SLOCAL ROOTS

What SLOCAL ROOTS does

SLO CAL Roots is a family-owned, vertically integrated cannabis company headquartered in San Luis Obispo County, California, operating since 2003. The business combines in-house cultivation across two farms in Nipomo and Los Osos with three retail dispensary locations: the flagship SLO CAL Roots store in San Luis Obispo, a Grover Beach location, and Root One in Guadalupe. Cultivation emphasizes organic living soil methods, sun-grown flower, and hand-trimming, positioning the company in the craft segment of California's legal cannabis market rather than industrial-scale production.

On the retail side, SLO CAL Roots distributes its own house brand alongside third-party premium labels including Alien Labs, Connected, and Stiiizy, generating revenue through direct-to-consumer cash-only transactions. The pricing model is anchored by a signature "$1 eighth" promotion with a $50 minimum purchase, designed to drive basket size in a price-sensitive recreational consumer segment. The company additionally operates a Cannabis Compassion Program serving terminally ill patients, adding a mission-driven revenue and goodwill component.

SLO CAL Roots is privately held under the legal entity Slocalroots IP Holdings, LLC, with three active California cannabis retail licenses (C10-0000952-LIC, C10-0001449-LIC, C10-0001451-LIC) and no disclosed external funding rounds. The reported 1-10 employee range appears understated relative to a three-store plus two-farm operating footprint, indicating limited visibility into actual staffing and scale. Founder Austen Hearst is associated with the operation.

Name

SLOCAL ROOTS

Legal name

Slocalroots IP Holdings, LLC

Website

https://slocalroots.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

SLO CAL Roots is a family-owned, vertically integrated cannabis company operating three retail dispensaries and two cultivation sites in California's San Luis Obispo County, serving recreational consumers and terminally ill patients through direct, cash-only retail.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cannabis Retail Dispensary

SIC

Retail-Drug Stores And Proprietary Stores (5912), Medicinal Chemicals & Botanical Products (2833)

akta.pro primary industry

Cannabis Dispensary Chains & Multi-Location Operators (MSO/Regional) (CRANAFAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Medical Cannabis Dispensaries (CRANAFAB), Adult-Use (Recreational) Cannabis Dispensaries (CRANAFAA), Cannabis Dispensary with On-Site Consumption Lounge (where permitted) (CRANAFAF)

Keywords

• Cannabis dispensary retail
• Sungrown cannabis flower
• Vertical integration cannabis
• Cannabis cultivation farming
• Medical and recreational cannabis

Headquarters

HQ city

San Luis Obispo, California

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Retail Cannabis Sales: Direct retail sales of cannabis products including flower, vape, pre-rolls, edibles, extracts, topicals, and tinctures across three dispensary locations. Cash-only transactions with ATM on site. The company sells both its own SLO CAL Roots branded products and third-party brands including Alien Labs, Connected, Stiiizy, CA Love, Made, and many others.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

SLO CAL Roots is a vertically integrated cannabis retailer that cultivates its own sungrown cannabis flower at two Central Coast farms in Nipomo and Los Osos using 100% custom-mixed organic living soil, and sells that flower alongside a curated selection of third-party brands (Alien Labs, Connected, Stiiizy, CA Love, Made, and others) through three owned dispensary locations in San Luis Obispo, Grover Beach, and Guadalupe. The dispensaries offer flower, vape cartridges, pre-rolls, edibles, extracts, topicals, and tinctures to adult-use consumers (21+) and medical patients (18+ with valid medical ID), supported by daily promotional deals including the flagship '$1 eighth' with a $50 minimum purchase.

