St. Louis — Expertise and inclusion are the driving forces behind the opening of two new St. Louis dispensaries. ViolaMO (VMO) is focused on providing premium cannabis products as well as jobs and training for underrepresented communities in the cannabis space. Both VMO dispensaries, operating under the ViolaSTL brand, will be located in the City of St. Louis and will be the only Black-owned dispensary in the downtown/central business and entertainment districts.
2001 Olive Street – Across the street from the newly opened Major League soccer stadium and less than a mile from the Illinois border.
3420 Iowa Street – In the Cherokee district. The only dispensary offering drive-thru ordering/ pick-up.
Plans include hiring/training roughly 300 racially diverse employees (including a BIPOC management team).
VMO, founded by local entrepreneur Larry Hughes and Al Harrington, Viola Founder/CEO, is leading the charge to bring diversity and inclusion to the Missouri cannabis marketplace through these openings. Hughes tapped cannabis pioneers Harrington, and Viola co-founder Dan Pettigrew because of their experience operating large-scale cannabis operations and their commitment to inclusion.
“Since founding, our mission has been to bring diversity to the cannabis market while providing opportunities for those most impacted by the war on drugs to support their families legally, and I’m proud to finally bring that to the people of Missouri with my brother Larry.”– Al Harrington, Chairman/CEO, Viola.
Harrington and Pettigrew have been operating in legal cannabis markets since 2008. Deep experience operating large-scale cannabis operations in 5 other states. Missouri issued only a handful of licenses to black ‘canna-prenuers’, VMO is the only experienced and largest Black-owned business.
VMO is proud to be a trailblazer creating opportunities for people of color to have representation and ownership in this expanding and dynamic market.
The significance of the opportunity to lead the budding Missouri cannabis market, and shape the culture, is not lost on VMO’s leadership team. VMO is committed to growing, manufacturing and selling, premium quality [cannabis] flower, including pre-rolled ‘joints’, vapes, and edibles while fulfilling their responsibility to bring opportunities for minorities at every level.
Cannabis is alternative medicine used to address lifesaving health & wellness needs. It’s an alternative to highly-addictive painkillers (synthetic opioids). Used as a treatment for psychological ailments like anxiety, depression and PTSD.
About VMO
VMO is a partnership with Larry Hughes and Village Brands, a Chicago-based multi-state operator founded by cannabis veterans Al Harrington and Dan Pettigrew. Village Brands will manage day-to-day operations, sales and marketing for VMO.
About Viola
Viola is the leading Black-owned producer and licensed reseller of premium cannabis products. Founded in 2011, the brand was inspired by co-founder Al Harrington’s grandmother, who had long suffered from glaucoma. He convinced her to try cannabis, which relieved her symptoms, demonstrating the power of the plant. This pivotal experience inspired Harrington to name his company after his grandmother and begin his journey as CEO of Viola Brands. Viola’s mission is to increase equity within the cannabis space to ensure black and brown people are afforded an opportunity to be a part of a fast-growing industry that historically has left them disenfranchised. With over 10 years of experience growing premium flower and producing award-winning extracts, Viola offers a wide variety of strains and products across four states and throughout Canada.
