This Starbucks Manager Is Building A Cannabis Dispensary Chain

Why work in the saturated coffee industry when you can start your own dispensary chain? After discovering medical cannabis for insomnia, this former Starbucks manager opened a dispensary chain to make cannabis more accessible. And with Canada on the verge of recreational legalization, Krystian Wetulani is ready to expand his modern take on buying weed throughout the West Coast.

Starbucks Manager Discovers Cannabis For Insomnia

Krystian Wetulani used to manage a few different Starbucks coffee branches. But before even beginning his career at Starbucks, Wetulani struggled with insomnia. He tried different pharmaceutical options during his teens and twenties, all of which led to the same outcome. “I don’t know if you’ve ever tried sleeping pills, but they don’t make you feel the best the next day,” Wetulani explained to the Daily Hive. Groggy and wary of mass-produced pharmaceuticals, he set out to find something more natural.

Eventually, Wetulani stumbled upon cannabis for insomnia. “I tried cannabis one day and it was almost like a miracle. I was sleeping like a baby without any side effects the next morning,” he added. Not only could he sleep through the night, but he could focus more in class and enjoy his day-to-day life.

Leaving Coffee For Cannabis

City Cannabis Co/Instagram

While buying medical cannabis, Krystian became familiar with the culture surrounding dispensaries at the time. And he didn’t like what he saw. He was overwhelmed by all the weed smoking in the dispensaries he visited. “My first impression was ‘I’m trying to get some medicine here but I can barely breathe’,” Wetulani explained.

So he set out to create a new kind of medical cannabis dispensary. Vancity Weed opened in 2013 in Vancouver, British Columbia. Since then, they’ve changed the name to City Cannabis Co. and set up another location at the intersection of Robson and Seymour in Vancouver. City Cannabis Co. is also in the process of getting a third dispensary license.

Krystian Wetulani built his medical cannabis dispensary chain to appeal to modern weed consumers like him. This meant creating a warm and professional space with excellent customer service, a relaxed West Coast vibe and helpful technology.

Aren’t sure what kind of weed would be best for your condition? City Cannabis Co is here to help. This means that customers can smell and touch the weed—all while learning about different strains from an iPad or an employee.

One of the biggest hurdles for getting medical cannabis is finding a knowledgeable doctor. Furthermore, some people new to medical cannabis may be wary of discussing such a stigmatized topic with their medical practitioner. For this reason, this Starbucks manager opened a dispensary chain that has a doctor come in one a week to give free consultations.

Bringing Starbucks Customer Service to Dispensaries

Starbucks is renowned for maintaining great customer service across tens of thousands of locations. Wetulani is bringing the same care, attention and consistency to buying weed. Though it’s currently a medical cannabis dispensary, this weed business is poised to pivot into adult use, bringing modern technology and a new age approach to weed that goes beyond ‘stoner’ culture.

This is yet another example of how leaders in the food and beverage industry are transitioning to cannabis careers.