CANTON, Miss. – A pair of Mississippi brothers is making significant strides on a multi-million dollar cannabis growing facility in Canton. Jared Kobs, founder of Kudzu Cannabis, took a calculated risk by purchasing twenty-two acres in Madison County prior to the legalization of medical marijuana.
“We did take a little chance and a little bit of a risk to try and get out in front of everybody, but we wanted to be rolling,” Kobs remarked. With the recent legalization, the Magnolia State native aims to be among the first to bring product to market. “It’s very important that Mississippi is not last on this,” he emphasized. “It’s going to bring great revenues and great jobs to the state.”
Progress on Cannabis Facility
Kobs mentioned that after another week of site preparation, they will lay the foundation for the eight-million-dollar, thirty-thousand square foot growing facility. Concurrently, efforts are underway to renovate the old State Bank and Trust in Jackson, ensuring that a dispensary will be operational when state regulations allow sales.
“We believe that we’re going to be first to the market along with a few others that will be,” Kobs stated, highlighting the competitive landscape of the emerging industry.
Experienced Team in the Cannabis Industry
As Kobs enters the industry, he is supported by a team with extensive experience. “I’ve worked everywhere from California, Florida, New York, Illinois, Pennsylvania… a lot of the really big markets,” said Rob Levy, Chief Operating Officer of Kudzu Cannabis. “The one thing that always has pointed true to each one of the players in those markets is that if they’re first, they usually have a really good likelihood of being successful.”
Chief Financial Officer Don Whetsel added, “As a startup in Missouri, we did a number of things and we made a number of mistakes. But now that I have those lessons under my belt, we can start to better use our time and our money to get this to market much quicker.”
The developments, including the dispensary and the growing facility, are projected to create approximately 100 new jobs once completed.
