The first NamasteCafé is expected to open early next year in a soon-to-be revealed location
() (OTCQB:NXTTF) announced the launch of NamasteCafé, a cannabis-infused take on the modern café.
The cannabis company teamed up with Montreal restauranteur Jonathan Dresner, the man behind upscale burger restaurant Notre-Boeuf-De-Grâce, Pigeon Espresso Bar and plant-based quick service restaurant Kupfert & Kim.
READ: Namaste rallies on record C$1.25M in cannabis-related sales for period spanning US Thanksgiving Day, Black Friday and Cyber Monday
The café will serve Pigeon Coffee, jokingly referred to as the “world’s worst coffee.”
The location of the café will be announced within the next 60 days with the first store expected to open early next year.
Namaste plans to open up to 20 franchise locations across Canada by the end of 2019, as well as three overseas locations, including one in the UK, depending on local laws.
The stores will invite industry leaders and cannabis experts as part of an education-focused public outreach, hoping to educate consumers about consumption, legalization and other issues.
“Our intention is to offer the general public a safe space to ask open questions about cannabis, its benefits, risks, and topics people may want to cover,” said Namaste CEO Sean Dollinger in the company’s press release.
The company operates CannMart, an e-commerce platform for medical cannabis and related products, such as vaporizers and CBD products.
Namaste will also collaborate with Chef Pete Evans to launch H.E.A.L (Healthy Eating and Living) branded food-products, which will include cannabis-focused products and recipes.
The H.E.A.L brand also plans to launch an educational platform featuring how-to recipe videos and a series of videos with Pete Evans.
With the potential legalization of cannabis edibles and concentrates on the horizon in Canada, the brand is ready to produce a line of cannabis-infused products for that market as well.
Shares of Namaste were down about 4% to US$1.01 in Wednesday morning trading.
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