The Cannabis Equipment News team recently traveled to MJBizCon held in Las Vegas from November 28, 2023 through December 1, 2023. At the show, we interviewed equipment manufacturers, cultivators, operators and new product developers to learn more about what they bring to the cannabis industry.
Mello is a cannabis dispensary in Haverhill, Massachusetts that opened in November 2021. Business started slow, but it picked up within the first year, and the company has been doing well ever since.
According to Derrell Black, Mello's general manager, THC percentage hunting is big for consumers on the East Coast. But he says THC percentages don't matter, especially when the consumer doesn't know what his/her/their endocannabinoid system is used to.
Mello tries to educate consumers about terpenes and the endocannabinoid system to make sure people aren't just looking at percentages but also where each strain is placed in the aroma profile.
Mello categorizes products and strains into six aroma profiles: cheese, dessert, fruit, gas, pine and purple. The gas aroma profile, for example, includes genetics from the Middle East and Asian regions, like Hindu Kush, combined with South American genetics, like Acapulco Gold.
Black says cannabis in Massachusetts is moving fast, but price compression has had a serious impact on retailers. He says dispensaries are either doing really well or really poor.
Retail oversaturation remains a concern, but he emphasizes the importance of impactful marketing and customer service. Prior to Mello, Black had some 10 years of hospitality experience, and he demands excellence when it comes to serving clients.
He believes Mello has the state's best budtenders, who remain steadfast in providing customers with good information. Black wants to make sure Mello's customers are buying cannabis that is best for their body, not just their pocketbooks.
The next MJBizCon will be held in Las Vegas from December 3, 2024 through December 6, 2024 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
