Cannabis Business Insights: Specials Magazine

Step into a typical cannabis dispensary; the interaction begins and ends at the counter. It may feel efficient on the surface, but it often leaves customers second-guessing. Dosage becomes trial and error, strains may not bring the relief they hoped for and the overall experience stops short of offering real assurance. Jardín was created to rewrite that story. It elevates cannabis retail from transactional to curated, where hospitality and guidance ensure every guest finds the product that’s right for them. Every guest is welcomed by knowledgeable budtenders who take the time to understand each customer’s needs, whether that means better sleep, stress relief or exploring new formats. The guidance is paired with education, so guests leave not only with the right product but with the knowledge to use it confidently. That combination of care and clarity turns a purchase into an experience people can trust. “Cannabis unites people from every background, age and walk of life. We welcome each of them as a VIP, offering a luxury retail experience that makes every guest feel valued,” says Adam Cohen, founder and CEO. To make that possible, Jardín has an in-house educational division within its 20,000-square-foot flagship. Every customer-facing team member undergoes rigorous training, equipping them to serve as trusted guides rather than salespeople. The result is consistency across thousands of interactions, with guests receiving the same clarity and assurance no matter who greets them. It’s why Jardín has earned 65 “Best of” consumer choice awards, both national and local, recognition rooted in real guest experiences rather than marketing claims. Word of mouth remains its most powerful channel, while in-house initiatives such as Jardín’s podcast studio extend that authenticity, giving the brand a voice that resonates beyond the store and into the broader community. Cohen is reminded of the impact often, in conversations with customers who stop by his office just off the dispensary floor. A veteran who had been shopping at Jardín since its earliest days once pulled him aside to say how much the 25 percent discount for service members meant. To him, the gesture wasn’t about saving money. It was about being seen, at a time when he was living with both physical pain and emotional scars. Jardín works to make every customer feel the same way. The space is curated around what consumers ask for, ensuring the shelves reflect not just variety but intention. From flowers and pre-rolls to edibles, vapes, tinctures and topicals, the selection gives both newcomers and seasoned users products that fit their needs. Jardín offers hundreds of products spanning every category, a scale of choice that is striking and underscores both the breadth of its offerings and the sophistication of the market it serves. While still the smallest segment, beverages are also the fastest growing, which is clear evidence of how the company adapts to evolving preferences and captures growth in new formats.

For cannabis and hemp producers, harvest is just the beginning. The true test lies in the lab, where the result determines whether a product reaches the store shelves or faces costly setbacks. Legend Technical Services, Inc. ensures quality at this decisive stage as a third-party testing laboratory. The women- and minority-owned business enterprise, with deep roots in environmental consulting and indoor air quality, ensures that products are free from contaminants and accurately labeled, with cannabinoid profiles and contaminant screenings verified through rigorous analysis. It serves medical cannabis cultivators and manufacturers, hemp farmers, hemp-derived product producers, Tribal Nations and a growing number of recreational cannabis operators. The laboratories are ISO/IEC 17025 accredited by A2LA for a range of analyses. This underscores its commitment to robust quality systems, validated methods and professionals who safeguard accuracy and compliance across all analyses. “We strive to be more than a testing lab,” says Taylor Sanchez Schertler, project manager of the cannabis program. “Our goal is to help clients bring safe and fully compliant products to market.” Staying compliant requires constant vigilance, and Legend stays current on every statute and regulation that affects hemp and cannabis testing at the federal, state and tribal levels. In Minnesota, regulations mandate screenings for pesticides, heavy metals and microbial contaminants, in addition to a variety of other analyses, each with strict pass-or-fail thresholds. Laboratories must precisely identify and quantify every compound within the limits. Clients rely on these results to remain compliant and ensure their products are safe and properly labeled. Accuracy is maintained through rigorous processes that leave no margin for error. Calibration curves are performed for every instrument and method to ensure accurate quantification. Duplicate samples are analyzed to confirm consistency, and continuous verification checks guarantee results remain aligned with known standards. These processes ensure that every compound is correctly identified and precisely measured, producing results that are scientifically valid and defensible under the strictest regulatory scrutiny.