Plans for Canajoharie Cannabis growing site advance

Posted October 6, 2023 on Times Union

E29 Labs, which has backing of Montgomery County, files application with the state to construct facility.

Plans for a $15 million indoor cannabis growing facility at the former Beech-Nut site in Montgomery County moved forward this week as the group behind the project submitted its application with state regulators.

E29 Labs, which stands for Exit 29 on the state Thruway, filed applications to be a cultivator, processor and distributor for adult-use cannabis with the Office of Cannabis Management on Wednesday.

The Beech-Nut baby food factory closed in 2010 when the company's owners moved into a new, modern facility 20 miles away in the town of Florida. There have been attempts to redevelop the site since then to no avail.

The indoor grow facility would employ 110 people, and E29 Labs says it plans to invest $15 million to build the facility on the eastern portion of the Beech-Nut site.

E29 is run by Shelley Roberts and her brother, Sheldon Roberts, along with Michael Dundas, an attorney who has operated and sold a cannabis company in Massachusetts. The Roberts are from downstate and grew up in New York City's Harlem. They had previously pursued a hemp farming project upstate before seeking to obtain a license as a cannabis producer in Canajoharie.

In a phone interview on Thursday, Sheldon Roberts said Wednesday was the first day to submit applications to the state for cultivators after the state initially granted conditional growing licenses to hemp farmers in 2022.

Roberts said he gets a lot of questions about when the facility will be built since the site is located close to the Thruway at what was a sprawling landmark foods site in the small village.

"This project has the potential to create hundreds of jobs and reinvigorate the economy of one of our historic river towns," Roberts said. "We are excited about its potential and appreciate the widespread community support we’ve received throughout the planning and design process."

Montgomery County and its economic development arm are assisting E29 in purchasing the site and developing it. Fulton-Montgomery Community College is also working with the company on job training.

The site was also readied with $6 million from the state's Restore New York program. The plan will move forward if and when the state grants E29 its licenses.

“This is a big moment for Montgomery County that is a long time in coming. E29 Labs’ project has the potential to create good-paying jobs in a community that is ready for those new opportunities," Ken Rose, CEO of the Montgomery County Business Development Center said in a statement. "It would reinvigorate the community in Canajoharie and maximize the state’s existing investment in the site in a way that sets it up for sustained success."