9 minute read
Spreading the weed
from CCR Issue 8.22
Bill Williams, Jr. President & CEO BeneLeaves
Spreading the weed
Interview by Michael J. Pallerino
They are friends and family. Cannabis professionals and aficionados. BeneLeaves, an aforementioned friends and family owned and licensed cannabis processing business centrally located in Columbus, is helping accelerate the growing demand for cannabis and cannabis-related products for Ohioans. Taking the game to the next level is the mission for BeneLeaves’ owner and President Bill Williams, Jr., whose expertise and love for the industry is engaging customers across the area. Building the business from the ground up structurally and operationally, he has created a dispensary featuring an incredible assortment of safe and affordable products for Ohio medical cannabis patients. Founded by Peg and Jeff Hollenback in 2017, BeneLeaves is the future of cannabis retail. Williams partnered with the Hollenbacks in 2017, bringing in a history of sales expertise, management of brand marketing, and licensing agreements. We sat down with Williams, Jr., to get his insights on the growing cannabis market in Ohio—and how his company is expanding the game.
GIVE US A SNAPSHOT OF YOUR BRAND? We are a friends and family-owned and licensed cannabis processing business located in Columbus, Ohio. We are rapidly rising and taking the cannabis industry to the next level with our personal innovations and expertise. We focus on quality, efficiency, and most importantly: the patients of Ohio. We’ve built our business from the ground up both structurally and operationally with much success due to generations of past business experience. We make gummies, vape pens, lotions, capsules, chocolate bars, and even gluten free cookies. You can find our products in nearly every Ohio dispensary.
WHAT TYPE OF CONSUMERS ARE YOU TARGETING? We strive to create deep connections with Ohio patients, as we manufacture high quality, cannabis-based medical alternatives that help promote health and wellness.
HOW DOES THE OVERALL DESIGN OF YOUR SHOP CATER TO TODAY’S CONSUMER? BeneLeaves is located on the westside of Columbus, making us centrally located to the entire dispensary network of Ohio. We are very proud of our state-of-the-art facility. We built this facility to be FDA/USDA compliant. We are poised for growth as the facility has an expandable floor plan and scalable utilities.
WHAT TYPE OF AREAS DO YOU LOOK FOR WHEN SEEKING STORE LOCATIONS? We service the entire footprint of Ohio. We make our own deliveries to the dispensaries around the state. We use each delivery as an opportunity to learn from the general managers and the budtenders what new products are in demand, and what we can improve for the patients of Ohio.
WHAT’S YOUR SHORT-TERM STRATEGY? LONG-TERM? Short-term, we are looking to close out a record year in sales. We are planning the launch of several new white-label partner brands, giving the patients of Ohio the variety they have requested. Long-term, we are looking to work with the patients of Ohio to build a strong cannabis community. We all need to continue to work together to normalize cannabis and celebrate the greatness of this plant. This plant is amazing and could help so many more Ohioans. We all need to share our stories and share the amazing benefits of cannabis.
WHAT ADVICE CAN YOU OFFER OTHER BRANDS ON WHAT’S HAPPENING TODAY? Come to Ohio. The patients of Ohio are looking for more variety and more options for their medicine. We are still getting our industry off the ground, so additional national brands will help us to build awareness for our program and will provide even more compelling reasons for eligible patients to sign up for their medical cards.
WHAT MAKES YOUR LOCATION ENGAGING TO TODAY’S CANNABIS CUSTOMER? I love our team here at BeneLeaves. When you take a tour of our facility, you will see first-hand the smiling faces, the engaged interactions, the willingness to share knowledge. The cannabis community is amazing, that interactive spirit is front and center every day at BeneLeaves. We are happy to be here, and it shows.
We offer facility tours all the time. We love to open our doors and welcome all to see how we are making this medicine.
WALK US THROUGH HOW AND WHY YOUR SHOP(S) IS DESIGNED THE WAY IT IS? TAKE US THROUGH YOUR CONSTRUCTION AND DESIGN STRATEGY. We built our facility to be FDA/USDA compliant. Continuous growth is key to our business strategy, so our facility has scalable utilities and an expandable floor plan. We have the floor space and power for whatever comes next for our cannabis industry needs.
GIVE US A RUNDOWN OF YOUR MARKET’S LAYOUT. There are 58 dispensaries currently operating in Ohio, with an additional 73 scheduled to open by Q1 2023. There are 23 Level 1 Cultivators and 14 Level 2 Cultivators. BeneLeaves is one of 46 licensed
processors. Ohio’s program has 148,950 active patients versus the state’s population of 11.76 million––which is the seventh largest population in the US.
