Multi-state cannabis operator Cresco Labs today announced that it has finished harvesting its first hemp crop at its expanded cultivation facility in Lincoln, Illinois.
With approximately 224,000 square feet of space, the facility is currently the largest cannabis cultivation facility in the state.
The company is legally allowed to expand its three current facilities up to a collective total of 630,000 square feet–the largest capacity in Illinois.
Cresco began scaling operations at the facility earlier this year to meet demand after the expansion of the Illinois medical cannabis program and the passage of the state’s adult-use law which goes into effect on January 1, 2020.
Cresco Labs CEO and co-founder Charlie Bachtell says that the company has worked tirelessly to bring additional capacity to the Illinois market, and that the beneficial changes in the state’s medical cannabis law have created a rapid increase in demand that has outpaced supply.
“With this first harvest out of the expanded Lincoln facility, we are thrilled to bring this additional capacity to the patients of Illinois and the consumers in the soon to launch adult-use program,” says Bachtell. “With the scale of this expansion phase, additional incremental production from the expansion areas will gradually increase ramping up for market distribution starting now and accelerating late Q1 through Q2.”
Bachtell says that the ability to reliably restock shelves so that customers always have access to products is crucial to generating solid financial results and fostering long-term customer loyalty with both medical cannabis patients and adult-use consumers.
Cresco announced on October 6 that the company had been granted early approval adult-use dispensing organization licenses for all five of its existing medical cannabis dispensaries in Illinois, making it the first company in the state to be approved both medical recreational cannabis operations.
