A Comprehensive Review of Cresco Labs

Here is a comprehensive review of Cresco Labs with a breakdown of their structure, products, stock, and performance. In a nutshell, Cresco labs is among the top players in the cannabis space. As much as the company, which is publicly listed, is yet to turn in profits, they have achieved significant revenue growth in the last several months.

The company works through subsidiaries that offer a wide array of products for both the medicinal and recreational market. 2020 has been a tough year for most stocks, but it appears that Cresco labs will be among the lucky few that will be able to weather through the storm. Below are a few pointers as to why this might happen.

Background of Cresco Labs

Cresco Labs was started way back in 2013 by two ex-colleagues; Charlie Bachtell and Joe Caltabiano. The company started off in Chicago, Illinois and currently has a footprint in 9 states where medicinal cannabis has been legalized. This is a vertically integrated company with a seed to sale approach that allows them to have control over the cultivation, manufacturing, extraction, and packaging process.

The stock is listed on the Canadian securities exchange under the symbol CL. It is also traded in over the-counter US markets under the ticker CRLBF.

In 7 years of its existence, the company has managed to elbow out the competition and has risen to become one of the top companies in the cannabis industry. It is one of the fastest growing companies in the industry in 2020.

The company claims to work with expert agronomists who oversee the cultivation process. They also claim to go the extra mile to ensure that quality is maintained throughout the process. We can ascertain this through different factors such as third-party testing results that show the purity and potency of their products. Proof of organic growing practices is another pointer of quality. Their products are available in 9 states that are served with 15 production facilities. As of August 2020, the company had about 1800 employees.

Cresco Labs Subsidiaries

This company has a unique structure that allows them to work through subsidiary companies. This of course broadens the scope of the company and increases their footprint.

Their subsidiaries include:

• Hope Health Inc.
• Origin House
• Cresco Yeltrah
• SLO Cultivation
• Phoenix Farms of Illinois
• MedMar Rockford
• FloRah Medex
• PDI Medical
• Arizona Facilities Supply
• Cresco Labs Facilities
• Diadem Mineraco

Cresco Labs Brands

The company boasts of a differentiated portfolio of brands serving distinct audiences and occasions. This allows the company to meet the needs and expectations of different market segments. Below is a breakdown of the brands that make up Cresco Labs.

1.   Cresco

This brand represents elevated everyday cannabis. The products are THC-focused and are available in the form of flower, vape pens, and several extracts. The products are categorized into: Rise, Refresh, and Rest and are color-coded to help the consumer intuitively decipher the desired effects.

2.  Mindy’s Edibles

This brand is popular for producing culinary-backed cannabis edibles that are completely free of cannabis flavor. The edibles have unique flavors that appeal to a broad clientele. They include artisan chocolates, toffees, gummies, hard sweets, and chews.

3.   Reserve

This is a brand that is focused on producing premium cannabis products for an exclusive clientele. The products are made from exclusive cultivars that are as a result of years of selective breeding. Consequently, these products are also highly priced.

4.   Remedi

This line of products is designed with the medicinal cannabis patient in mind. The products are rich in CBD, CBN, and balanced THC. The options include tinctures, capsules, transdermal patches, salves, and sublingual oils.

5.   Sunnyside Dispensary

Cresco Labs operates five Sunnyside dispensaries in Illinois. These dispensaries sell all the Cresco brands.

6.   Wellbeing

This brand is exclusive to CBD products that promote general wellbeing. The products are aesthetically designed and have the latest technology.

7.   High Supply

This brand focuses on bulk supplies of lab tested buds, pre-rolls, and vapes.

8.   Good News

This brand represent terpene rich strains that have simple formulations.

9.   Wonder Wellness

This line of products is focused on consumers seeking a new experience. The products come in micro dose formulations.

Cresco Labs Acquisitions

In April 2019, Cresco Labs acquired Canada-based Origin House at a value of $850 million. This deal was closed in January 2020 and ushered Cresco into the California market.

Cresco Labs has expanded through acquisitions. In March 2019, Vidacann had agreed with Cresco for a potential acquisition which was valued at $120 million cash and stock deal. However, this fell through in November when Cresco terminated the acquisition plans. This was seen as an effort to save money and refocus resources on their core markets amid plummeting cannabis stock prices and lack of outside funding.

What States Have Cresco Labs?

Cresco Labs has a presence in the following states:

1. Illinois
2. Pennsylvania
3. Ohio
4. Arizona
5. Massachusetts
6. New York
7. Michigan
8. Maryland
9. California

So far they have 29 retail licenses, 19 open dispensaries and 16 production facilities

Cresco Labs Products

Cresco Labs is currently selling their products through their chain of Sunnyside dispensaries. This includes products from the following brands:

Collections

Cresco Flower

Mindy's Edibles

Kiva Edibles

Cresco LLR Cartridges

High Supply

They offer the following high- quality products:

Cannabis Flower

You can choose an indica, sativa, or hybrid flower. The sizes range from 1g to 14g. The Barry Lemonade comes in a size of 3.5g and is sold at $63.49. Jack Herer 3.5 grams goes for a similar price.

Cannabis Prerolls

The pre-rolls come in indica and sativa. The best thing about these pre-rolls is that they have THCA which offers several therapeutic benefits.

Vapes

The vapes come in sizes of 300 and 500 mgrams. You can get disposable and reusable cartridges. You can also choose an indica, sativa, or hybrid depending on your desired effects. Lastly, you can select from different flavors.

Cannabis Concentrates

These concentrates come in sizes of 500 mg and 1g. They include live sugar, live resin budder, shatter, live resin sauce, and RSO syringe.

Cannabis Edibles

Cresco Labs offers edibles in the form of gummies, white chocolate, milk chocolates, tea mints, and crunch bars. They can be pure CBD, indica, sativa, or hybrid.

Cannabis Beverages

The beverages are tonic and come in flavors such as passion strawberry, blackcherry, and cucumber watermelon.

Cannabis Tinctures

Their tinctures have a ratio of 10:1 CBD to THC ratio. The brand is Grassroots and they are all hybrids.

Cannabis Capsules

They offer THC, CBD, and mixed capsules from different brands.

Cannabis Topicals

The topical products come in the form of a pain relief lotion, body oil, and a THC lavender Epsom bath salt.

Cresco Labs Stock

The value of Cresco stock has been rising gradually since the start of the year. In March, the value was fluctuating around CAD $3 and has risen to a value around CAD $7.5. The growth potential of this pot stock is fueled by the emerging recreational market in Illinois and the strong fundamentals backing the company. It is highly likely that the value of this pot stock will double in the coming months.

Conclusion

Cresco Labs appears to be fundamentally sound and headed in the right direction. The strategic acquisitions have played a key role in expanding the footprint of the company across different states. For example, the acquisition of Hope Heal Health helped the company capture the growing adult-use market in Massachusetts. The growth of the company has been fueled mostly by the brands and their distribution networks.

The company has also made great strides to market and rebrand. Mid last year they opted to rebrand all their dispensaries under the “Sunnyside” brand. This was in a bid to improve the customer shopping experience and make it similar to other major retail brands.

Going by the look of things, this is one cannabis company that is headed somewhere.  As is said, time will tell.

This wraps up our review of Cresco Labs. For more Cresco Labs reviews and information be sure to check back as we further explore the company as it progresses in the booming cannabis industry.