YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Riviera Creek, the only licensed cannabis cultivator in the city, has increased its operations from 5,000 to 62,000 square feet in its Crescent Street building.
The company has also added multiple products to its offerings, with plans for more.
“It’s a lot of grow space,” said Brian Kessler, Riviera Creek chairman. “It’s literally millions of grams – and we sell in gram units – so it’s multimillion units of product that are made in this facility.”
The company gave tours of the expanded operation Wednesday to members of the media and introduced three new products.
“The backbone of Riv is always innovation,” said Kessler, who has invented 2,500 products, spanning multiple industries.
One of the company’s popular products is the Riv Stick. It’s a proprietary plastic container with a pop top that holds cannabis that can be poured into a vape or paper. That allows the user to select the amount of product and keeps the remainder fresh.
About two weeks ago, the company introduced its line of gummies.
“Our three pack gummies are one of the best-selling gummies in the market right now,” Kessler said. “Our gummies are different than the competition in that ours have no bitter taste.”
Daniel Kessler, Riviera’s CEO and Brian Kessler’s nephew, explained that the company uses a multistep process to remove fats and lipids, which eliminates the unpleasant plant taste.
“This is what we now can use in our edibles, and this is how we were able to achieve that no bitter aftertaste, which is very unique in our industry,” he said.
The company last week launched a freeze-dried caramel flavored edible.
“It’s fun,” Brian Kessler said. “It’s got a good mouth feel, and that’s really what we were going for as opposed to just gummies out there.”
It can also be added to flavor a hot drink.
Both of the gummies and the freeze-dried cannabis caramels come in packs of three. Each piece contains 10 milligrams of cannabis.
The caramels launched within the past month. It’s a new way for people to interact with the product that tastes good, is safe and delivers a consistent dose every time, Brian Kessler said. That’s helpful whether it’s for medical or adult use.
Several months ago, Riviera began packaging pre-rolled cannabis products. But a new product from the company, called a Riv Stick Clear Stick, improves upon the traditional design.
“Pre-rolls have been in the world for years, and around America and other markets,” Brian Kessler said. “It’s a pretty dominant product. There’s a problem with pre-roll, and that is it’s wrapped in paper and just like a paper towel is designed to absorb water. The paper actually absorbs the moisture from the product.”
That dries out the cannabis, reducing the quality.
The Clearstick though is wrapped in plant material that preserves moisture and quality. The material, which looks like plastic wrap, is cellulose, Daniel Kessler said.
That product will launch in July. Another new product that will launch soon is called the DIY. It’s a plastic cylinder, separated into two sides, each with a pop top. One side includes the cannabis, and the other houses pre-rolls.
A user fills the pre-roll with the desired amount of cannabis and snaps the top closed to preserve the rest.
Riviera Creek started with two cannabis grow rooms and five employees. It employs about 100 today, and when expansion is complete, it will house 12 grow rooms.
“We constantly evolve our growing technique,” Brian Kessler said.
The company uses an aeroponic method. Rather than growing in soil, the plants’ roots are suspended in the air and get misted with water and nutrients. And it’s all very controlled.
Employees don gowns, hairnets, gloves, masks and booties in working with the plants. And state inspectors make regular and surprise visits to ensure the company is following regulations.
“Because the roots are suspended in air and our nutrient delivery system is feeding directly, almost like an IV through the roots, the only thing that gets to the plant is exactly what we want in that plant,” Brian Kessler said.
That keeps out bacteria and other environmental elements that could be present through other grow methods.
“By us delivering and monitoring and measuring and controlling the temperature gages and all kinds of controlling systems, what winds up is the finished product is now able to be controlled much more than almost any other growing system in the world,” he explained.
It also allows Riviera Creek to achieve consistency.
“Ironically, I developed all this because I wanted consistency,” he said. “We were shocked to find out that it also helped introduce high quality. So, in the end, Riviera is one of the highest quality growers in the state … and it’s allowed us to become the leader in the market.”
The company’s growth is driven by demand.
According to the Ohio Department of Cannabis Control, total nonmedical sales as of April 25 topped $1.4 billion, with medical sales at more than $2.3 billion. Nonmedical sales started Aug. 6, 2024, and medical sales began Jan. 14, 2019.
If Riviera Creek decides it wants to grow beyond its building, it has options, Brian Kessler said.
“One is, we’re on 5 1/2 acres, so there is room to add new building construction,” he said.
The company could opt to buy another local facility.
“And then there’s also the conversation, do we want to have it in another location for distribution,” Brian Kessler said. “Maybe it’s easier to have something for the southern part of the state, so those are on the table. Those aren’t formally fleshed out at this point, but in the next two years, we’re going to have to make sense out of that.”
Pictured at top: Daniel Kessler and Brian Kessler of Riviera Creek in Youngstown.