Verano Holdings, a multi-state cannabis company, just announced the grand opening of Zen Leaf Naugatuck, the company’s third social equity joint venture location in CT and fifth cannabis dispensary statewide. Zen Leaf Naugatuck will host a grand opening on Friday, May 3, featuring a ceremonial ribbon cutting with the Waterbury Area Chamber of Commerce at 11 a.m. local time, the company states.
Located at 585 South Main Street, Zen Leaf Naugatuck will be open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., according to the company.
Funding Education Initiatives
In opening Zen Leaf Naugatuck, Verano received support for the its approved social equity plan from several local community organizations, including the Brass City Gamers Tournament, Rivera Memorial Foundation, The UnGroup Society and the Waterbury Opportunities Industrialization Center, Inc., the company states. Through these community partnerships, Zen Leaf will directly fund area youth education initiatives, including:
- LifeLaunch Waterbury: an innovative 12-week e-learning curriculum for teens and young adults in Waterbury that teaches a broad range of life skills and financial literacy.
- STEM Training and Laptop Donations: in partnership with Waterbury-based Brass City Gamers, Zen Leaf will sponsor an 8-week STEM certified course and provide the first 10 graduates of the program with new Acer coding laptops, enabling local youth to continue pursuing STEM education goals.
“We’re thrilled to open Zen Leaf Naugatuck as we strengthen our roots and deepen our commitment to supporting local communities and the equitable growth of the cannabis industry across Connecticut,” said George Archos, Verano founder and Chief Executive Officer, in a news release. “We’re grateful to deliver local contributions in the form of job creation, economic development, and social equity partnerships to drive positive change and counter failed anti-cannabis policies that have adversely affected countless communities across Connecticut, and the nation, for decades. Opening Zen Leaf Naugatuck marks the culmination of collaborative efforts with many stakeholders, and I’d like to thank state officials, our team members, customers, patients and local social equity partners for their support in bringing Zen Leaf to the Naugatuck community.”
Expanding Dispensary Operations
Zen Leaf provides a variety of convenient ordering options – including online pre-orders, in-store kiosk and walk-up counter ordering – and also offers a number of exciting promotions across all CT locations, including a daily 22% off discount for Veterans, 20% “Medical Monday” discounts for medical patients and 25% off first orders after downloading the Zen Leaf mobile app, the company states.
Verano’s expanding vertical operations in Connecticut encompass CTPharma, a 217,000 square foot cultivation and processing facility in Rocky Hill that produces a variety of Connecticut’s most popular cannabis products, along with Zen Leaf dispensaries in Meriden (hybrid), Newington (hybrid), Norwich (hybrid) and Waterbury (presently medical-only), according to the company.
Including Zen Leaf Naugatuck, Zen Leaf Newington and Zen Leaf Norwich, the company plans to open a total of six equity joint venture dispensaries across CT with social equity partners, subject to obtaining all customary approvals, which would raise Verano’s total retail footprint to eight stores statewide, the company states.
