mutual appreciation for the
craft. While legalization and commercialization have reshaped the cannabis world,
Kesselman’s message remains unchanged: authenticity and quality will always prevail.
He took a niche idea—ultra-natural rolling papers—and discovered that everyone, from
hippies to rappers, wants the best.
Josh Kesselman transformed a childhood memory into a global phenomenon. He didn’t
simply create a product; he built a movement. That’s why, as he stands on the trade
show floor—dressed to the nines, eyes gleaming with the excitement of what’s
next—people gravitate toward him. Because beyond the bright lights and the new
products, they see someone who never forgot the magic of a disappearing paper trick
and channeled that wonder into building a better world for smokers everywhere. And as
long as that magic endures, RAW’s empire will continue to flourish, one puff at a time.
