Due to its once illicit nature in Colorado, marijuana plants were primarily cultivated indoors. This led to high production costs and a general lack of innovation. Ever since its legalization in Colorado for recreational use in 2012, innovators have been seeking ways to up their revenues and remove the stigma associated with this innocuous plant. The Green Man Ranch and Amphitheater is the ambitious $35 million project of owner of the Green Man Cannabis marijuana company, Christian Hageseth. Hageseth, who detailed his journey through his book Big Weed, holds ownership over strains that have won countless local and national awards. Now, he aims to bring his knowledge and expertise to the table in an effort to break the negative stereotypes surrounding marijuana by creating a cultural and educational hub for tourists and locals alike.
The Green Man Ranch and Amphitheater is set to open in Denver in early 2016 and will feature a performance space, a rooftop bar, a restaurant, a gift shop and, of course, a dispensary. With over 2 acres of greenhouse grow facility, guests can take a tour to smell, see, and touch high quality strains. A tunnel will run through the greenhouses with the air pressure directing the smells toward the tunnel where guests can revel in delight. The concept aims to provide transparency to the public about the entire process: beginning with when the seed gets planted to when the bountiful amount of products reach the customer. Only a half hour from Denver’s downtown center and airport, the ranch is easily accessible to tourists and locals.
The outdoor amphitheater will seat over 3,000 patrons. It will not only be a performance space for musicians, but Hageseth also plans to host farmer’s markets, yoga and dance classes, theatre performances, art fairs, food tastings, and more at the venue. His commitment to the community and the sustainability of the natural ecosystem is apparent. Inspired from the food-to-the-table restaurants, the Green Man restaurant will change its menu according to its available ingredients grown on site. Patrons will be able to enjoy the panoramic views of the Rocky Mountains along with its lush and green landscape.
Hageseth’s mission is to raise $100 million in investments for a national weedery development to fund and build their first 5 in Nevada, Massachusetts, California, and Washington. Their Denver location was originally an aircraft junkyard which required an enormous effort to clean up and transform into a state-of-the-art marijuana grow facility. The Green Man Ranch’s commitment is to improve ecological sustainability and pair marijuana side by side with our favorite activities to make it mainstream.
Although you won’t be able to smoke at their rooftop bar, Hageseth hopes that this groundbreaking establishment will change people’s minds on their perception of marijuana. Hopefully, his efforts to make marijuana legal will bring us one step closer to the day that we can all enjoy a nice joint and dance to our favorite musicians while eating some delectable food.
