Coss Marte, a former inmate turned entrepreneur, has successfully grown two lucrative business ventures in New York City, reflecting a remarkable transition from a life once mired by criminal activities. Marte's ascent from the restrictive confines of prison to the helm of CONBODY, a fitness empire, and ConBud, a licensed recreational marijuana business, epitomizes the possibilities of transformation and redemption.
Following his release from incarceration in 2013 with a mere $40 to his name, Marte channeled the discipline he had harnessed during his seven-year sentence into founding CONBODY, a gym offering workout programs fashioned after his own prison regimen. Having lost 70 pounds while in solitary confinement, Marte's personal health transformation inspired the creation of CONBODY, as reported by ABC7NY. Marte's story is not just about personal redemption but also about extending that chance to those similarly encumbered by their pasts. The gym, located in New York's Lower East Side, employed 72 individuals upon last reporting, with many being either formerly incarcerated or with family entangled in the justice system.
The CONBODY model has received accolades for not only its innovative approach to fitness but also its commitment to social justice. Marte, who has testified before legislative bodies, seeks to address the disparate impact of the criminal justice system, which disproportionately affects communities of color. His efforts to facilitate employment and re-entry support for individuals after incarceration aim to alter the bleak statistics that loom over these communities.
Marte's business acumen extended into the realm of legal cannabis with the opening of ConBud, a dispensary that has claimed its stake in New York's burgeoning marijuana market. Despite having been imprisoned for similar activities prior to the legalization, Marte's entrepreneurial spirit remained unshaken, leveraging his past to build a prosperous future. In 2024, ConBud achieved an impressive $7 million in sales, with projections expecting a significant increase in the following year, as noted by New York Post. Marte opened his first ConBud location on Delancey and Orchard Streets, an area with personal historic significance, and expanded to The Bronx This was amidst the state's explosive growth in legal cannabis sales, which surged past $1 billion when combined with the previous year.
As per Marte's approach, both business models serve a greater purpose, going beyond profit to enact change in lives held captive by prior mistakes and societal hindrances. Marte's message, as told to ABC7NY, to others walking a parallel path is one of hope: "Everything is temporary, you know? And so even those bad times when you think life is over, you can't keep going, that moment is going to change, and it's temporary, so just wait and breathe and keep going."
