TILT Holdings Inc.(“TILT” or the “Company”) (NEO: TILT) (OTCQX: TLLTF), a global provider of cannabis business solutions that include inhalation technologies, cultivation, manufacturing, processing, brand development, and the Shinnecock Indian Nation (the “Shinnecock Nation”), a federally recognized Native American tribe living on their traditional lands on the eastern end of Long Island, N.Y., began construction today on Little Beach Harvest, a 5,000 square-foot cannabis dispensary located on Shinnecock tribal territory in Southampton, N.Y.
A groundbreaking ceremony was held today at 56 Montauk Highway, the site of the future dispensary. Attendees included the Shinnecock Nation’s Council of Trustees and Chairman Bryan Polite, the Shinnecock Cannabis Regulatory Division and tribal members, including Chenae Bullock, Managing Director of Little Beach Harvest. TILT’s Chief Operating Officer (“COO”), Dana Arvidson, TILT’s Chief Financial Officer, Brad Hoch, and state and local officials were also in attendance.
This wholly tribal-owned cannabis operation is the result of a unique partnership between TILT and the Shinnecock Nation and is the culmination of six years of lobbying, outreach, development, and planning. Through a joint venture with the Shinnecock Nation’s cannabis economic development firm Conor Green, TILT is financing, building, and providing management services to support Little Beach Harvest becoming a reality with two major components of the vertical operation kicking off this year: the dispensary and cultivation facility. The dispensary is expected to be completed by early Q1 2023. Construction on the cannabis cultivation facility will begin by year end, and there are plans for a future wellness and consumption lounge. The Shinnecock Cannabis Regulatory Division will regulate all operations for each component according to the Shinnecock Nation’s tribal cannabis laws.
“I am thrilled to start construction on such an important project for the Shinnecock Nation,” said Shinnecock Nation Chairman Bryan Polite. “Little Beach Harvest has been working hard with our partner, TILT Holdings, to ensure a first-class dispensary for the New York market. This construction kick-off is a step forward for the Shinnecock Nation and I am excited to be a part of such an amazing journey.”
“It’s incredible to think that we gathered here almost a year ago to announce our partnership. Now, we return to the Shinnecock Nation’s sovereign land to kick off construction, which is truly a substantial milestone in our journey to create social equity for the Shinnecock Nation,” stated Dana Arvidson, TILT’s COO. “Now, we move forward together in building out not only the physical structure of Little Beach Harvest, but our plan in bringing forward plant medicine as an economic engine for the Shinnecock.”
For thousands of years, the people of the Shinnecock Nation have been leaders in environmental stewardship. In connection with the Shinnecock Nation’s longstanding relationship and respect for plant medicine, Little Beach Harvest’s mission is to provide access to an alternative, natural way of healing in a way that suits the needs of its customers. Drawing on the Shinnecock Nation’s vast knowledge of plant medicines and natural healing modalities, the dispensary is expected to offer a broad array of cannabis products.
Designed by T-Arch Studios (renderings available upon request), Little Beach Harvest will feature 5,000 square-feet of dispensary space and also offer drive-through service along the main Southampton roadway, creating a unique engagement point between the First People and the Hamptons community. The dispensary and future wellness lounge will become a destination in itself, as they are just minutes from Southampton’s business district. Current design plans for Little Beach Harvest showcase an organic aesthetic reflective of the Shinnecock Nation’s connection to the area with natural stone and light wood elements for both the interior and exterior of the dispensary. The Shinnecock Nation Environmental Department, Natural Resources Department and Cultural Enrichment Department worked closely with Little Beach Harvest to ensure that proper tribal protocols were followed before clearing the lands. Real estate advisory company J2H Partners, which has amassed decades of experience in all facets of commercial project consulting, will manage the build by award-winning Rycon Construction, Inc.
“Anything we envision as a Shinnecock People has to always be for the next seven generations and beyond,” said Chenae Bullock, enrolled member of the Shinnecock Nation and Managing Director of Little Beach Harvest. “The Little Beach Harvest dispensary will be a place where we can share with the world our culture, honor this sacred plant, increase awareness and provide resources for the Shinnecock Nation. People who come to our traditional lands to shop in our dispensary will contribute to our economic sustainability. For thousands of years, the people of the Shinnecock Nation have contributed to environmental sustainability, and we are now in times that we can develop economic sustainability through the cannabis industry to continue our stewardship to the earth.”