WHAT’S THE BIGGEST ISSUE TODAY RELATED TO THE CONSTRUCTION SIDE OF THE BUSINESS? Awareness is our biggest problem in the Ohio medical cannabis program. Too few Ohioans even know the program exists. If you asked 10 people in Ohio, “Where can I purchase medical cannabis?” six out of the 10 would not know we have a medical program. We hear so many moving stories when we interact with the patients of Ohio at our patient education day events. I am shocked at how many people are dealing with chronic pain or lack of sleep from chronic pain. We could be helping so many more Ohioans by increasing awareness about the Ohio Cannabis program, awareness about how much cannabis can help with chronic pain and other qualifying conditions, and awareness about how to get your medical cannabis card in Ohio.
TALK ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY. WHAT ARE YOU DOING? We work hard with our packaging companies to reduce our waste. We would love to bring a cannabis recycling program to Ohio and eliminate the consumer packaging waste situation. But we need the help of the Ohio patients. So to our Ohio patients, please make sure you continue to use your voice and let lawmakers know we want to see our Ohio program thriving in harmony with our shared environment. We need a cannabis recycling program.
WHAT TYPE OF OPPORTUNITIES DO YOU SEE MOVING AHEAD? This is a great time to get involved in the cannabis industry because there are so many exciting opportunities. Our industry is so young and would greatly benefit from more people joining and sharing their knowledge and passion for this plant. But it’s not just people working directly with the plant: We need more options in software for critical tasks like managing inventory. We need new and more creative marketing and awareness campaigns for our brands and for the industry at large. And we always need more salespeople, from all walks of life, to share all the many options cannabis offers. No matter what you do in your current job, if you have a passion or calling for cannabis, I say welcome, we can use you in this industry.
WHAT TRENDS ARE YOU SEEING/EXPECTING? We are planning for explosive growth as we have not even come close to our potential here in Ohio. Cannabis is proving all the critics wrong in state after state. All the
concerns and negative marketing are simply untrue. We are proud of our medical cannabis program’s accomplishments to date, but this plant can help so many more people. We at BeneLeaves are working to do our part to be prepared to serve the growing population of Ohio patients.
WHAT’S THE SECRET TO CREATING A “MUST VISIT” LOCATION? We offer facility tours all the time. We love to open our doors and welcome all to see how we are making this medicine. If interested, please send us an email request to info@beneleaves.com and we will get you scheduled to come meet our team and tour our facility.
WHAT’S TODAY’S CONSUMER LOOKING FOR? We speak to the patients of Ohio constantly. One of the first things many of them tell us is that they are looking for discrete dosing options. They also tell us they are looking for variety in processed cannabis products. Flowers are great, but the patients tell us they appreciate the convenience of a disposable vape pen or the site-specific relief from our CBG lotion.
TELL US WHAT MAKES YOUR BRAND SO UNIQUE? We are very proud of our wide variety of innovative products. We currently offer THC, capsules in both Indica and Sativa, for day or night relief. We have several cookie options including brown butter honey pistachio cookies for a delicious treat. We make a variety of gummies, including raspberry lemonade. We also make topicals, including Provence Lavender Lotion for patients looking for site-specific relief. We truly have a fantastic variety at all the Ohio dispensaries.
ONE-ON-ONE WITH... BeneLeaves’ Bill Williams, Jr.
Describe a typical day. What’s the biggest thing on your to-do list right now?
Our top priority is to increase awareness. We could be helping so many more Ohioans. We need to normalize cannabis in our society as we simplify the entire process of getting patients access to this medicine. My typical day starts and ends with trying to figure out what else we can do to introduce cannabis medicine alternatives to more people.
What’s the most rewarding part of your job?
The patients of Ohio deserve quality relief products that are safe and work every time. We got into this industry to help. We purchase medical cards for all our staff who are interested in getting their card. It is the best feeling working with a dedicated team who are passionate about producing great cannabis products. We like to say we know the patients because we are patients. I am so proud to be a part of this cannabis community.
What was the best advice you ever received?
When presenting information: Tell them what you are going to tell them, tell them, then tell them what you told them.
What’s the best thing a client has ever said to you?
We speak with the budtenders and dispensary managers constantly. Those conversations have led to packaging upgrades, better wording on labels and new item launches. We all are working together to build a better cannabis program for Ohio.
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