North Star Cannabis Consulting Launches Minnesota’s First Craft Cannabis Business Accelerator

In a recent press release, North Star Cannabis Consulting announced that 22 entrepreneurs have been selected to join Minnesota’s first cannabis business accelerator. This initiative will join 15 founding members with seven newly selected participants (1). According to the press release, this new program offers the opportunity for “collaborative support infrastructure for craft cannabis entrepreneurs as Minnesota's adult-use market reaches a critical growth phase,” (1).

Minnesota’s cannabis business accelerator program was founded by former securities and cannabis attorney, Jen Randolph Reise, and was inspired to create the program “after watching talented entrepreneurs struggle with regulatory complexity while lacking resources to compete with multi-state operators,” (1). Through the accelerator program, members will be able to access peer support, accountability systems, vetted vendor networks, and regulatory guidance at a lower price from traditional legal consulting (1).

The main focus of the accelerator is to help mold the state’s cannabis “vision” through “community-centered, locally-owned businesses rather than corporate, multi-state operators (MSOs) entering Minnesota,” (1).

“Cannabis is small business on hard mode,” said Reise in the press release (1). “While the state funds allocated to help teach and fuel these small businesses are still unavailable to the entrepreneurs, we’re not waiting. Instead, we’ve leaned into the maxim that many hands make light work. We can accomplish more together. In other words, these 22 entrepreneurs represent what's possible when small cannabis businesses have infrastructure to collaborate rather than struggle in isolation.”

According to the press release, the programs cohort’s will be consisting of hemp retailers that are already established in the space but are transitioning to full dispensaries (1):

• CannajoyMN in South Minneapolis
• Green Apple Cannabis in Breckenridge
• Calm Waters-Coconut Cannabis in Bemidji
• Simply Kind in Starbuck
• Higher Heights (Legacy Cup Winner)
• Smith Farms North
• Moonbug Cannabis (Christopher and Vivien Benben, military veterans in Minneapolis)

Program members have been approved preliminarily for microbusinesses, as established in Minnesota’s vertically-integrated business model (1). Additionally, the press release mentions that the program is represented by more than half of businesses that are BIPOC-owned or women-owned.

“The accelerator connected me with the exact vendors I needed and helped me understand which city requirements to tackle first,” said Christopher Benben, Moonbug Cannabis (1). “Without this guidance, I would have spent months and thousands of dollars figuring out the process alone.”

“We're building the infrastructure Minnesota's craft cannabis industry needs to succeed long-term,” Reise commented (1). “These 22 businesses will open their doors, create jobs, and reinvest in their communities.”

Minnesota Begins Cannabis Sales

Cannabis sales were officially announced in a press release issued by the Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management (OCM), that retail adult-use cannabis sales were beginning on September 16, 2025 (2).

“We’re at a point where critical work streams have come together, allowing state-licensed retailers to begin selling adult-use cannabis products to customers,” said OCM Executive Director Eric Taubel (2). “We’ve seen immediate interest from state-licensed businesses to work with Tribal Nations to carry Tribally grown products on their shelves as they open their doors to eager customers.”

In August 2023, several Tribal Nations started opening both medical cannabis and adult-use dispensaries on land that was Tribally owned (1,3). On May 23, 2025, White Earth Nation officially opened the first cannabis dispensary located outside of Tribal lands (1,4). The Tribal-state compact signed in May 2025, helped create the framework which allowed for Tribal dispensaries to be opened in the state. As of June 18, 2025, the State of Minnesota has issued 37 business licenses which include 23 licenses that went to microbusinesses that have plans to “conduct retail cannabis sales,” (2). The press release mentioned that these businesses have been waiting to get started due to testing facilities, cultivators, and manufacturers needing to create a supply of products for customers to purchase. State-licensed retail businesses are now working with Tribal Nations such as, White Earth Nation and Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, to obtain tested and safe products at wholesale so that stores are able to supply for their businesses and meet customer demand. The first sales of Tribally grown cannabis flower were available for purchase on September 16, 2025, at Legacy Cannabis, a licensed microbusinesses that has partnered with White Earth Nation and is located in Duluth, Minnesota.

“These milestones reflect the diligent work of many people committed to growing an equitable and sustainable cannabis market in Minnesota,” said Taubel (2). “I look forward to seeing the market mature over the next few years as we continue to prioritize public health and safety, consumer confidence, and market integrity."

References

1. Reise, J. Minnesota’s first Craft Cannabis Business Accelerator announces inaugural cohort https://www.northstarcannabisconsulting.com/post/minnesota-s-first-craft-cannabis-business-accelerator-announces-inaugural-cohort (accessed Nov 7, 2025).
2. News releases https://mn.gov/ocm/media/news-releases/?id=705993 (accessed Nov 7, 2025).
3. Colli, M. Medical Cannabis Program and adult-use cannabis sales launched by White Earth Nation https://www.cannabissciencetech.com/view/medical-cannabis-program-and-adult-use-cannabis-sales-launched-by-white-earth-nation (accessed Sep 19, 2025).
4. Colli, M. White Earth Nation opens first cannabis dispensary located outside of tribal lands in Minnesota https://www.cannabissciencetech.com/view/white-earth-nation-opens-first-cannabis-dispensary-located-outside-of-tribal-lands-in-minnesota (accessed Sep 19, 2025).