CANANDAIGUA, N.Y. — One of New York’s few cannabis businesses owned by a service disabled veteran is celebrating a milestone. The owner of Sunwalker Farms in Canandaigua is also leading a push for the state to allow customers to consume on site, a move which he believes would open a new market for tourism opportunities in the state.
It’s taken years for Curt Boshnack to get to this point.
“It’s been quite a long road,” said Boshnack, owner of the cannabis micro-business. “I kind of dreamed of something like this. Never knew it would come to fruition, but I’m glad it did.”
Sunwalker Farms opened as a cannabis dispensary in Canandaigua one year ago. The process to get to this point lasted much longer after New York legalized recreational cannabis in 2021.
“I was working in IT, doing pretty well for myself,” he said. “But I couldn’t sit at a desk anymore.”
Before that, Boshnack served six years in the United States Marine Corps, working in IT and embassy security. He is the only service disabled veteran to hold a cannabis business license in the Finger Lakes region, selling a product he believes in.
“Cannabis helps. Horticulture therapy is real. Consumption helps as well, and there’s data to back it,” he said. “Really, it saved my life because after the military, you deal with an identity crisis because you feel like you have such a purpose, and then you’re kind of starting over.”
Sunwalker Farms is a licensed micro-business, meaning it’s essentially a farm-to-table marijuana operation. Cannabis is grown in a modest greenhouse operation on the outskirts of town. The plants are processed, packaged and then sold at the dispensary.
“The micro-business isn’t micro at all,” said Boshnack. “It’s a beast. I mean, it’s four businesses in one.”
Just like with any farmer, spring is the time to prepare for planting at this four-person operation. And at the dispensary, when they walk through the door, customers get an education.
“We have such an intimate knowledge base on our products, because we work with them directly,” said Patrick Tebbutt, assistant dispensary manager. “It’s a lot easier for me to go in depth and explain to a customer why a certain strain might give them a certain effect.”
“When you go to a micro-business dispensary like ours, it’s the only place where you meet the farmer,” added Boshnack. “You’re not just meeting the bud tender. You’re meeting people that work and grow the plant.”
Opening your own business takes a leap of faith. New York’s legal cannabis industry has faced a lot of issues, including lawsuits and delays in licensing. Taxes and fees are expensive, says Boshnack, and because cannabis isn’t federally legal, he can’t get a small business loan.
“I mean, it’s really nothing but challenge,” he said.
In the Finger Lakes region, there is a tourism industry centered around wineries, breweries and distilleries which can serve customers. With cannabis, there is no on-site consumption, which Boshnack and others are pushing to change. While on-site consumption of cannabis by those 21 and older is legally allowed in New York state under the 2021 law legalizing recreational use of marijuana, the state Office of Cannabis Management has yet to finalize regulations which would actually allow it to happen.
“The state’s kind of holding that part of the industry hostage,” said Boshnack. “And I get rolling out a new industry isn’t easy by any means, especially when it’s so regulated. But on-site consumption is huge. It’s an integral piece of the micro-business license.”
On March 28, Sunwalker Farms is celebrating its one year milestone with a celebration event. Most days during the week, there is something happening in the lounge at the dispensary, which offers open mic, trivia and euchre nights, as well as live music.
One year in, Boshnack looks to keep business rolling.
“We’re not looking back,” he said. “We’re just going to keep growing.”
