Island Grads Form Cannabis Partnership

Two Aquidneck Island natives are going back to their roots. Aquidneck Harvest Company, a licensed cannabis processor founded by Newporter Timothy Ryan, a 2005 Rogers High grad, last month announced an exclusive partnership with Sea Witch Me­dicinals, a producer of small-batch cannabis-based products founded by 1987 Middletown High grad Jes­sica Gorman.

Neither Ryan nor Gorman were very science minded Gorman)in their youth.

Gorman was more at home in art or English literature classes. “It wasn’t until I later started cooking

Christopher professionally that I discovered how fun and artful the science of formulation can be,” she said. courtesy “Marie Vincent, my art teacher, was the influ­ence who had the most on me during my high school years. She made the art rooms a haven and instilled in her stu­dents the kind of creative thinking that has informed everything I’ve done since. I feel fortunate to have landed in a profession that involves science and math, but also requires a great deal of creativity.”

Courtesy photo 

“I had an interest in math, in­spired by my grandfather, John Mason, a longtime math teacher at Thompson Middle School,” Ryan said. “Rick Fullerton was a math teacher at Rogers who helped con­tinue to push my interest in prob­lem solving and critical thinking during high school.”

The strategic licensing agree­ment enables AHC to manufacture and distribute Sea Witch’s THC and CBD-infused tonics, tinctures, topicals and more across Rhode Island’s licensed dispensaries.

“This licensing agreement marks a pivotal moment for both companies,” Ryan said. “As a fam­ily owned business committed to local innovation, we’re excited to partner with a woman-owned trail­blazer like Sea Witch to elevate the cannabis experience in our state.”

Under the terms of the agree­ment, AHC will license Sea Witch’s formulations and branding for production using its extraction and infusion capabilities. The collabora­tion aims to combine AHC’s estab­lished production and distribution with Gorman’s apothecary-based approach to expand access to can­nabis wellness products.

”This partnership empowers us to focus on innovation and com­munity outreach, while expanding our product’s accessibility to Rhode Islanders,” Gorman said.

Founded in 2017, AHC purchases ingredients from local cultivators and uses a carbon dioxide process to extract crude oils. The oil is then infused into consumable products such as cartridges, edibles and top­icals. In addition to products such as gummies, pre-rolls and vapor­izers, AHC regularly partners with producers such as Sea Witch to broaden its portfolio in exchange for its production and distribution services.

Gorman founded Sea Witch Medicinals in 2014. Searching for more “interesting” edible and tinc­ture based products than what was being offered in shops at the time, she utilized natural ingredi­ents and time-honored apothe­cary techniques. Nearly a dozen years later, the result is a repertoire of sustainable, natural products, including tonics, lotions, teas and honey, in branded packaging with a feminine edge.

Being island natives with com­panies in the same industry, Ryan and Gorman said they were aware of each other’s operations prior to collaborating, and there was mu­tual respect. The impetus for the partnership came from a social media manager, who suggested a joint effort.

Ryan, who became interested in the sci­ence behind cannabis after seeing its medic­inal benefits, said AHC applied to become a licensed cultivator in 2021, when Rhode Is­land was on the verge of legalizing adult recreational use of cannabis and opening licensed dispensaries. His was one of roughly 80 applications com­peting for three avail­able licenses at the time, causing AHC to pivot to processing and manufacturing. AHC became a li­censed processor and Ryan began working with local cultivators and producers in 2022.

In the early days of legal recre­ational cannabis in Rhode Island, dispensaries would buy whole-sale cannabis flower from cultiva­tors and package it with generic store labels that included the pro­ducer’s name in fine print. Now, product packaging has unique components, visual flair and room for recognition.

“Back then, there really was no room for branding,” Ryan said. “Jess was really the first to the punch in the state on that.

“A lot of times, we have to do the legwork in terms of getting shelf space, but Jess has done a good job of securing her products’ placement in dispensaries over the years,” he added. “It’s a very com­petitive space on the dispensary shelves. We have about 60 licenses competing in seven stores.”

Gorman attributes the recog­nizability of her products to her longevity and branding, which she describes as the most fun aspect of the business. She said Sea Witch has been in search of a business collaborator and she feels fortu­nate to partner with AHC. Finally, the opportunity lends itself well to two island natives talking shop, she said.

“When I met Tim and we started talking, I could tell we were on the same page,” she said. “We speak the same language, although I don’t know if that’s an island thing or a cannabis thing.”

Products from both companies are available at licensed dispensa­ries throughout the state.