- Edibles Production Capacity Increases Fivefold Over Original Kitchen Facility
- Cultivation Capacity in Illinois triples to Nearly 140,000 Square Feet Across Three Facilities
CHICAGO – November 7, 2018 – Cresco Labs, one of the largest vertically integrated multi-state cannabis operators in the United States, today revealed one of the industry’s most sophisticated and advanced edibles kitchens and announced significantly expanded cultivation capacity in Illinois.
With our expansion in Lincoln, Cresco will have nearly 140,000 square feet of total cultivation at three Illinois facilities, triple our previous capacity. Our expansion will help meet an accelerating patient count across our state as well as prepare us for the influx of new patients following the passage of the Alternatives to Opioids Act, which vastly expands access of medical cannabis in place of pharmaceutical opioid medications.
Cresco Labs CEO and Co-founder Charlie Bachtell
We have also built one of the most highly sophisticated and advanced edibles kitchens in the industry for the first true culinary-backed edible option in the cannabis industry through our partnership with James Beard Award-winning pastry chef Mindy Segal. This expanded kitchen will give our edibles five times the production capacity of the original space with greatly improved efficiencies and quality controls.
The edibles kitchen at Cresco’s Joliet, Illinois facility, where Mindy’s Kitchen and Mindy’s Artisanal Edibles branded chocolates, baked goods and confections are produced, was recently expanded to nearly 2,500 square feet with approximately five times the capacity of the original space. It was redesigned to further enhance collaboration and teamwork and create work zones with temperature and environmental controls specific to product type such as baking, chocolate and taffy production. The new kitchen includes an expanded and separate clean room and compressed air drops near all equipment for automated cleaning and sanitization. The new space doubles the Joliet facility’s production capability for gummies and hard sweets and substantially improves volume production capacity for chocolate and fruit chews.
At Cresco’s cultivation facility located in Lincoln, Illinois, a two-phase expansion of 135,000 square feet is planned, with an initial 15,500-square-foot addition launching early in the first quarter of 2019 and the second phase of 120,000 square feet slated for the third quarter of 2019. In total, the cultivation expansion at Lincoln is expected to triple Cresco’s overall Illinois production over the course of the next 12 to 16 months.
“We have planned for ongoing expansion to meet increasing demand in Illinois,” Bachtell added. “The next phase of our Lincoln cultivation facility expansion will take advantage of the most advanced greenhouse climate control systems to drive heightened economies of scale and enhanced quality and quantity for our entire product suite.”
About Cresco Labs, LLC:
Cresco Labs, based in Chicago, is a leader in elevating the U.S. cannabis industry through experienced management, access to capital and a demonstrated growth strategy. As a differentiated grower, processor and retailer of premium cannabis with operations in six states (Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Nevada, California and Arizona), the company focuses on entering markets with outsized demand potential, significant supply constraints and high barriers to entry. Its unparalleled speed-to-market — seven months from license to market — gives Cresco a distinct competitive advantage as it replicates its model to expand its national footprint. Cresco’s proven ability to execute is complemented by a well-defined brand strategy that is tailored to all major consumer segments: everyday cannabis, medicinally focused, connoisseur grade, and chef inspired edibles by James Beard Award-winning pastry chef Mindy Segal. Learn more about Cresco Labs at crescolabs.com.
