Licenses for medical marijuana facilities have now been distributed across the state of Missouri, and only a small percentage of applicants from each category were awarded said licenses.
Today we’re excited to introduce Heya Wellness, a group that won multiple licenses for cultivation, manufacturing, and dispensaries. Their team is passionate about serving the medical marijuana patients of Missouri and decided to forge their own path as a homegrown Missouri company during the application process, trusting and believing in their own vision rather than compromising on their values. We spoke with Advisory Board Member Mandy Lehnbeuter about what makes Heya Wellness unique, what they plan to bring to Missouri this year, and more.
Read on to learn more!
Greenway: Where are you located?
Lehnbeuter: Heya Wellness is a home-grown effort and has been awarded licenses throughout the state. Our cultivation site with a co-located manufacturing facility and dispensary is being constructed in St. Ann. We have two additional manufacturing facilities, one in the Kirksville area and another in Excello. Heya Wellness also has four additional dispensaries located in Eldon, Kirksville, Park Hills, and St. Peters.
Greenway: How big is your team?
Lehnbeuter: The Heya Wellness team is comprised of eleven (11) partners. We also have partnered with Tree Frog LLC for our manufacturing businesses. The team came together even before the passage of Amendment 2 with a shared passion to be a part of serving the medical marijuana patients of Missouri. Our goal was to bring the best possible team together placing patients’ needs first in becoming an industry leader and put Missouri on the map in the cannabis world.
Greenway: What is your mission?
Lehnbeuter: Our mission is to be the new evolution of cannabis. We are focused on delivering the best cannabis products to meet a variety of patient needs. Throughout our world-class cultivation facilities, cutting-edge manufacturing, patient-centered dispensaries, and retail partners, our focus is on delivering quality and consistency to the medical marijuana patients of Missouri. Our relentless passion for innovation coupled with the latest clinical research and our commitment to improving people’s lives, fuels our aspiration to be a premier cannabis company.
Greenway: What makes you unique?
Lehnbeuter: Our uniqueness is found in our team composition. Heya Wellness has assembled a team of leaders that includes members with over a combined 70 years’ experience with a world-renowned leader in the area of agricultural technology, and pharmacy including specialty cannabis products for patients. The hands-on and leadership experiences in plant science, chemistry, industry compliance, and production of products for patients, means our team brings a breadth of industry knowhow and technical understanding that few can replicate.
Greenway: Tell us about the moment you found out you were a winning applicant.
Lehnbeuter: We were elated! The hard work and financial investment of putting together what we believed was a strong team and approach were validated. We now have the opportunity to achieve the Heya Wellness team’s objective to provide patients across Missouri access to consistent, high-quality products to meet the patient’s needs. But our time for celebration is short. We recognize that patients are waiting, and we are working to be early to market. It’s time to roll up our sleeves and make it happen.
Greenway: Tell us about the application process. When did you decide to apply?
Lehnbeuter: The team was committed to applying even before the results of the election. We had seen and understood the impact that medical marijuana was having on people’s lives in other states. We determined that we wanted to help Missourians have access to the same opportunities other people were being given and to be part of such a historical opportunity We are excited to be part of making history providing Missouri patients with much-needed alternatives. The Heya Wellness team has an opportunity to be a part of the next chapter in the long and rich history of people interacting with cannabis.
Greenway: What was the highlight of the application process?
Lehnbeuter: It’s been an interesting journey being able to fully immerse ourselves into the cannabis world and build the best application possible. We did a good amount of traveling and meeting with existing operators, consultants, and patients in other states. Our goal was to bring the best ideas into our application to create the new standard to beat for serving patients in Missouri.
Greenway: What was the lowlight?
Lehnbeuter: We had two cultivation licenses that were denied. They are currently in appeal, and we are very hopeful they will be awarded.
Greenway: Did anything surprise you?
Lehnbeuter: There were many surprises along the way, but the greatest surprise was the final number of applications filed. The final number was nearly double the amount we anticipated. This highlights the interest in the Missouri market and the potential the program has to offer the patients in the state.
Greenway: If you could tell your former self one thing before you started the application process, what would it be?
Lehnbeuter: Believe in your own vision and drive it from the beginning. Early in the process, we spent a lot of time trying to find the right partnership with several large multi-state operators. We decided to follow our own vision as a homegrown Missouri company, and it was one of the best decisions we made.
Greenway: Tell us about your plans. What do you plan to manufacture?
Lehnbeuter: The three pillars that drive Heya Wellness product development are quality, consistency, and ease of product selection. For those that desire to interact with the plant directly, we plan to offer a wide selection of classic and well-known strains in addition to some unique offerings available in both flower and pre-roll forms. Additionally, we will offer a selection of Heya branded products that will include concentrates, edibles, and topicals. Leveraging our technical understanding, formulation experience, and the latest clinical data, we believe we can offer unique products custom-tailored to meet specific patient needs. In addition to Heya Wellness branded products, we are bringing recognized brands from other states to Missouri to provide the best possible patient experience.
Greenway: What measures will you take to consistently manufacture high-quality medicine for patients?
Lehnbeuter: Heya Wellness is dedicated to delivering the safest, consistent, and highest quality products that patients demand. We are a highly technical and data-driven team with a strong scientific and state-of-the-art manufacturing process background. Heya Wellness has teamed with award-winning Tree Frog LLC, whose manufacturing experience continues to make a meaningful difference in patients’ lives. The Heya Wellness team believes the combination of award-winning cannabis experts and leaders in the agricultural and scientific community are a pairing that will ensure consistent, high-quality medicine is provided to Missouri patients.
Greenway: What are you most excited about?
Lehnbeuter: We believe we have just begun to unlock the full potential of the active compounds present in cannabis. We are excited to utilize the latest results from clinical studies to develop new products that benefit patients.
What do you think?