FOND DU LAC, Minn.– ‘ANANG Native Cannabis Company’ held their official grand opening today, after a soft launch earlier this week.

The dispensary sits on the border of Cloquet and the Reservation on Big Lake Road.

With their slogan being ‘Products with Purpose, From Soil to Soul’.

The company is excited to bring in a new economic option to the region.

“The economic impact is something that’s really important. Not only to the tribal community, for ourselves and the region. We have about 15 FT or full-time employees and those employees come from the around the area. You know, they’re living here and coming here from the Duluth Superior area,” said Caleb Dunlap, the Communications Director for the Fond du Lac Reservation.

This opportunity follows the legalization of cannabis in Minnesota back in 2023.

Being the first in the area, ‘ANANG’ is looking forward to paving the way for more potential.

“As it progresses across the state, we can also be the ones that are teaching other people in other communities. And so, it ties to the name of us of ‘ANNANG’, ‘ANNANG’ in Ojibwe means ‘star’. And so, we wanted to be this, this leading star, this bright light,” said Dunlap.

In the meantime, the Fond du Lac Band has established a cannabis regulatory committee and is growing its own products using living soils and natural spring water.

But in the shop, itself, you can find flower and bud, as well as an arrangement of edibles.

“So, as you can see here on our menu, there’s some nifty names, but it really helps to the customer to understand, you know, what are the strains of products that we have and our, our crew here is well versed on just kind of the medicinal features of the products,” said Dunlap.

“And so the reason I’m proud of us, and I want others to be proud of us, is that we really are stepping out and we’re being bold, you know, and we’re being this, like Guiding Light, and that’s why, you know, our logo, even in itself, it’s very bold and it’s and it represents this Guiding Light. And we want to be, we want to have an impact on our own people and impact on our area. So yeah, I’d love to share that with everyone,” beamed Dunlap.