Island Peži: Tribal Sovereignty and Regenerative Cannabis in Minnesota
In this episode of the Ganjapreneur Podcast, host TG Branfalt speaks with Blake Johnson, president of Prairie Island CBH, and Ben Halley, COO and founder of Honest Cannabis. Together, they explore how the Prairie Island Indian Community developed Island Peži, a vertically integrated cannabis enterprise in Minnesota, built on tribal sovereignty, Indigenous values, and regenerative agriculture.
The conversation covers the complexities of launching cannabis programs on tribal land, the importance of community engagement, and the tribe’s decision to invest in a 13-acre cultivation and processing campus. Blake and Ben discuss the intertribal collaboration taking shape in Minnesota, product trends at Island Peži, the tribe’s education and training efforts, and how this model of values-driven development can inform the broader cannabis industry as state markets mature.
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Editor’s note: this transcript was auto-generated and may contain errors.
TG Branfalt:
Hey there, I’m your host, TG Branfalt and this is the Ganjapreneur.com podcast where we try to bring you actionable information and normalized cannabis through the stories of entrepreneurs, activists, and industry stakeholders. Today I’m joined by Blake Johnson, president of Prairie Island, CBH Inc, the tribal entity that oversees the Island Pegi Cannabis dispensary, and Ben Halley, COO and Founder of Honest Cannabis, a consulting company that works with Native American tribes on cannabis programs. How are you doing this afternoon, fellas?
Blake Johnson:
Doing great, how are you?
TG Branfalt:
Well, well, this is a topic I’ve really wanted to discuss for a long time because I think that maybe a lot of people don’t understand how these programs work and just sort of demystify this a little bit for people who may not even know about the sort of tribal agreements and cannabis and that sort of thing. But before we get into that, tell me about yourself, guys. What’s your background and how’d you end up with the cannabis space?
Blake Johnson:
Yeah, so Blake Johnson, Prairie Island Sea, Inc. President that oversees all of our cannabis operations for the tribe for Prairie Island Indian community. I am a tribal member. I grew up on the reservation. I ended up working for Prairie Island, been our lobbyist at the Minnesota State Capitol for 13 years now, and been super involved throughout the whole process of the state legalizing cannabis. And so got involved on the business side for our community.
TG Branfalt:
And briefly, as your role as a lobbyist, what did you do in the legislature?
Blake Johnson:
Yeah, I think I lobby on behalf of our community’s interests, being able to make sure that our voice is heard and have thoughts and opinions on a variety of different matters when it relates to tribes and travel issues. Being able to be there to be that voice, to be able to be a seat at the table is important for our community to be able to have things that not only help and support our community, but other tribes in the state as a whole.
TG Branfalt:
And Ben, what about you? What’s your background and how’d you end up in the cannabis space?
Ben Halley:
Thank you, Ben Halley, honest Cannabis. I come to cannabis from hospitality and restaurants, so I spent 20 years, I worked in Vegas, France, Germany, Lebanon, Cyprus as a chef, food beverage director. And then I had a consulting company that would guide private investors, tribes, casinos, et cetera, kind of on their progress of development redevelopment. And seven years ago I repositioned in cannabis and had the great fortune of working with a friend who’s now my business partner. He’s a CPA in the cannabis space. And my first project I ever worked on was with a tribe, and I’ve stayed inside that space and I’ve become somewhat of an authority on safely landing cannabis with tribes and the oddity of a federally illegal substance being sold in a federal entity. So find myself now working with Prairie Island Indian Community for the past few years, helping them conceptualize, build and launch their cannabis enterprise.
TG Branfalt:
And briefly, can you tell me how your experience outside of the cannabis space in sort of hospitality industry, how you brought some of those skills into your work now, your roles now?
Ben Halley:
Yeah, absolutely. I think cannabis spent a lot of time trying to reinvent the wheel on the front end. And my business partners and my ideology is certainly rooted in, there are some preexisting industries where there’s a lot of lines of parallel and you see an enormous amount of hospitality staff transition into cannabis. So the language, the dialogue, the course of action, the day-to-day activities, running a business that lives on razor thin margins, there’s a lot of tenure and understanding how and why that is. And at the end of the day, it’s a guest facing retail. People walk through the door with expectations. It’s our job to exceed those and make sure they come back. So the similarities and lines of parallel you can draw between restaurant ideology and cannabis ideology are fairly profound. And then it creates a lot of comfortability as well in tribal cannabis where often opening in advance. So there’s a lack of preexisting cannabis staff, so inoculating your ideology with restaurant theory, it creates a lot of comfortability when you hire people in and people start to see things that they register with and identify with. It creates comfort in the practical application of the job, and we’re able to get ’em to focus on the specific things, regulations, compliance, et cetera.
