A craft cannabinoid products manufacturer and distributor in the Town of Tonawanda, which currently uses CBD extracts from hemp grown in New York, is looking to get into the cannabis extraction business, as well, potentially making it one of very few firms engaged in processing, production and both retail and wholesale distribution.
Northeast Botanicals Distribution, which does business as Bison Botanics, is applying for a state license under the new adult-use law that would allow it to extract cannabis oil from the raw plant using mechanical methods such as screens, sifts and a mechanical press. That would allow the company to supplement or bypass other CBD suppliers for the raw material it needs for its handmade products.
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Founded in June 2018, and led by President Justin Schultz, Northeast Botanicals has operated for the last few years under a hemp retail and hemp product manufacturer’s license, allowing it to produce and sell 15 CBD-based gummies, salves, lip balm, oil tinctures, honey and bath soaps.
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It already has relationships with cultivators and processors, and can obtain the extracts from several providers in the industry. And it sells its final products directly to consumers through its flagship retail store, and through a network of other stores across the state as a wholesaler.
It also received an adult-use conditional processor’s license from the state last year, which lets it make recreational cannabis products for adult use, as well, starting this year. The company plans to enter the cannabis sales market with 12 products at first, expanding its menu to nearly 20 within a couple of months, including vapor cartridges, packaged smokable flower and pre-rolls, as well as gummies, salves and tinctures.
“We have one of the stronger retail presences for actually manufacturing the product ourselves,” Schultz said.
Now, it’s seeking the enhanced license for extraction from the state’s Office of Cannabis Management. That will enable the company to grow its physical operation, which is based at 1100 Military Road, where it leases 11,050 square feet. That includes its manufacturing operations in the rear, plus the retail shop in front.
The company hopes to increase its space to 20,000 square feet over the next year, while expanding its workforce from 12 employees currently to as many as 20.
But first, the state regulator is requiring Northeast Botanicals to get the town to insert additional language in the company’s Certificate of Occupancy for its facility, to reflect that extraction activities are included and permitted, Schultz explained. He said the problem is that the town has never done that before and doesn’t have the language in its fire and building code. So town officials are working with the company to resolve that, along with obtaining a special-use permit.
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