State names first cannabis food and beverage manufacturers

The state has announced the names of social equity cannabis food and beverage manufacturers and delivery service companies moving forward with the license process as Connecticut’s first lottery round continues to draw to a close.

The state Department of Consumer Protection has notified 10 more social equity applicants they can move on to the next steps toward their provisional cannabis licenses. The companies had previously had their social equity status approved by the Social Equity Council.

The food and beverage manufacturers are:

• Charles W. Jackson
• Connecticut Cannabis Courier I, which names Norwalk-based CTCC Holdings I LLC as principal.
• Let’s Grow Hartford, which names Hartford-based A-Side Enterprises LLC and Higher Purpose LLC and Milford-based Paul’s Flower Co. as principals. The company was launched earlier this year as an endeavor between David Salinas and Janice Flemming-Butler.
• Lorrain’s CT, which names Norwalk resident Zayna Francis as principal.
• Shangri-La CT Inc., which names Hartford resident Jocelyn Cerda as president, secretary and director and Missouri resident Kepal Patel as treasurer and director.

The delivery service companies are:

• Bay Breeze Botanicals Inc., which names New Haven resident Joe Jones Jr. as CEO and president, Waterbury resident Rhonda Gatling as vice president, and Virginia residents Marlon Johnson and Frank Kane as director and secretary/treasurer, respectively.
• Cannect Wellness of Connecticut LLC, which names Illinois residents Gabriel Singal and David Michaud as principals.
• Green Cab Co. LLC, which names Stamford resident Dani Feinberg as principal.
• Fresh Perspective CT LLC, which names Bristol resident Javier Macias and Burlington resident Ryan Mecca as managers.
• Lets Grow Hartford LLC

Remaining social equity applications not selected will be included in the general lottery, which will be conducted by the UConn School of Pharmacy. The same number of social equity and general lottery applications will be selected for each respective license type, for 56 licenses total in this first lottery round.

So far, the state has named all 12 retail lottery winners; all four micro-cultivators; all six product packagers; all four transporters; five social equity delivery service companies; five social equity food and beverage manufacturers; and three social equity product manufacturers.

Now, the approved applicants and their backers must submit additional information for a background check conducted by a third-party processing company. DCP said its review of the applications is expected to take several weeks, after which qualified applicants must pay the appropriate fees before being awarded a provisional license.