TG Branfalt:
Awesome, man. Thank you. So why don’t you guys tell me about the just sort of history of legal cannabis in the Prairie Island Indian community?
Blake Johnson:
Yeah, I think as it relates to our existence in this business, it leads back to when Minnesota started discussing and having conversations and started to pass legalizing cannabis in Minnesota. Our travel council brought it to our community members to see if there’s any interest and if there was where we’d want to be in this market. And so it started there, having community meeting, getting community feedback on where we’d want to see this, and developed into an opportunity to be able to look at opening up our own cannabis dispensary, which is Island Pagey. And then from there it has built out to being vertically integrated into a 13 acre cannabis campus where we do our own cultivation, we have partners in cultivation, we have manufacturing production, and then our distribution company. As we looked at it and started to bill out our dispensary, we realized that the product, having enough product to even be open was a problem to be one of the first in the state for tribes.
We had the ability to adopt our regulations and adopt our ordinances for our community to be able to be in a place where we can start to develop this business. And from that point is just seeing the growth and the opportunity that this brings to our community. And that’s very important is the structural piece. We really took advantage of having the expertise on the regulation side of gaming and bringing that to the forefront of cultivation and cannabis and making sure that we have high regulations and that’s in there for a purpose and that it’s to serve and protect our community, our staff, everybody involved, all the way up to the guests that walked through our doors.
TG Branfalt:
And briefly, what did the conversation with the community members look like? Was there a lot of discussion had or was everyone pretty excited about it?
Blake Johnson:
Yeah, I think the younger generation, there was a ton of excitement. And I think what we did see is our older generation is that persona of what cannabis really was to them and how they were told it was and not really understanding it. But I think from the cultural side and the Native American side here is that a long time ago, our elders used to use this as medicine. There was a purpose as we look at how we view everything on this earth, is that our creator created everything to be here for a purpose, and cannabis is one of them.
TG Branfalt:
And so can you guys get into what is the potential economic impact of the cannabis industry for the tribe?
Blake Johnson:
Yeah. Yeah. I think as we look at for a lot of tribes including ourselves, is that we don’t raise taxes. So as we look at business opportunity and running businesses, that provides for essential work funds to fund our government and to also be able to supply funds for our healthcare, our education, public safety. So all those things relies on our businesses. And so this impact only also, this also contributes to those opportunities for our people and to be able to fully fund and have opportunity and having essential things that could be important for our community members.
TG Branfalt:
You had mentioned recent, this complex that is relatively new, right?
Blake Johnson:
Yes. Yeah. So this 13 acre cannabis campus broke ground last April,
TG Branfalt:
And you said it’s vertically integrated and you expect that this can supply how much of the community’s operations or your operations as it were?
Blake Johnson:
Yeah, I think as we look at a full buildup, we’re still continuing to build and expand on our campus. We have tremendous growth over the last year of on the campus and building indoor facility that not only holds three grow rooms, but also has a huge drying area. And then on the other side of that building is our production manufacturing side for the finished product goods, but we also have two and a half acre outdoor grow, and then we have eight greenhouses that are almost completed. So we are continuing to look and evaluate at what opportunities there are, but it is a way to look at a business and making sure we have supply for ourselves. So as we look at the state market is opening up, Minnesota just gave all licenses, they’re going to be looking for product. We may not have enough product to sell out to a lot of people, but we have opportunity to look at what is our initial needs as a dispensary and making sure we have some supply for us. But we have had opportunity of being able to reach out to other tribes that are operational now with their dispensaries and have been able to sell some goods their way.
