Columbia Care is set to begin cultivation and processing operations at its new facility at the Van de Wetering Greenhouses in Jamesport, just five months after entering into a $42 million deal for the 34-acre facility.
One of the largest cultivators, manufacturers, and providers of cannabis products in the country, Columbia Care received approval from the New York State Department of Health last week to begin operations. The location at 5784 Sound Avenue, in the Town of Riverhead, will serve as one of the largest cultivation and production sites on the East Coast and will serve the increasing number of medical patients with its first harvest planned for the fourth quarter this year.
“As New York gears up for whole flower in the medical program and future adult-use sales, we will be ready with our scaled and vertically-integrated operations,” Nicholas Vita, the CEO of Columbia Care, says in a statement issued Wednesday.
“This is an incredible time for the state’s cannabis program. Local leadership is taking swift action to create the foundation on which the program can grow to meet the needs of all New Yorkers in what will be one of the largest markets in the U.S.,” he continues. “These steps forward will help create a framework that encourages a more accessible legal market and a more equitable industry. We are grateful for the support we have received from our home state and look forward to contributing to the rollout of its new cannabis vision.”
The facility is the first known marijuana-related real estate buy on the East End since New York State legalized adult-use cannabis in March. Columbia Care announced the purchase of the property in April.
On Wednesday, the company outlined the first phase of cultivation, which will involve 30,000 square feet of canopy, kicking off “a perpetual harvest cycle” later this year. Down the line, growers will utilize more of the 740,000 square feet of operational greenhouse space and 200,000 square feet of incremental grow capacity, all to support a growing medical market and the soon-to-come adult use program.
The space at Van de Wetering Greenhouses will serve Columbia Care’s four existing medical dispensaries across New York, as well as wholesale distribution to the New York metropolitan area. The Rochester facility has served more than 150,000 medical patients since 2015.
Columbia Care operates 130 facilities including 99 dispensaries and 31 cultivation and manufacturing facilities, including those under development. There are plans to add four more medical dispensaries in the state, three of which will be co-located with adult-use, pending regulatory approval, according to the company.
This year, the company launched Cannabist, a new retail brand, creating a national dispensary network that leverages proprietary technology platforms. The company offers products including flower, edibles, oils, and tablets, and manufactures popular brands including Seed & Strain, Triple Seven, gLeaf, Classix, Press, Amber and Platinum Label CBD.
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