It is a sunny Saturday. The air is electric with the promise of summer. Only a few white clouds patrol the sky. A sunglass-donning DJ bobs his head to the speakers that are blasting bass music, just one of the many small booths that litter the parking lot of the Solar Cannabis Co. Joseph Ritchotte, head of operations for Hank’s Herbs, a cannabis cultivation and distribution business, sits behind his neat booth, offering lighters, air fresheners, and other items that feature the popular “Hank’s Herbs” insignia; something that looks like it should be neon and blinking in an ’80s sports bar. Richotte points to a sticker of a cartoon man with white hair and a beard, a nonchalant smile, and a joint. Richotte laughs in the bright sunlight, “That’s my dad.”
Hank Ritchotte began as a medical marijuana patient, and in 2017. He decided to become a cultivator, or a “caregiver.” Entering the cultivating business was not easy. Richotte describes it as “Pheno-hunting. We’re always looking for new genetics and new strains. That is how we found most of the strains we grow and sell today, we are constantly looking for new strains.” Because of their dedication to exploring the genetic variety of cannabis, Hank’s Herbs has become an award-winning cultivator and recently cleaned house at the 2024 RI Coastal Classic. Out of all the strains Hank’s offers, the crowd’s — and Richotte’s — favorite is the Fuzzy Melon. Richotte says it “makes me happy, it makes me talkative, it gives me energy, all around it is a good feeling.” There are some strains of cannabis that Richotte won’t touch, just because they don’t make him feel good. Every strain, every dosage, has an individualized effect on people. Richotte’s business mission is to educate the purchasers and consumers of cannabis., “Classic stoners are the stigma of this industry. Marijuana is so much more. It has medical and recreational benefits. We want people to understand what they’re buying. If you came in and bought something and had a negative experience, you wouldn’t want to come in anymore.”
Because Hank’s Herbs are cultivators, they do not have a direct relationship with the customers buying their products; that responsibility falls on a dispensary’s “budtenders,” the folks behind the counter at a dispensary. Like any type of farming, there is an aspect of the cannabis industry that cannot be controlled: the crop. Richotte stresses that “you’re dealing with a weed, a plant, every time you deal with this plant it doesn’t come out the same … It’s a plant. Its nature.” This is why it is hard to produce the product that Richotte feels is essential to Hank’s Herbs; a product that is #1 in quality and consistency. Hank’s Herbs distributes to local dispensaries: Solar, Aura, Mother Earth, Slater, RISE, Green Leaf, and Sweetspot. They specialize in pre-rolls, and Richotte is adamant that “we are making sure customers can enjoy safe cannabis that has been tested. There used to be a saying that ‘Legal cannabis is safe cannabis.’” Richotte believes the legalization and proper use of cannabis can change lives. He remembers, “When I first became a caregiver it was for a very important reason. My sister was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer and given four months to live. One of my best friends, who was a grower, kept telling me to get into the industry. Using marijuana was the only thing that allowed her two months of comfort from the pain she lived with.” As we’re talking behind the Hank’s Herbs booth, people keep coming up and praising Richotte for his product. His son stands to the side beaming. The sun is bright and warm. Richotte keeps offering people air fresheners. He looks at me after another couple leaves the booth with their shower of compliments and smiles easily, “Give the people what they want.” •