TG Branfalt:
So Ben, I do want to ask you, in your role as as a consultant, what does that process for you look like when you’re trying to sort of direct or work with a state, especially in emerging market like Minnesota, when you start working with tribes,
Ben Halley:
It’s a complex process and I think at the base level is what is the relationship between tribes and that state government? Each one’s different. Minnesota, we have the great benefit that there’s a fairly collaborative process between the tribes and between the state government. There was a willingness to support it from Governor Waltz. I mean, he and Peggy Flanagan spent a whole day touring Prairie Island, the site, the facility really on the states, and they wanted to understand what we were doing versus telling us what to do, which was a really incredible, I have the great fortune to work in a couple of different states, and each one is different as it pertains to the relationship with the state. Nevada and Washington have cannabis compacts, which is a relationship on the specifics of the business between the state and the tribe. And each one affords them separate opportunities, much like a gaming compact, an agreement on how we choose to manage our gaming and how we regulate that gaming.
So meeting with the state, you are a state as a tribe. So when Blake spoke to the decriminalization of cannabis, then that happens at Prairie Island and then there’s an ordinance and there’s a regulation and there’s a regulatory body. So my process is to make sure that the cannabis businesses that I deliver meet with the preexisting and kind of cultural guidelines that Blake and his community identify, and then making sure that our business doesn’t behave in abstinence to what the community, or excuse me, the state is going to ask for it, which can be difficult because we’re often in advance of the state. One of the strategies that we’re able to deploy as a tribe is the opportunity to look at what everyone else has done, the wins and the losses, and shape that ordinance and those regulations to best reflect, not necessarily how can we bend the rule, but how we can continue to create safety and then create an ROI for the community. And that’s one of the curiosities about investment in this space. The tribes, it is an investment in an economy. So the goal that’s certainly the base level. So the economy interacts with the state, we have to make sure that we’re compliant with the state and they have a healthy understanding of what we’re doing, making sure that we regulate it, it’s safe, and that allows us to operate with a lot of efficiencies.
TG Branfalt:
So does each state these compacts, are they different for each industry? There’s not a blanket compact that covers gaming, covers tobacco covers, cannabis that you can sort of
Ben Halley:
No. They’re all individual relationships between the specific tribe and the government. And then there are opportunities where you can, as a tribe that maybe doesn’t have one view the other compacts and shape your own. But yes, they are an individual relationship between each indigenous community and the state in which they find themselves
TG Branfalt:
Interesting. And again, a lot of people don’t understand really how these things sort of work. And you do get a lot of questions when the dispensaries open at the aqua near where I live, people were asking, well, how is that legal? Right? And so part of why I really wanted to have this conversation is to sort of demystify that, as I said at the top. So one of the things about this complex that I found quite interesting is that you guys are employing regenerative agricultural practices in the operation. And Blake had sort of said, mentioned the sort of spiritual element of cannabis for Native American communities. So how important is that sort of element of having that regenerative agricultural practices for this complex?
Ben Halley:
I’ll jump in and grab that if you don’t mind. So on the onset, part of my job is to identify what’s important to the tribe. Prairie land restoration is big to prairie Island Indian community. It’s why the buffalo herd exists, the acquisition of land, the need to return and heal farmland, turn it back into what it once was. So in the strategy of building out that complex was to align the tribe with partners that shared that same ideology. So the process of healing that land a massive exercise to remove the whole top layer of soil that’s been contaminated, years of industrialized farming, soy and corn predominantly. And then to build back that soil healthy biochar, wild rice holes from the northern tribes, but to first heal the land and then to build upon it, right? That’s still the premise. We can still observe that ideology, be we building on top of it, right?
The land has been healed. So the outdoor portion of the farm is really the magical part. Biodynamic, regen, companion plants, nothing leaves or comes back, right? Everything that was sourced for that soil regeneration is within 300 miles of the tribe’s location. So cannabis is often looking for a story, looking for an identity, looking for a purpose that’s greater than the product. That’s where tribes have this unique opportunity to stand behind their own internal messaging with their cannabis products and have that ring true. And in cannabis where artificial stories are quickly upended and pointed out, there’s a layer of integrity, process and identity and cannabis products that come from tribes that is different from the regulated industry. And Prairie Island was able to capture that with their preexisting kind of spirited court.
