Ontario to allow exclusive cannabis products at farm-gate stores

Licensed cannabis producers in Ontario, Canada, will be permitted to stock exclusive offerings at shops located on-site at production facilities, better known as farm-gate stores.

The Ontario Cannabis Store (OCS) announced that change in policy Thursday, but details won’t be available on the provincial wholesaler’s website until late spring, according to a news release.

With a single wholesale entity in the province, retailers aren’t able to obtain exclusivity of products.

Farm-gate stores at cultivation facilities will have a unique opportunity to create a “distinct retail channel,” according to the OCS.

The OCS will also create a new listing process for farm-gate stores that will give exclusive products a faster path to market.

The concept is in the planning stages, and the OCS is gathering feedback from licensed producers and retailers on how to make it work.

Thrive Cannabis in Simcoe, Ontario, opened Canada’s first farm-gate store in 2021.