 Cureleaf has designed a whole new look to their dispensaries and we got a chance to check one of them out So what you have here today is that this is our new look and feel at Cureleaf Right now it's only available in two stores around the country here in Massachusetts Actually one is where which we are today and then out on Cape Cod in Provincetown So this look is is quite different from our old look. It's the old look I think it would be a little bit more medically focused a little bit more kind of white Neutral tones what we're trying to do here is a much more modern look and more welcoming look Something that's as unique as the people that we come in for an experience here both customers and patients And what was behind the change of the design? Did you guys do research market research on how it was going to work out? Yeah, no, so we've certainly we've tried to come up with a concept that we felt was Going to I don't understand the test of time But really stick with kind of the evolution of what where we started from and where we're looking to go So this look we felt was it's it's like I said, it's it's sleek. It's modern and it works Well kind of both across medical and adult use and and we felt it's it's warm and inviting So it's it's it's been successful. We believe so far, of course COVID has impacted a lot of brick-and-mortar retail certainly in Massachusetts Recreational was shut down for a while. It's back open Was this design already somewhat Prepared for new COVID type of restrictions. No, so actually this store opened 10 days before we got shut down So it was only open for it. So this being adult use only was open for 10 days So we shut down for two months and now it's been open for a month and a half But we certainly had to I don't know if retrofits right word But we've taken extra precautions now that it is, you know due to COVID So what you'll see here is, you know, we do practice social distancing. We have markers on the floor We have sneeze guards on all the registers We're really operating half the registers of what we typically could do just to kind of further promote that spacing We've moved towards We've implemented an application called weightless me so in case there are lines people can wait in the car They can run an errand and they'll know exactly where they stand in line We've also implemented curbside pickup and mobile online ordering So try to really decrease the amount of time people spend in the store if they don't want to spend here We can also deliver product out in the car And, you know, we've implemented implemented things like digital menus and things like that So everything we're trying to do is to try and promote safety around here And it's been it's been challenging, but I think we've done it the right way And we're constantly looking at what other groups are doing to look for better or different ideas on how to kind of try to do it in the right way And with this look and feel, it's very vibrant. You've got these really beautiful cases here Things are a little sparkly, you know, it feels very modern. It's certainly a brand decision to go with this kind of Modern look versus say something very country and granola, you know Yeah, no, I mean, I think I think you know Different stores do it different ways. I think for Cureleaf we felt it was Important to us to represent try to represent where where we are as a company We feel like we are at the forefront of Being modern both from our from our products and new innovations around we just launched nano gummies, which is very innovative As well as the technologies to use. So I've we felt everything here should reflect trying to be You know the leader in kind of what it is to be, you know, be a You know 21st century kind of dispensary. I think, you know, and this is where we're at right now. So so right now In Massachusetts, we have a lot of Cureleaf and uku products So uku was our was really a meant to be our adult use brand and obviously with select coming on board We are slowly migrating away from uku With the majority of products to to kind of introduce select here in Massachusetts We just launched select elite the cartridges on July 3rd We've also launched a select nano gummies On on July 3rd, but for now right now. They're just in in province town And those will be introduced across the rest of the states in the next few weeks So yeah, we're focusing on select and Cureleaf and like I said uku is probably something that's going to be slowly phased out over time And then beyond that we obviously do have a pretty wide wide variety of products not just across our own brands We do want to have a good selection for customers to do come in so we do carry brands mother customers or other producers Whether it be some of the larger other multi-state operators and also we try to have a focus on kind of local So we are working with a small local producers as well to bring in kind of their unique products And what about grassroots do you expect you'll have the grassroots products eventually? I think yeah, eventually. I think that's still a decision that's being done on kind of on a corporate level I know they've got some phenomenal products And I think it's we're trying to understand where The brand fits into the family of brands we already have obviously grassroots has got a tremendous reputation In the midwest and we want to take what they've built and try to adopt it As best we can on the east coast and west coast so cureleaf has grown incredibly fast You have the select acquisition and now grassroots. Can we talk