Blake Johnson:
Yeah, I think just to add on to what Ben is saying, as we look at how can we get back to preserving in which is mother and being able to look at the next seven generations as Dakota people, we want to be able to protect the next seven generations and give opportunity for our future generations. And preserving and trying to maintain the lands that we are using for the time being is the approach that we go down in. I think it’s important for us to showcase how we can be better stewards of the land, how we can put it in a better place than it first started. And so from that perspective, and our partners that partnered with us on the cultivation side, they’ve really took this initiative and have really went with it. And it’s been very successful to this point to where I think it’s something that we can showcase and teach people.
TG Branfalt:
It’s really beautiful. I mean, the sentiment is just something you don’t really hear a whole lot with people who are entering industry no matter what that industry is. So I do want to switch gears a little bit and talk to you about the products that you guys are selling and what, is flour still king for you guys? Or have you seen a shift to other products? What’s been most popular, most exciting?
Blake Johnson:
Yeah, I think it is been just in general been exciting to see first be open and having a dispensary open, but seeing what products our guests are attracted to and what they want to have and what they want to see in the future here. And so with that, obviously flower is still king. A lot of people are coming in for the flower, but I think right behind that is our 10 pack of mini pre-rolls. There have been a hot item lately. And being able to offer other products like gummies and carts and things like that, we’ve finally been able to hit that phase. And we’re starting to see that side of the product line start to jump a little bit. Now that we have the true cannabis products available and not the hemp derived products, we have seen that shift and people are excited to see those products online.
TG Branfalt:
So you did actually, when you were selling the sort of hemp derived stuff, you’ve seen an uptick since you went to the stuff, I don’t want to say cannabis, cannabis stuff, but the same thing essentially, but you know what I mean.
Blake Johnson:
Yeah, yeah. We definitely have, we put it out there on our marketing to showcase that we have these products lines available. And since that point, nobody’s really buying the hemp derived products anymore. They have shifted over to the cannabis products that we’ve been able to create.
TG Branfalt:
Do either one of you have any insight as to why that might be the case?
Blake Johnson:
I just personally think it’s the stigma around hemp derived that people have. I don’t think they truly fully grasp that it’s, it is still like the same plant. It just takes a lot more of that plant to produce that product. So I think it seems like it is a little bit harder to change people’s minds when it comes to things like that. But now that we have these products online, it’s been really going really well.
TG Branfalt:
And are you seeing, as far as the edibles go, are you seeing people gearing towards the lower THC products or the higher THC product?
Blake Johnson:
I think it’s a mix of both, because we do see a variety of age groups coming through all the way from 21 up to the eighties, 80 year olds. And I think it’s pretty neat to see when people come in that they’re looking for certain things, different effects, right? Certain needs that they have. And our bud tenders and our employees do a really great job at asking and seeing what they are looking for, and they’re able to help them find exactly what would benefit them the most.
TG Branfalt:
And as far as employees go, I like to ask this, people who own dispensaries operate dispensaries, what do you look for in an employee, whether it be somebody on the bud tender level or a manager level, what are you guys looking for?
Ben Halley:
Humility and a willingness to learn. There’s so much cannabis education available out there that’s very subjective. So particularly for Prairie Island, being a year ahead of the rest of the community, we were early onset employers of just the general public. There are way markers in your community, individuals who control people, touch points, people who have spent a lot of time momentarily creating impact with someone, grocery store clerk, gas station, someone who may work at Home Depot or Maynards. Cannabis always has an early onset rush of interest and due to the cost of hiring an employee and then the added layer of Blake’s community needing to understand the tribal component as well, there’s a massive investment on making sure that that team member is successful and obviously an interest in us retaining that team member. So making sure that you’re hiring people that are genuinely curious, but also there for the long haul. I think throughout my experience, California and Nevada, Mississippi, a bunch of different states, I’ve been able to see who has staying power and then understanding within your community, as Blake mentioned, 21 to 80 shops there. And you need to have your community reflected in your staff. There’s a level of comfortability in shopping with someone that looks and feels like yourself. So there is a staged set, so to speak, inside and making sure that there’s a healthy mix of all those age groups and a healthy mix of attitude.
