Launching Michigan Cannabis Retail

In this month’s episode of Meadow Memo, I was thrilled to speak with Trent McCurren , Co-Founder & President at The WellFlower , the first dispensary in Michigan to be powered by Meadow.

You may have seen yesterday's TechCrunch coverage of our launch:

After 8 years of building the top-rated dispensary POS system for California, Meadow has expanded into our 2nd state market and we couldn’t be happier to be launching in Michigan.

In this conversation, Trent and I explore the state of legal cannabis in Michigan, the rollout of the medical and recreational markets in MI, what’s selling, why flower prices are dropping, why his company is working to help break the cycle of incarceration, how The WellFlower team convinced Meadow to come out and work with them, and what is needed to help the Michigan cannabis industry thrive.

The most alarming thing I heard Trent say that echoes what we've been seeing here in California cannabis as well:

“Our market is tumultuous right now and there’s nervousness with operators who aren’t well capitalized because the prices are plummeting so much; supply growth is outpacing demand growth something like 4x.”

Highlights of Our Conversation:

• Trent’s 20+ years of professional marketing background in CPG at General Mills and alcohol (3:20)
• His entrance into entrepreneurship, his desire to do his own thing and spin up a company with his cousin, Dr. Rob, after his personal experience with the power of the cannabis plant (5:45)
• The journey from launching in 2018 with 2 employees to running a team of 70-80 now with their newest Michigan dispensary launch (6:55)
• The values of altruism in the industry & The WellFlower’s recent expungement event (7:20)
• The process of choosing one intentionally aligned charitable partner to support: We The People Opportunity Farm whose mission?is to break the cycle of incarceration in Washtenaw County by investing in the employment and development of formerly incarcerated men and women through farming and community engagement (9:00)
• Why this dispensary group convinced us to launch our cannabis retail software services in Michigan for better data analysis, insights, and a track record of compliance with built-in guardrails to avoid overselling (11:35)
• Using data to make business decisions, targeted audiences, geofencing, display ads, promos and more (14:11)
• The similarities between the CA and MI cannabis industries — Metrc as the state track and trace system, no limit on state licenses, the move from medical to adult use — and how The WellFlower thinks about differentiating the brand as the MI market evolves and new cities like Detroit open up (15:42)
• Why this business focuses on stocking their shelves with small MI flower companies and craft cannabis (19:35)
• The intention behind designing their stores like a comfortable living room (20:32)
• Why its important to save the medical and compassionate aspects of the cannabis industry (21:00)
• How legalizing cannabis helps reduce opioid overdoses (24:11)
• What Michigan cannabis got right and what could go better in the rollout (25:22)
• California challenges — The imbalance of the supply chain with way more agricultural licenses than retail licenses, with 60% of the state with no commercial activity, the unregulated market, 280-E (28:52)
• Survival of the fittest — How good operating margins, streamlined multitalented labor, good buying and inventory, and a focus on loyalty strengthens cannabis retail businesses (30:02)
• Why vertical integration and cross-training is good for the bottom line (31:00)
• Creating brands that mean something to someone (32:17)
• Predicting the future of what the industry looks like in 2030 (35:15)
• Social and cultural shifts around consumption and the “California sober” lifestyle (37:45)
• The global perspective on the industry — Still no federal legalization, decriminalized in Mexico — and the cultural changes still needed to normalize cannabis (39:15)

Before we jumped in, I enjoyed Blueberry Muffin flower from Brother David’s , delivered by Nice Guys Delivery , grown by Briceland Forest Farm , a multigenerational Humboldt family farm crafting world-class cannabis with love and care.

As much as I would have loved to sample some Michigan cannabis flower in my San Francisco HQ (but as we all know, interstate commerce is not yet legal), I chose this product for today’s episode as it seems aligned with The Wellflower’s ethos of stocking craft cannabis from small family farms.

I love Brother David’s and their Sun+Earth Certification , which means these “growers have gone beyond organic by embracing the concept of regenerative farming practices by boosting soil fertility and enhance habitat for beneficial soil flora and fauna, while also renewing the ecosystem and addressing the rights of farm workers and building community.”

In short, it means this brand is holistically, responsibly, and regeneratively growing cannabis for the well-being of all people, farmers, and the planet — the best way to grow weed.

There's a lot of work still to do to create a thriving cannabis ecosystem that's good for humans, communities, and the planet.

This Journey Has Not Been for the Faint of Heart

The cannabis industry still has a long way to go to create a thriving, collaborative and equitable cannabis industry.

As I reflect on our small role in this industry, I'm proud that Meadow has come so far; it has not been easy to build a startup in a still federally illegal industry. As the Hustle Fund reported earlier this year, the Meadow origin story has not been a linear journey .

We started in San Francisco in 2014 by a group of engineers and medical cannabis patients who knew there must be a better way to get cannabis to medical patients, and eventually, adult-use customers.

We launched with the simple mission to create the best software for cannabis. Eight years later, we've have created the most comprehensive all-in-one retail system for dispensaries — bringing together sales, menus, inventory, delivery, marketing, loyalty, analytics, and exceptional shopping experiences from one central command center.??

Here are some favorite milestones from the long Meadow journey:

What a wild ride! Thanks for being on this journey with us, and spending time with this Meadow Memo on launching Michigan cannabis retail.

If you found this content useful, please subscribe to this monthly newsletter, and share with a friend in the industry who is part of a retail or delivery team. If you have ideas for information or insight you'd like to see in the future, send me a message.

If you’re a cannabis dispensary or delivery operator looking for an all-in-one retail software system to help you generate revenue, reward customers, and sell more cannabis with less work, let's chat. Book a call with us today at getmeadow.com .

Thanks for stopping by,

David Hua

CEO & Co-Founder at Meadow