If you are planning to run a cannabis dispensary, then congratulations. Starting a business is not easy, but it is rewarding. There are a lot of decisions to make when starting a legal marijuana business.
None of the planning that goes into starting a weed dispensary is intuitive. The first step is assessing your state's marijuana laws. Afterward, you will need to do an in-depth analysis of your state's marijuana market. Determining how much pot people are buying, where they are buying it from, and what kind of products they enjoy will help you craft a perfect business plan. Your business plan will be your guide. It will include where you set up shop, whether you own or lease, what kind of items you sell, and how you manage to do so.
This guide is going to focus on one aspect of starting a marijuana business. Finding wholesale suppliers that can fit your needs will be a needed boon to getting your weed store off the ground.
Figuring Out What Supplies You Need
As a dispensary, you have many options. You can sell flowers, extracts, edibles, tinctures, or any combination of these products and more. You can also sell peripheral weed supplies, like rolling papers.
For selling cannabis flowers, there are certain supplies that you will need. Child-resistant bags make for decent packaging for smaller quantities of marijuana. Pop-top bottles are also great at containing smell and work for larger amounts of weed. If you are trying to leave a real impression on your customer or frame your product as high-quality, consider packaging your weed in glass jars. You want to make sure your packaging seals the cannabis for freshness and child-proofing. Check with your state on its specific laws surrounding packaging to be safe.
Another option available to you is selling pre-rolled joints. If your state allows it, joints are a way to sell samples of specific weed strains to your customers. Finding a supplier of cones will save you the headache of rolling joints or hiring rollers. Also, for packaging, you are either going to want preroll tubes or child-resistant slide boxes. The slide boxes are a way to package multiple prerolled joints at a time.
Other indispensable dispensary supplies are THC concentrate packaging. It is imperative to buy compliant THC oil concentrate jars, colloquially referred to as slicks. If you are making or selling wholesale tinctures, you also need to find a source for dropper bottles. Fortunately, all of these various forms of packaging add legitimacy to your business. Tamper-proof packaging makes you look like a bona fide cannabis salesman.
If you are looking to package your THC concentrate product as vapes yourself, there are places to buy all of the supplies you will need. You have the option of either using disposable pens or cartridges. Either way, you will also need a source of syringes specifically designed to fill up weed vapes and vape pens. If you are selling cartridges, you should consider selling variable voltage batteries as well. If your customers can buy it all in your store, they will.
Other things to consider when stocking your store are edibles and ways to package edibles. Whether you have a supplier or make them yourself, edibles stretch your customer base. Edibles also have a decent return on investment. Making edibles can be fun, but again, be sure to read your local legislation on selling cannabis or consult with a legal expert. For packaging, you can use similar packaging to flowers. Make sure whatever packaging you choose fits FDA and state regulations. A resealable container goes a long way with customers.
Figuring Out Where to Source Your Supplies
Deciding who to source your supplies from depends on numerous factors. You want a supplier that is reliable, economical, and convenient. These three factors exist in a balance, however. Finding a wholesaler that strikes a chord of dependability, economy, and service can be difficult.
Reliability can mean different things to different people. Ultimately, quality products and speed of service inform reliability. A wholesaler that fits your dispensary's needs as you need them is imperative. You do not want to find yourself in a position where you cannot move products because you cannot get your hands on packaging. The other side of this is making sure that when you get your supplies, they are sturdy. You do not want a wholesaler that can get you the number of dispensary supplies you need at the price you can pay because they cut corners on quality.
Finding a marijuana dispensary wholesaler that fits your pricing needs is a must. If you can afford to purchase in bulk, do it. You will save a lot on overhead this way. A benefit to finding a dispensary supplier that can get the quantity, quality, and price you need is you are likely connecting with a business with deep cannabis industry knowledge. Making connections like these can be beneficial to you.
A cannabis supplier should be convenient and knowledgeable. You want somebody who can get you what you need immediately, which might mean looking local. It can also mean doing research and finding a company that can ship to you in an orderly fashion. A wholesaler with good knowledge of the industry will help you keep up to date on what products you should offer in your store.
Parting Thoughts
It is necessary to find a good cannabis dispensary supply wholesaler when starting your cannabis business. Make sure you have a good business plan to determine the types of supplies you need to purchase. Then find a wholesaler who can provide the number you require at or near your target price. Be sure to look for a supplier that deals with quality products only. You do not want to lose money by receiving wholesale supplies you cannot use due to quality issues. You also have to find a supplier that is convenient and available whenever you need them, within reason. If they customize products, that is a boon to you. Finally, make sure your chosen supplier is someone whose company you enjoy. Having your head in the same place as your supplier will help your business run smoothly.