I mean, there’s people that come in that are very enthusiastic about cannabis and they want to dive really, really deep. And then there’s other people that would like to not be bothered. And so identifying that if you are an enthusiast, not everyone is a bud tender, not everyone is going to share that enthusiasm. And so finding someone that’s able to read in a very short moment, we have about 10 minutes with these people. We have about five at the counter, so how can you access that person? So it’s really about, I’ll say it bluntly, every dispensary sells the same thing. So you’re price point and your location are clearly important, but it’s the quality of the human experience that brings people back. And so focusing on having just great people that are willing to learn that have the humility to maybe set down in a preexisting cannabis education and recognize the education that Blake’s community puts forth because it is through a different lens. It’s certainly cannabis, but it’s cannabis with an indigenous community.
TG Branfalt:
Do you guys look at people who may have taken some of those courses? They are offered at sort of certificate level in a lot of states run by these private education companies. Do you look at applicants who may have taken those courses in a different way than you might somebody who has not? Does that matter as much?
Ben Halley:
Go ahead, Blake.
Blake Johnson:
Well, I think people that do take those courses, it’s nice to see that they are making that effort to want to learn to have that capability. But I think what one thing we do that’s unique that I think that would be different than most cannabis businesses is that we create an education program. We develop not only just the basic education on cannabis and the terpenes and all the different things that relate to it and the education so that when they’re speaking with the guests, they know what they’re talking about. But we also created a program that is indigenous based, Dakota based. So it also teaches our employees the perspective from our lens as native people and what we perceive it to be. And so they have to take those two courses before they can be even on the floor. And I think a number of our employees that are native or non-tribal members, we’re very excited to learn from that perspective. And so we have that different lens of looking at cannabis, like I mentioned earlier, what it means to come from Inika and how we used to use every piece of living thing on this earth and be able to showcase that to our staff.
TG Branfalt:
I was actually going to ask whether or not you had a specific training program. Now, is this something that maybe just the cannabis training portion of it that you may be able to bring to state regulators? Or is that something you prefer to sort of keep an out
Ben Halley:
For the base education? We worked with Oakton.
TG Branfalt:
Okay.
Ben Halley:
With Dale and Angela and the team there, to someone who’s recognized as a house of education, right? We need an origin point for that. And it’s certainly accredited as much as a cannabis university can be. But it was their willingness to set down what they typically do and work with Blake and myself and the rest of the team and shape that education to reflect cannabis, reflect Minnesota cannabis, and then what are the curiosities that make tribal cannabis a touch different? And they’re certainly working at the forefront of creating, taking the cannabis education that they’ve researched for years and being able to work on that lens. And then the additional education is the things that Blake’s community find important to know, but then also what are the questions that our team are being asked as a tribal dispensary and making sure that there’s a huge cast of confidence walking onto a reservation, going into a tribal dispensary. There’s a lot of unknown. And making sure that the staff can explain the rationality behind the existence as much as they can explain the terpene profile and the flower.
TG Branfalt:
It’s really, really interesting. I do want to ask you, Ben, working with Minnesota versus working with these other states and other tribes, can you tell me maybe what some of the differences were? I mean, you said that walls, governor Walls actually tour the facility. Is that the sort of open arms you get in other states?
Ben Halley:
No, I can’t say that that’s not a universal I’ll retract that. I spend a lot of time in California, and there are 10 times the number of federally recognized tribes in California that there are in Minnesota. So the benefit of Minnesota is, I mean truly was Blake and his relationships with the other community leaders and a preexisting relationship of inner community dialogue between the tribes in Minnesota, which is not always common in states. So waltz that wasn’t inclusive to us, he spent time with Red Lake, he spent time with white really understanding how each tribe was going at this. Each state has its own box of curiosities and it’s public law two 80 is another component that has a large factor in this. I won’t dive too deep into that, but it’s something that affects some tribes in some states, some tribes in other states that’s not applicable, right?
It’s not a PL two 80 state. And then there are states that are PL two 80, like Minnesota, where Red Lake, it doesn’t apply to them, do their specific structure. So there’s a whole handful of curiosities that bring that to the table. But the inner community dialogue about cannabis and the willingness to share and communicate for me was inherently unique in Minnesota. And Blake’s ability to reach out to other community leaders in his position, chairman, vice chair of the tribes, and discuss cannabis on a molecular level, we’re creating an intertribal industry here. And that in itself is inherently unique. We certainly all have gaming, but it doesn’t collaborate with each other. And cannabis presents a unique opportunity for tribes to work together on an intertribal economy that benefits all tribes within that state, potentially on a national level. And that is something that Blake has certainly led that charge of making sure that this is community based as we are natives, not just within my community. This is going to benefit all of us if we continue to collaborate and work together. And it’s that collaboration that has made Minnesota really a joy to be part of, and it’s advanced tribal cannabis as an overarching industry massively.