Product overview

SLO CAL Roots is a family-owned cannabis dispensary company operating three retail locations on California's Central Coast: San Luis Obispo, Grover Beach (with on-site consumption lounge), and Root One in Guadalupe. The company operates as a vertically integrated cannabis retailer with two proprietary farms in Nipomo and Los Osos where they cultivate their own sungrown cannabis flower using organic living soil methods. Their product portfolio consists of their own SLO CAL Roots branded flower alongside a curated selection of third-party brands across six core categories: Flower, Vape, Pre-Roll, Edibles, Extracts, and Topicals/Tinctures. The dispensaries offer daily deals including the signature '$1 eighth' promotion with minimum purchase, along with rotating brand-specific discounts. Beyond retail, the company operates a Cannabis Compassion Program for terminally ill patients and maintains a cultural content hub with educational articles about cannabis strains, science, and industry topics.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SLO CAL Roots Dispensary — San Luis Obispo Owned cannabis dispensary at 3535 S. Higuera St., San Luis Obispo, open 8AM–9PM daily. Serves adult-use cannabis consumers (21+) and medical patients (18+ with valid medical ID) with the company's own sungrown flower plus a broad selection of third-party brands. Phone: (805) 439-1496. Cash only with ATM on site.
• SLO CAL Roots Dispensary — Grover Beach (with On-Site Consumption Lounge) Owned cannabis dispensary at 923 Huber St., Grover Beach, with an on-site consumption lounge. Open 8AM–9PM daily. Serves adult-use consumers and medical patients with the same product mix as the SLO location, including storewide promotions of up to 75% off. Phone: (805) 904-6397. Cash only with ATM on site.
• Root One Dispensary — Guadalupe Wholly-owned subsidiary dispensary branded as Root One, located at 928 Guadalupe St., Guadalupe — the city's first cannabis dispensary. Serves the Guadalupe/Santa Maria area with the company's sungrown flower and third-party brands. Phone: (805) 219-0257. Cash only with ATM on site.
• SLO CAL Roots Sungrown Cannabis Flower (Own Brand) Proprietary cannabis flower grown under the California sun on the company's Central Coast farms in Nipomo and Los Osos. Cultivated in 100% custom-mixed organic living soil fed by spring water, slow-cured and hand-trimmed with no pesticides or growth hormones. Sold across all three dispensary locations.
• Cannabis Compassion Program Community program delivering free cannabis products to terminally ill patients across California's Central Coast. Led by Rateb Nesari and sustained through donations, it is a core community initiative of SLO CAL Roots.

Quantifiable outcome

• Cannabis Compassion Program delivers free products to terminally ill patients across the Central Coast

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Rateb NesaricoreOthersRateb Nesari leads the SLO CAL Roots Cannabis Compassion Program, which delivers free cannabis products to terminally ill patients across the Central Coast. The program is sustained through donations and represents a core community initiative for the company.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Cookies: Cookies is a cannabis lifestyle and consumer-products company with branded merchandise and retail touchpoints. It is an emerging-player comparator because its proprietary cannabis brand and experiential retail ecosystem resemble SLO CAL Roots’ focus on own-brand flower and local customer engagement.

Direct peers

• Green Dragon Cannabis: Green Dragon is a multi-state cannabis dispensary operator with a network of physical retail locations. It is comparable to SLO CAL Roots as a chain retailer serving adult-use consumers with a broad cannabis assortment.
• Planet 13: Planet 13 is a vertically integrated cannabis company centered on a large physical retail experience, with cultivation and branded products supporting its stores. It is comparable to SLO CAL Roots in combining differentiated retail, own product supply, and destination-oriented cannabis merchandising.
• MedMen: MedMen is a multi-state cannabis retail operator with physical dispensaries. It is directly comparable to SLO CAL Roots as a branded retail chain, although SLO CAL Roots is much smaller and regionally concentrated.
• The Cannabist Company: The Cannabist Company operates a multi-state network of cannabis dispensaries. Its retail-store model and focus on branded and third-party cannabis products overlap directly with SLO CAL Roots’ physical-store strategy.
• STIIIZY: STIIIZY operates cannabis retail locations alongside a broad portfolio of branded vape, flower, and other products. Its combination of physical retail, proprietary brands, and California presence makes it a close product-and-channel peer.

Broad incumbents

• Curaleaf: Curaleaf operates a large multi-state cannabis platform spanning cultivation, branded products, and retail dispensaries. It overlaps with SLO CAL Roots in direct-to-consumer cannabis retail and multi-category merchandising, but at substantially greater scale.
• Green Thumb Industries: Green Thumb Industries is an established multi-state cannabis operator with cultivation, consumer products, and retail operations through brands such as RISE and Essence. It is a broader incumbent comparator for SLO CAL Roots’ vertically integrated retail and cultivation model.
• Trulieve: Trulieve is a large multi-state cannabis operator combining cultivation, branded products, and a broad retail dispensary network. Its scale and integrated model provide a useful incumbent benchmark for a regional vertically integrated retailer.

Regional players

• Native Roots: Native Roots is a regional cannabis dispensary operator offering branded and third-party products through physical stores. It is comparable to SLO CAL Roots’ community-oriented retail model, although it primarily serves a different geographic market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/slocal-roots

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SLOCAL ROOTS