NOXX Cannabis And Forty Acres Enterprises Join Forces To Support Black Entrepreneurship With New Dispensary

Michigan-based vertically integrated cannabis company NOXX Cannabis Dispensary reports it will partner with Black-owned Forty Acres Enterprises, a Grand Rapids community institution with stakes in real estate development, food, hospitality and cannabis. 

The partnership, led by NOXX CEO and Co-Owner Tommy Nafso and Forty Acres Enterprises Owner and NOXX Co-Owner Darel Ross, is meant to help nurture Black cannabis entrepreneurs, open new Black-owned cannabis companies and serve as an innovation incubator for Black involvement in cannabis in Grand Rapids and across Michigan. 

NOXX states that it prioritizes a best-in-class customer experience to meet expectations of innovation, quality and inclusivity — also committed to providing an unmatched and welcoming shopping experience from an omnichannel perspective across retail, wholesale, e-commerce or delivery, NOXX meets customers where they want to shop. The company says that its leadership team’s extensive history in executive management combined with deep cannabis market knowledge translates to elevated consumer experiences grounded in authenticity.

Named for a friendly being from another galaxy on a mission to create a more inclusive world through the power of cannabis, NOXX and its house of brands will provide exceptional cannabis flower, prerolls, concentrates and other cannabis products at dispensaries across the state, with their first dispensary opening in late August.

Forty Acres Enterprises is a Black-owned holding company that says it encourages growth and support among everyone in the greater Grand Rapids community by launching unapologetic Black brands and companies. The team behind Forty Acres Enterprises “aims to model Black excellence and wealth-building, demonstrating that it can be done”. Its main goal is to promote Black affluence while celebrating the uniqueness and awesomeness of Black culture. Forty Acres Enterprises derives its name from the Civil War-era “40 acres and a mule” promise the federal government made (and broke) to former slaves.

A Collaboration For The Ages?

The partnership’s first collaboration, the new NOXX cannabis dispensary, is set to open this month at 2440 28th St. SE in Grand Rapids. The dispensary includes dedicated retail space for Forty Acres House of Cannabis’ line of products as well as flower, prerolls, edibles and concentrates from other leading cannabis brands.

“We are honored to have the opportunity to work with Darel and everyone at Forty Acres House of Cannabis to support Black entrepreneurs in the cannabis industry,” Nafso said. “NOXX is deeply interconnected with the Grand Rapids community, and we count ourselves fortunate to have such meaningful partnerships with established organizations like Forty Acres Enterprises.” 

In addition, NOXX will serve as the premiere sponsor of Forty Acres’ High Five Pitch Competition, a program that gives cannabis entrepreneurs a chance to win $20,000 and guaranteed shelf space at partner dispensaries based on the strength of their ideas and five-minute sales pitches. 

The competition represents just one facet of Forty Acres’ High Five “Pitch to Placement” Accelerator Program, what the companies call a robust combination of marketing, technical assistance, brand creation leadership and investment capital that aims to turn cannabis ideas into thriving Black-owned businesses and community resources.

“The Grand Rapids community is full of entrepreneurial energy, business savvy and hard-working people — that’s one powerful combination. This partnership with NOXX adds yet another source of economic stimulus into the region,” Ross said. “We are thrilled to help incorporate more and more Black entrepreneurs and businesses into the fabric of this great city, and we also are honored to be doing so in the exciting cannabis industry.”

Nafso and Ross committed to hiring a 25% Black and brown staff and have contracted with the Black-owned Grand Rapids firm Phenix Security for the dispensary. They plan to hire 150 employees for three Noxx locations, with at least 75% of the talent from Grand Rapids' city-defined "neighborhoods of focus," where residents span a variety of income, education, homeownership and wealth.

Learn more at noxx.com and http://fortyacreshouseofcannabis.com.

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