By Philip Haldiman, Editor-in-Chief | The Dealmaker
It’s quiet, non-descript and unremarkable outside the only medical marijuana bakery in Scottsdale.
From the parking lot you’d never know it was there, but inside the 2,500-square foot facility, staff members of Pure Bliss Premium Medibles fill-out the space consisting of waiting-, office- and kitchen-areas.
The infusion facility has just opened in the Scottsdale airpark, producing more than 80 products ranging from baked goods and oils to juices.
The only other medical marijuana facility in Scottsdale is the Monarch Wellness Center. City officials say Monarch has not gotten into the infusion business in Scottsdale.
While Pure Bliss is the only marijuana bakery in Scottsdale, there are at least 23 facilities approved for infusion in Phoenix.
However, the facilities must also acquire approval from the state, and it is unknown how many of them have yet to be approved, because the information is confidential, per Arizona statute.
The country’s legal marijuana industry more than doubled in size in 2014, to $2.7 billion, according to a recent report by National Real Estate investor, and officials with Pure Bliss say edible production is the fastest growing sector in the industry.
“More and more people are not smoking it,” director of operations Leticia Amaya said.
In November 2013, the City Council initially denied a request for the bakery on a vote of 3-4. However, the applicant subsequently retained legal counsel with the Rose Law Group, which petitioned the City Council to reconsider its vote, carving a path to a 4-3 approval of the permit in January, allowing for the production of edibles on site.
Amaya said the marijuana is legally cultivated in Fort Mahave, Ariz. and shipped to the Scottsdale site for infusion and eventual wholesaling of baked goods to dispensaries. The location has also been approved for a 100-sqauare-foot cultivation operation.
Sales people with the bakery are also working with assisted living facilities to take orders from medical marijuana card-holders.
