Item 9 Will Double Its Grow Operations With $13.5M Cultivation Expansion

Vertically integrated cannabis dispensary franchisor and operator Item 9 Labs Corp. INLB broke ground on the master site expansion of its cultivation and lab site at its home base in Coolidge, Arizona, the company announced Tuesday.

Item 9 has been cultivating, manufacturing and processing its products from an existing 19,200 square feet facility, which sits on five acres, since 2017.

As part of the master site expansion, the company recently acquired the adjacent 45 acres and anticipates increasing its operations space to over 640,000 square feet, representing a 3,100% increase from its current operations.

The company expects to complete the initial development phase, which includes constructing three steel buildings and two greenhouses, in summer 2022. 

Expansion of the existing lab allows for the addition of more state-of-the-art equipment for all extraction processes.

"With phase one of our expansion, we expect to increase output of our high-quality flower by 30-35%," Cory Carter, the company's vice president of cultivation said. "Our greenhouses will reduce reliance on third-party sourced material for lab productions by 40-50%."

Once the master site development is complete, the site will consist of:

• Eight steel buildings, all under 10,000 square feet with one dedicated to lab expansion and storing finished products, while the other seven will be used for indoor cultivation.
• Sixteen 18,000 square feet greenhouses or greenhouse support buildings.
• Six 9,600 square feet headhouses.
• Five acres of outdoor cultivation.

"During this first phase of expansion, we anticipate hiring another 60 to 70 team members across cultivation, processing and packaging positions, with a goal of creating more than 200 jobs by the conclusion of our master site development," Andrew Bowden, the company's CEO commented.

In celebration of the groundbreaking, Item 9 Labs Corp. is expanding its annual holiday food and toy drive for the Society of St. Vincent de Paul of Arizona with a donation of $5,000.

More recent news from Item 9:

• Cannabis Movers & Shakers: Tommy Chong, Maple Leaf Green World, Item 9, CaniBrands
• Item 9 Expands Colorado Retail Footprint Via Cannabis Dispensary Franchise Brand Unity Rd.
• Cannabis Dispensary Franchisor Unity Rd. Signs Agreements For NJ & VA, Expands In Northeast
• Item 9 Labs Corp.'s Cannabis Dispensary Franchise Expands Footprint In North East

Photo: Courtesy of Item 9 Labs Corp.