SAN LEANDRO, Calif. – NUG, one of the premier diversified cannabis companies in California, has opened a new flagship retail store, NUG Wellness, in San Leandro, California. As its name implies, NUG Wellness is poised to be a community hub for health and selfcare-focused cannabis products, as well for consumer and medical patient education events.
This is NUG’s second dispensary; the brand’s first flagship store debuted in Sacramento in March 2019 as the first of its kind for a seed to sale company. A standout aspect of their latest location is that a percentage of NUG Wellness gross receipts will be donated to their non-profit partner, the Davis Street Family Resource Center.
The mission of Davis Street is to improve health, address poverty and increase the overall quality of life of area residents by offering medical services. NUG is working closely with Davis Street to form an advisory board of physicians and specialists who will be available to consult with NUG Wellness’ patients.
“It has been extremely important for us as a company rooted in the Bay Area to work directly with our community and provide a safe, protected hub for medical cannabis patients and any adult interested in exploring the wellness benefits of cannabis,” said NUG CEO and Founder Dr. John Oram. “Davis Street Family Resource Center has been doing meaningful work for a long time and we’re thrilled to partner with them for our health-focused San Leandro store.”
Health-focused Offerings
The store features a sectioned-off, dedicated Wellness Center offering CBD products from top brands such as Mary’s Medicinals and Papa & Barkley, including topicals, tinctures, aromatherapy, beauty and skin care, pet medicines, candles and other wellness merchandise such as yoga mats and water bottles. The apothecary space will also provide a platform for cannabis and health experts to host educational discussions and demos.
In addition, NUG Wellness offers the NUG brand’s portfolio of award-winning THC products including concentrates, edibles, flowers and pre-rolls, all of which have been developed at the vertically integrated company’s world-class Oakland, CA facilities through trailblazing R&D, extraction, distillation, and post-processing laboratories. The store also features a curated selection of products from NUG’s respected contemporaries, including mainstream brands and offerings from niche Bay Area companies.
Sophisticated Design
The spacious 7,000 square foot store was designed by Alexander Design and Chris French Metal, who were also behind the aesthetic of NUG’s debut retail store in Sacramento. The former’s design sets the stage for the contemporary and welcoming atmosphere, fostering an environment for patient education and intuitive retail experiences. Chris French Metal, a firm specializing in highly crafted architectural metal, designed and fabricated the front facing interior mill work, including freestanding displays with moveable oak blocks, which can be altered to create different heights and surface sizes to accommodate various product showcases.
Management Team
At the helm of NUG Wellness are two managers with a combined experience of more than 25 years in the legal cannabis industry, as well as an accomplished public health advisor:
Manager Rachel Nisbeth: A former astrophysics researcher and tech industry executive whose career in cannabis began in the early Prop 215 days as an advocate for safe access for patients. In 2005 she opened her first medical cannabis dispensary in Los Angeles and worked to unite the community through her involvement in Greater Los Angeles Caregiver Alliance (GLACA) and Women Advancing Medical Cannabis (WAMC).
Assistant Manager Jamina Knowles: A California native and former college athlete, Jamina began her career in cannabis in 2012 to help educate her community about the plant’s medical and quality of life benefits. She has since been working in and managing cannabis retail facilities.
Public Health Advisor Dr. Michelle Oram: With a Ph. D. in Medical Anthropology and a Master’s in Public Health (MPH) from the University of Southern California, Michelle works with the entire NUG brand to develop culturally sensitive, progressive and forward-thinking informational materials on medical cannabis.
NUG Wellness reflects the brand’s commitment to curating sophisticated, hospitable retail experiences, and to overseeing its products every step of the way, from the cultivation and extraction to the in-store experience and customer relations. Their first store, NUG Sacramento, was voted by the readers of Sacramento Magazine as the “Best Place to Buy Cannabis” a mere six months after opening this year. An additional NUG retail store location will open in Oakland in early 2020, with more outposts to follow later in 2020.
NUG Wellness is located at 3089 Teagarden Street, San Leandro, CA 94577.
About NUG, Inc.
Founded in 2014, NUG, Inc. is a premier, California-licensed, and vertically-integrated cannabis company with significant projected revenue growth based upon its state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities, extensive distribution network and award-winning brand. NUG operates the highest volume cannabis extraction facility in California, producing the majority of concentrates, vapes and other infused cannabis products sold in California by licensed dispensaries under the NUG label and other leading brands. Through its own distribution company, NUG products are sold in over 80 percent of the licensed retail dispensaries in California, including NUG stores, offering consumers an unparalleled cannabis retail store experience.
