Puerto Rican Proud: an Interview with Founder Kristina Lopez Adduci

In honor of Latinx Heritage month, we’re proud to introduce you to House of Puff’s founder, Kristina Lopez Adduci. You might think you’re way ahead of us because you already checked her out in Forbes in August 2020. But we got a lot more personal here so you could get to know her more (and love her) like we do.

 

What kind of home did you grow up in? 

I grew up in a loving but strict Puerto Rican household. My dad worked in the deli department at ShopRite for over 30 years, and my mom put herself through college to become a real estate agent. My childhood was happily spent in our middle-class neighborhood in New Jersey.

How does your Hispanic heritage give you an entrepreneurial edge? 

Risk-taking is in my DNA. My grandparents and great-grandparents took enormous risks leaving Puerto Rico to come to the US in the 1930s and 40s. My mom’s parents had started a church in PR and wanted to start another one in New York. They didn’t know anyone here before they immigrated. But they packed up the 2 (of 6) children they already had in the hope of making a better life for their family here. They landed in the Bronx, where my mom was born, and made it all happen. Before I started House of Puff and my previous venture, Art Zealous, I had a great career in fundraising at the Michael J. Fox Foundation. But to follow my heart and passion, I had to take a huge leap of faith and leave all that to become an entrepreneur.

Why cannabis and why chic smoking accessories in particular? 

I mean, why not? Cannabis is a plant with hundreds of medicinal properties. I hold this plant in such high regard, so why shouldn’t we have beautiful accessories to compliment it?  Would you put ketchup on Kobe beef? 

Favorite Latin cuisine? 

Hands down, it has to be my dad’s pasteles. Pasteles is a traditional Puerto Rican dish. They may look like tamales, but trust me, they’re not. They’re made of green plantains, achiote, olives, and chicken or pork all wrapped in a banana leaf. I could eat them like tic-tacs. Warning, they are a PROJECT, so you have to dedicate a full day to making them. 

How have you normalized cannabis in your home?

Since I started using cannabis to treat my anxiety, it sort of naturally became normalized. I think my family knew that, in this case,  traditional medicine just wasn’t for me. The science around cannabis was undeniable. More importantly, they saw how much better it worked for me than Big Pharma drugs. So normalizing it was a very natural progression. 

3 Latinx (living or dead) you’d most like to have cocktails with?

The Painter, Diego Velazquez

Diego Velazquez because his masterpiece, Las Meninas, was the first painting that really got me into art.  He was a 17th-century Spanish courtier and the official painter for King Philip IV. Almost 400 years after he painted Las Meninas, it’s still not clear who or what the true subject of the painting is—the royals or Velazquaz himself. I’d keep his secret, but I’d adore just knowing the scoop.

The Singer, Celia Cruz

Finally, Celia Cruz, because she grew up singing in the big band era, and I love that music. I still adore her incredibly beautiful long feathered gowns. She was the queen of salsa, but she could sing anything. She was always so extra and glam that she could do anything. That’s what I aspire to.

The Politician, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez because I feel like she’d be fun and could throw back a few. AOC’s parents are Puerto Rican, too, and she was born in the Bronx—just like my mom. We have so much in common that I’d love to swap stories with her.

WHICH LATINX ARTISTS DO YOU CONNECT WITH MOST?

Cinta Vidal’s work really speaks to me. She’s an artist and illustrator from Barcelona who creates these mind-bending works she calls “un-gravity constructions.” I love the way she examines architecture within the constructs of each person’s perspective rather than reality. The architectural spaces she creates are a metaphor for how difficult it is to comprehend everything that shapes our daily space: our relationships, work, ambitions, and dreams. It’s hard not to become completely immersed in her work. Her work affects me so profoundly that I lose track of time when I’m in it.

How and when will you talk to your daughters about cannabis? 

Hopefully, by the time my twins are old enough to be interested in learning about cannabis, it won’t be such a hot topic—it’ll be federally legal. But, just like anything they put into their bodies, I’ll give them the facts. Then they can make their own decisions based on the science. 

How would you like to see the cannabis industry support the Latinx community? 

I’d like to see more support for Black and Latinx people who were victimized by the war on drugs to enter the legal cannabis space as entrepreneurs. Considering that marijuana prohibition started hand-in-hand with the demonization of Latinx immigrants in the early 20th century, we need to do a lot more to even the playing field. For example, cities should create programs to encourage drug war victims to start legal cannabis businesses. This could come in the form of mentorship programs, tax breaks, and access to funding.

Any special plans for Hispanic Heritage month 2020?  

House of Puff will be featuring Latinx thought leaders in the cannabis and wellness space so they can share their stories. Personally, we’ll be sharing the stories and books that celebrate our Hispanic heritage with our daughters. It’s important to us that they’re proud of where they come from and that they honor their culture and history.