College Times - December 2022

STUDENT LIFE

MUST-SEE

HOPE PETERS • COLLEGE TIMES

MINT TEMPE DISPENSARY MARKS ITS NEXT ‘FIRST’

Mint Cannabis co-founder Raul Molina is amazed at how his brand has grown.

“Tempe is the first one we opened here on March 15, 2017; we were given the licenses in October of 2016,” says Molina, who also serves as chief operations officer.

“When we started, it was only 3,000 square feet, which encompassed everything, and now we are 12,000 square feet.”

Continuing with Mint Cannabis’ firsts, the Tempe store became the first one in Arizona — and one of a handful in the country — to be open 24 hours every Thursday to Sunday, and open every day from 7 a.m. to midnight Monday to Wednesday.

Mint Tempe dispensary is the largest in the state, and the nation’s third most spacious. Molina says it’s a destination.

“It’s more than somewhere you can go and buy your medicine,” Molina says.

“We have a show grow onsite so you can see a flower growing from a baby clone all the way to when it’s time to harvest. The whole process is incredible. It’s everybody’s

favorite spot to take a picture whenever the flower is blooming and large.”

He says the cannabis grow area encompasses 3,500 of the dispensary’s 12,000 square feet.

Mint Cannabis Tempe has another first. It debuted the nation’s first cannabis kitchen in 2018. Items ranging from pizza and wings to brownies and wedding cakes must be consumed off site.

“We serve burgers, hot wings,

on the season, and everything (the food) is medicated with THC. We are pretty stoked to be the only

next and trying to get the industry in a position so it’s a little more mainstream.”

Mainstreaming the cannabis industry is very important to Molina.

“So any victory like that (being the first cannabis kitchen) is huge for us,” Molina says. “It shows everybody else that slowly we will get to be like any other industry.”

He said the kitchen equates to 9% of the dispensary’s revenue. There are many firsts for Mint’s flagship dispensary.

“We have one of the only drivethrus in the country,” Molina adds. “We tried to (get approval on the drive-thru) in December 2019 and they said no; then when COVID hit we went back in February 2020, we had our hearing in March and they approved it.”

chicken strips, lasagna,” he says.

“We basically make it all. We change around the menu depending

one in the country doing it. We are trying to push the envelope at all times, trying to do whatever is

Regarding the small grow show (3,500 square feet) in the dispensary. Molina says they purposefully started with a small grow.

“(Starting with a small grow) was a way to figure out how to grow,” he says. “We were new to the industry when we started in 2016. We like to make our mistakes on a small scale”

Doing the small scale first has led to a 125,000-square-foot grow facility that will open in early 2023 at Seventh Street and Happy Valley Road. Coming soon is Mint Cannabis at 1207 N. 75th Avenue, Phoenix. CT

Mint Cannabis

5210 S. Priest Drive, Guadalupe/Tempe 480-749-6468

themintcannabis.com 7 a.m. to midnight Monday to Wednesday 7 a.m. Thursday to midnight Sunday (24 hours)

11 LOCAL PLACES TO SHOP FOR THE HOLIDAYS

ANNIKA TOMLIN • COLLEGE TIMES

11. OLIVESPA

The local mother-daughter Olivespa products are made from natural ingredients and are nontoxic, hypoallergenic and biodegradable. Choose from an assortment of seasonal olive oil soaps including pumpkin spice, peppermint hot cocoa and mulled wine. All soaps are blended with essential oils for skin purification, cleansing and nourishment resulting in clean, fresh, glowing skin. Also available is the Dashing Through the Snow limited edition candle made with aromas of pine and juniper. Don’t forget the peppermint hot cocoa olive oil lip balm to help keep lips protected in the dry Arizona climate.

Olivespa in the Queen Creek Olive Mill, 25062 S. Meridian Road, Queen Creek; 7122 E. Greenway Parkway, Suite 120, Scottsdale, olivespa.com

10. CAREFREE SPIRITS DISTILLERY

Have alcohol drinkers on your shopping list? Look no further than Carefree Spirits Distillery, which offers family-made, handcrafted premium vodkas and bourbons. Carefree Bourbon comes in 90 proof and barrel proof varieties with a delightful aroma of caramel, vanilla, dried fruit and cream. Chakra vodka are all for the senses with a flavored bottle for each chakra point.

