The cannabis market in Connecticut is certainly an interesting one, according to Patrik Jonsson, co-founder of Brix Cannabis, an operator based in the state. "Regulations surely didn't make it easy for growers," he says. "They changed on the fly, which made it difficult for many license applicants."
Setting up shop in Connecticut
Connecticut initially had only four cultivators for the medical market—and unsurprisingly, they included the usual big names, such as Verano and Curaleaf. When the state opened up to adult-use, there was a lottery system that granted only a few permits. Winners were divided into standard winners and social equity winners. However, the entry barrier was far from charitable, requiring a $3 million fee. Initially, 30 applicants pursued a license, but fewer than 10 companies ultimately paid the $3 million. Seeing that this approach wasn't sustainable, regulators introduced "micro-licenses," which came with a more affordable fee of $500,000.
However, companies looking to set up operations faced another requirement: their grow facilities had to be situated in areas disproportionately impacted by cannabis prohibition. Additionally, social equity applicants were required to have a 50% or greater ownership stake held by a social equity partner. For Patrik and Brix Cannabis, these stipulations weren't an issue at all, as such initiatives align perfectly with Patrik's values. Over the course of a year, he and various business partners successfully established nine different social equity businesses throughout Connecticut, including Brix and its social equity partner Judy Prisco.
In a tight market like Connecticut, Brix Cannabis stands out as one of the few growers actively operating in the state. At the helm of cultivation is Cory McCain, a veteran of the cannabis industry who worked his way up from the bottom in Denver. "I started in trimming in 2012 and steadily climbed the cannabis ranks until I finally got the chance to do things as I always envisioned here at Brix," he says.
One brick at a time
The company's name itself reflects the commitment that Patrik, his partner Gary Fett, and Cory have to building something from the ground up. "Brix is a slight play on words. On one hand, it refers to the sugar content of produce, symbolizing the quality of our products. On the other hand, all of New England is basically made out of bricks, just like part of our cultivation facility." Cory explains. "And just like bricks are placed one on top of another, Brix Cannabis has been built little by little, bringing together a diversity of life experiences that, when stacked together, have created something unique."
Brix Cannabis grows using a single-tier system with coco coir in a drain-to-waste hydroponics setup. "When I entered this market, I realized there was significant room for improvement to provide customers with superior products," Cory says. "With so few active growers, I noticed a lack of focus on what consumers truly want. Whatever quality was on the market would just sell out because there were no alternatives. I, on the other hand, wanted to curate the best genetics I could find. We brought in 23 genetics at first."
The initial test in their small mother room was a challenge to balance, taking Cory months to determine which genetics to keep and which to discard. "We used metrics such as bag appeal, terpene profile, and other factors to narrow down our selections. Eventually, we kept 12." And those 12 performed exceptionally well. "In our first harvest, we had two strains that tested over 30% THC content."
Patrik chuckles as he recalls they weren't allowed to sell those flowers to adult-use customers, only to medical ones. "If a strain tests that high in THC, only medical cannabis customers can purchase it. It's a Connecticut special," he says.
Supporting the community
Every cannabis company in Connecticut is required to create a social equity plan. For instance, companies must aim to hire a certain percentage of employees from disproportionately impacted areas. "We set a goal of hiring 50% of our employees from these areas and far exceeded that," Patrik points out. Additionally, companies are required to give back to the community. In the case of Brix, they donate to the PMC to fund school supplies for back-to-school programs. They also run educational initiatives to teach youth about healthy nutrition and financial literacy. "These are the initiatives we are committed to," Patrik says.
According to Patrik, Brix products have been very successful with customers and constantly sell out. This success is not only due to Cory's meticulous cultivation methods but also because of a couple of retail-savvy decisions by Brianne Dezzutti, the marketing specialist at Brix. "Our packaging is orange, just like bricks," Brianne says. "If you look at a dispensary, you'll see that most products come in white packaging—they all look the same. We realized orange packaging was allowed, and that makes our products stand out on retail shelves."
"Coming from a large operator, it's refreshing that here at Brix, we can focus on quality over quantity," Cory adds. "We want to be the best. It takes a bit longer, but the payoff is absolutely worth it."
For more information:
Brix Cannabis
[email protected]
brixofficial.com