about what these acquisitions have meant to cureleaf? Sure. Yeah, so it's obviously it means different things on on different states because we're you know Depending on what kind of products we have but here in massachusetts, you know The the select deal went through earlier this year beginning of the year and now we just Launched our select elite carts and we know we have select gummies coming on board They're in province town right now, but we are very excited to bring on Select, you know elite live the live resin that's going to come probably by end of year and you know They have as several other products that we are very excited to start developing right now And that's going to come online and and with select We're also getting a lot more I think more refined branding that we were maybe missing initially So they've obviously been doing it very well out on the west coast and I know my team is very excited about all the The kind of the fun marketing and very colorful marketing that they they are known for Let's talk about that grassroots acquisition because that's coming up and that's going to make cureleaf just A huge company. Yeah, no, so that deal obviously went through last week And we are now officially the largest cannabis company in the world by revenue and you know being you know We are the largest vertically integrated company in in the united states Which happens to be the largest cannabis market in the world. So no that that really overnight We went from being an 18 states or 23 states We went from having you know, 2200 employees over 3000 employees And we you know, right so right now we are we have 88 dispensaries across the country We have 30 Processing sites 22 cultivation sites. So now we are extremely excited about that That's obviously going to open a ton of more opportunity for us, you know here in new england I think we're you know, we're adding a store in vermont. I think Connecticut is getting a store specifically massachusetts, you know, besides, you know, all the valuable expertise and and branding that they bring, you know There's no direct impact. We're already at max licenses here in massachusetts, but now we're very excited Tell me a little bit about these new gummies. You were telling me about the nano emulsion Give me a little more detail on that. That sounds very interesting. Yeah, no, so that's something we that's that's fairly new to securely especially here in massachusetts is something that we launched just a few months ago So it's really it's nano emulsification So what it does is it creates these small small water soluble kind of nano particles that get absorbed in your body much quicker So it really affects a typical traditional gummy might take a an hour to take effect with these nano gummies You're going to feel the effect within 15 minutes. So it gets absorbed literally right when you're putting your tongue And you know, so it's reviewed as a different product. So some people want that delay, but some people want it So it's faucet. It's almost more equates to kind of a vape cartridge, right? Just the fact, you know, how quickly it takes effect. So no, it's got a great feedback here And like I said right now, we have cure leaf nanos available in all our stores and we have Select nanos available in Provincetown and that's going to be introduced in the rest of massachusetts very soon And with the the level of products that you have in this store It feels like you've got a little bit for everything or everyone you I've seen some flour I've seen some accessories, you know, do you feel like it's You know that you've got every customer the ones that want the Strong product versus the one that want the micro product Yeah, no, I think we do. I mean we we know and we believe that cannabis is a you know It's a product everybody should be able to enjoy, but it's a unique experience The product and its effect is very different from from every single person So we want to make sure we have a product set And the form factor that that really helps anyone so anyone who wants to come in and experience cannabis We want to make sure we have the right product for whatever they might want to try So, you know, if it's not something we make we make sure that we source it Via wholesale and we have many different partners around the state to help us with that But yeah, no, we our goal is to have anything that anybody want to be looking for I know that during covet We have seen online sales increase. Obviously, like you said The situation in massachusetts for rec. You just couldn't come into a store to purchase Do you have you felt that now that the store is back open? Did people miss coming to the store? Do you feel like they were Ready to get away from the computer and actually come in and see people and shop Yeah, no, I mean, I think we've we've seen a surge. I think everyone has obviously across the country Not just in massachusetts, you know our medical store. So a fairly large jump with we, you know, there was a lot of record Enrollment in the medical space. I think a lot of the adult use customers who have been going to adult use stores now Re-registered as as medical patients, but even even with the reopening of adult use We've we've had a lot of Customers who came prior to shot down and then they're very thankful that they now can come back here and And hopefully move away from the illicit market If that's the route they took and kind of shop in a in a safe and clean environment I'm Deborah Borchart reporting for the green marker report from cura leaf in where massachusetts