Carefree Spirits Distillery, 6201 E. Cave Creek Road, Suite C, Cave Creek, carefree-spirits.com

9. ARYA TARA

With an array of scents, Arya Tara strives to help its customers transform their space into a place where they feel good. Launched in January 2021, the company’s clean-burning candles are hand poured in small batches in Tucson. Try the holiday collection featuring four scents, including bubbly and raspberry, crystalline pear, jolly pomander and tree of gatherings. Wax melts are also available in an assortment of scents that come with 12 to a box.

Arya Tara, aryataracandles.com

8. THE WITCH KIT

The Witch Kit helps customers find moments of white space and peace. Turn every moment of the day into a ceremony with The Basic Witch Kit. Light a candle, set an intention, use the sage and palo santo

to cleanse your space. Take your crystal with you and settle into your daily ritual. Kits come with each ritual item along with a guide and a link to check out further guidance on the website.

The Witch Kit, thewitchkit.com

7. EARTH BASED BODY

Earth Based Body’s products come straight from the Sonoran Desert. The company celebrates the resilience of desert dwellers and serves those who want to ease into an eco-chi lifestyle with radiant skin. The company offers a variety of body creams, lip balms, hand creams and gift sets with a combination of items. These vegan and crueltyfree products come in eco-friendly packaging with original watercolor artwork.

Earth Based Body, earthbasedbody.com

6. ICONIC ARIZONA

During a tour around Arizona, Nick Carmichael visited memorable locations in search of iconic hats. He filled the hole in the market with Iconic Arizona, which designs and manufactures hats and other apparel displaying Arizona’s beauty. Products also include patches, stickers, beach towels, socks and cornhole boards.

Iconic Arizona, 3473 E. Bartlett Drive, Gilbert, iconicarizona.com

5. ELITE FINE JEWELERS

This family-owned and -operated jewelry and gold store boasts affordable pieces from engagement rings to special occasion jewelry.

Browse stud earrings and tennis bracelets to watch brands, including Breitling and Rolex.

Elite Fine Jewelers, 809 N. Scottsdale Road, Tempe, elitefinejewelers.com

4. PICNIC POINT

Founded in January 2021 by a husband-and-wife team who loves food, decorating and hanging out, Picnic Point creates a safe space for people to connect and gather in style. Patrons can build their own picnic or choose from a variety of packages based on the size of the party and theme. Locations are spread out across the Valley or schedule one in your own backyard.

Picnic Point, picnicpointaz.com

3. SILVER ROSE BAKERY

This bakery is a one-stop shop for everything sweet, no matter what is being celebrated. Silver Rose Bakery offers online ordering and delivery for custom cakes, dessert tables, edible gifts and promotional gifts as well. Silver Rose Bakery, silverrosebakery.com

2. MANOR

Manor is a Phoenix-based retailer focused on specialty footwear and premium goods for the whole family. Linking youth and classic culture, this cross-generational brick-and-mortar store offers shoes, pants, duffle bags, shirts and snapback hats.

Manor, 100 E. Camelback Road, Suite 102, Phoenix, manorphx.com

1. APEMAN STRONG

Founded in 2014, Apeman was created to give fitness buffs a voice for their physical and mental strength and health. They screenprint their own shirts, and each purchase comes with an inspiring message. Every month, their Finding Strong Foundation sells a shirt for charity.

Apeman Strong, apemanstrong.com CT

Carefree Spirits Distillery,

serves company

NUMBERS

ANNIKA TOMLIN • COLLEGE TIMES

At this year’s Arizona State Fair, 1,384,269 came through the gates.

In the fair’s 23 days, 220,000 plush toys were won.

Most people do about 75% of their breathing out of one dominant nostril.

The Food Network debuted in 1993 focusing on high-class restaurants and intense cooking techniques.

American soldiers received 22 sheets of toilet paper per day during World War II while British soldiers only had 3.

20% of mugs at work contain fecal bacteria.

Mexican scientists found that the heated vapor from 80-proof (40% alcohol) tequila blanco can form diamond films.

There are 100 nanograms of nicotine per gram of eggplant compared to 2 milligrams of nicotine per cigarette.

People sigh about every 5 minutes.

The sound of a black hole is a B-flat, 57 octaves lower than the middle C.