TG Branfalt:
And Blake, he brings up the process that you had to go through to talk to people about cannabis. Can I ask a, how early did you start talking to people about that process? Because everyone knows that cannabis is coming eventually, right? So what does that look like for you?
Blake Johnson:
Yeah, I think we looked at the 2023 legislative session and the process of the Minnesota legislature moving the bill through committees and looking at, there’s actually a real possibility of this’s happening. So once we’ve seen that, we started that process of community outreach and input and wanted to really make this a community effort. And from that, like I said, we pushed those regulations, those ordinances right away, had those in place before we made any business decision, and we got that input from our community and they were super interested and took off from there. We’ve had a great two years of development that is continuing to grow and be able to move in a way that is taking its time, but yet making sure we are having those chances to be in the market.
TG Branfalt:
Could you guys talk to me a little bit about what might the impact of the broader adult use market at statewide in Minnesota be on cannabis businesses in indigenous communities? Like I said, I do live close to an indigenous community here in New York, and once the adult use stuff went online, a lot of people did just sort of migrate to the stuff that may be a little closer or that sort of thing. So what might that impact be and how are you preparing for statewide sales?
Ben Halley:
I mean, saturation certainly has an impact on everybody. One of the oddities of Minnesota is you’re not allowed to say no as a community to cannabis.
TG Branfalt:
Interesting.
Ben Halley:
And then based on population growth, Tim, you’re required to have more. So for every 12,501 people, retail needs to grow. So there’s going to be a lot of cannabis be well run, but in an effort to help maybe mitigate some of that, the impact created by that in the compact language that we’ve worked on with the community tribes are afforded eight off reservation licenses, which allow us to go into communities that have stronger location. Tribal land is wonderful, but it is often placed under a remote location. And as I mentioned earlier, convenience drives so much of our traffic. So is there an implication? Yes, absolutely it will have some impacts, but the shop we have on reservation, it certainly serves the greater population in that area, but it’s an accessory to the preexisting enterprise there. It’s already a location that people travel to, the casino, the marina, the campground, there’s so much there that bring people down.
It’s just kind of a tip of the hat that the folks that do consume. So it’ll continue to stay relevant, but we will reposition ourselves with those compact dispensaries as all the tribes and the state will to be in more competitive metro markets. And so yes, there’s an impact. And then what are we doing to mitigate that? We’re looking at those compact licenses. And then for Blake and the Prairie Island Indian community, there’s been a heavy investment into Cahe, which is the distribution and making sure that our product, our only source of revenue is certainly not at the retail. We’re a contributor on a product level as well. We already sell to a handful of other tribes in the state. Ultimately, we’ll be able to have that product flow through into the state market. So there’s some risk mitigation and the choices and the decisions made to structure the business to make sure that that’s saturation, which will have an effect. We can in some way, kind of mitigate what that could ultimately be.
TG Branfalt:
Briefly, I mean, let’s just talk about Minnesota for a second. How many dispensaries do we expect to sort of open simultaneously in the early days? I mean within six months or something like that?
Ben Halley:
It’s going to be a lot. Product supply is going to dictate how individuals can open a lot of hemp product available. However, the product that we’re able to offer that Red Lake and White Earth, they’re able to offer in a La s Leach Lake, Boise, Fort Sioux, that’s all tribal cannabis product. So
TG Branfalt:
You guys will really have a first mover advantage in this market
Ben Halley:
To be sure. Legalization happened almost two years ago, and White Earth and Red Lake had themselves positioned to be successful and open a retail, and then were able to position themselves to be sources of product for other tribes as we opened. So absolutely, there’s some early market entry that we’ve certainly been able to take advantage of and be able to explore what that impact is.
TG Branfalt:
I’m only a little shocked because in New York, there are no indigenous owned dispensaries or production facilities or cultivation facilities like outside of tribal land. So to hear that Minnesota is actually set aside some of these licenses, I think that’s an incredible story in and of itself. Honestly,
Ben Halley:
It’s an incredible gesture. I think it speaks to the collaboration that I mentioned earlier, a recognition of allowing the tribes to continue to be competitive.
