New Maryland Heights cannabis manufacturing facility promises product innovation and jobs

The company makes cannabis-infused chews, flower, vapes, pre-rolled joints and topical products. It has patents pending for terpene-infused chews and gastrointestinal relief products designed to soothe nausea, stimulate appetite and comfort symptoms associated with conditions such as Crohn’s disease and inflammatory bowel disease.

Terpenes are the chemical compounds responsible for the aromas and medicinal properties of cannabis, and also have psychoactive effects.

“We’re operating in a different space than any other cannabis companies,” said Curio Wellness’ co-founder and CEO Wendy Bronfein. “We’re taking cannabis to the next level and getting really specified with solutions people might be looking for.”

Curio Wellness, which is based in Baltimore, starts its Missouri operations one year after adult-use marijuana became available in dispensaries. Since February 2023, legal cannabis sales have brought in over $1.2 billion.

LeafLink, a cannabis wholesale platform, found that Missouri’s pricing across all cannabis categories was higher than most other states last year. Though prices dropped nationally, wholesale prices in Missouri rose. Flower, Missouri’s most popular and competitive category, saw wholesale prices ranging from $1,601 to $2,558 per pound in 2023. To compare, in Nevada, which legalized adult-use marijuana in 2017, a pound of flower was priced between $798 and $1,047 this year.

FDA manufacturing certification

Curio Wellness employs 350 people in Maryland and expects to create 150 jobs in Missouri within its first year of operation, Bronfein said.

The Maryland Heights facility has an in-house analytical lab, said manufacturing director Andrew Shiang. It’s used to pre-test products before they are sent out to third-party testers — and to validate that those outside tests are accurate. Plus, the lab is used to conduct research and product development.

“One thing we noticed between Missouri and Maryland was the water is different,” Shiang. “That goes into our product so analyzing that helps us what changes we need to make in our formulations out here.”

The company has built out about half of the facility dedicated to growing cannabis, but operations won’t begin until the second half of the year, Bronfein said. Curio Wellness has a catalog of about 100 different strains that rotate for different offerings throughout the year. The controlled environment results in a stronger and higher-quality marijuana flower, Bronfein said.

The Maryland Heights facility is the only one of its kind in the state to have a certification of “good manufacturing practices” — known as a CGMP — given by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Bronfein said. The standards exceed what the state requires for cannabis companies.

To comply with the FDA’s manufacturing requirements, Curio’s Maryland Height’s facility products are stored off the ground and away from walls. Productions suites are segregated so only certain products are made within certain areas. Packaging occurs outside of the suites to prevent cardboard box dust from mixing with products.

The company is using the stringent FDA certification as a “differentiator among other operators in the state to say, ‘Yes, it’s made in this place where people are extremely well-trained and the supply chain is validated and the products are safely produced,’” said Bronfein, who founded Curio Wellness in 2014 with her father.

Keeping up with the federal CGMP certification demands adds costs to production but the company is setting itself up for the future, when Bronfein predicts cannabis may be regulated under the FDA, rather than by states.

Michael Mayes, founder and CEO of cannabis consulting firm Quantum 9, Inc. said a CGMP certification makes an impression on consumers who understand that certification is granted when rigorous standards are met, but things like prestigious awards won for certain products are more marketable.

“But the consumer is more interested in the product, not the label,” Mayes said. “You can have a terrible label but great product and still sell.”

Curio Wellness’ Missouri business is license partners with other brands from other states, and will produce and distribute Fuzed vapes, Edie Parker flower and vapes and Kaviar infused pre-rolled joints, Bronfein said.