TG Branfalt:
Blake, you must be a hell of a lobbyist, bud.
Blake Johnson:
I think it is built up relationships that also showcase we are our own nation and we have our own capabilities, but being able to integrate into the state market and adapt. And I think one thing that is of note is that we are going to be able to supply the market at a certain level. Tribes have that capability of being able to supply additional stores, but I think the fault of the state is that they approved and licensed not only dispensaries, but then the cultivation at the same time. So there’s going to be that time lapse of no product available for a little while, why a dispensaries opened up. And so we are able to mitigate that on our end to make sure that anything that we do, we already have product, we already have the capabilities of supplying our stores.
TG Branfalt:
And I will say that I think there’s probably, and this I’m sure a branding opportunity here, because I think given the option, people would want cannabis that is grown by stewards of the land.
Blake Johnson:
Yeah, I think it’s a unique story that not everybody can speak of. We’ve been able to showcase that and teach people the meaning and why it’s important to go down this path. And so our grasslands brand that is all of our Sungrown products, I think is unique to everyone, and even to develop the symbols of animals that represent each kind of terpene. So when you see a package and it has a buffalo on it, there’s a terpene associated to that buffalo each time. And if you have a eagle, there’s a different terpene associated with it. So we have that unique opportunity to develop and create something that is not only just a brand, but also has meaning behind it and has reflection of our culture.
TG Branfalt:
That’s an awesome idea. I mean, really incredible story. So finally, guys, what advice might you have for entrepreneurs who are interested in getting into the cannabis space or just sort of in general?
Ben Halley:
I think Blake, and I’ll share this one. You have to have a plan, Tim. So important. It’s a complicated business, and having a plan, not a passion, is extremely important. You have to do the work, right? Blake has been part of this since day one, right? The tribe has been at lockstep with myself and the other consultants. They’ve done the work the whole way. This wasn’t me doing the work. This was us doing the work. So at the point that we depart, there’s native subject matter experts running the whole enterprise, whether it be the business side or the regulated side. And lastly, this is a business first. There’s a lot of people that come to cannabis with such a deep passion for that that I believe that can cloud sound business judgment. And the truth is, it’s money in versus money out. No matter how you shape it, there are certainly people that are in this for a greater cause, and I love that. But when it comes to your money as an entrepreneur and you trying to create return on your investment, not to sound so mechanical about it or disingenuine or a lack of passion, but make sure you set yourself up to make some money.
Blake Johnson:
And I think to add to that, Ben, is you got to know your business and know what that business’s goals are to be able to develop something. And that’s including the staff piece, is understanding what type of staff or employees are you bringing in to educate to be able to do that. But education is, I think, key part in being able to be successful and be able to provide to your guests that are in there. So education is another big piece of this.
TG Branfalt:
Real quick, Blake, what was the learning curve for you when you sort of entered into this?
Blake Johnson:
Yeah, I think I didn’t know much about cannabis besides people smoked it for, right? So my education on cannabis over the last two years has been tremendous and just getting to understand it and to take the time to really understand what each product means and the importance of it, and then also educating myself on the cultural side and how that can be incorporated into this as we view this as medicine and being able to just learn and learn and learn. It is taken a lot of time, but it’s been exciting and fun to navigate through and to get to where we are today.
TG Branfalt:
Thank you guys so much for taking the time, being on the show, explaining a lot of things to me and to my audience that we probably wouldn’t have gotten anywhere else. Where can people find out more about the island, pegy Dispensary about Prairie Island, CBH, about honest cannabis? Where can people find ’em more about you guys?
Ben Halley:
I think the best way to find out about the shop is to visit. If you’re local website certainly gives you some purview. As does social media. Social media, you have to be pretty delicate with these days. Meta has, as its claws locked into that pretty deep, but the internet one-on-one, I really think coming into the space is the most impactful way to experience it if you’re local and if it’s certainly worth the drive if you’re a ways away.
TG Branfalt:
Thank you guys again, so much for being on the show. Blake Johnson, president Prairie Island, CBH, the tribal entity that oversees the island pe, cannabis dispensary, and Ben Halley, COO and Founder of Honest Cannabis, a consulting company that works with Native American tribes on cannabis programs.