In a recent interview, we sat down with Wendy Bronfein, the Chief Brand Officer of a new cannabis dispensary franchise offering: Far & Dotter.
After leaving her senior leadership role as a marketing creative director to co-found medicinal cannabis brand Curio Wellness, Bronfein, along with her father and Co-Founder Michael Bronfein, recently launched their new franchise concept.
Far & Dotter, Swedish for father and daughter, is an expert and ally in the quest for innovative holistic healthcare and a personalized, unintimidating approach to cannabis education. The new Far & Dotter brand pulls from the Scandinavian egalitarian and cooperative culture, with a commitment to community, education, and an integrative approach to wellness.
Q: Why did your family start Far & Dotter?
A: I’ve always been passionate about branding, marketing, and creating opportunities in spaces where they may not already exist.
My background was originally in television marketing and production, including work with Live! With Kelly and Michael and The Andy Milonakis Show. My original goal was to run a network — but, after finishing my MBA, I was ready for a change.
On the other hand, my father, Michael Bronfein, has decades of experience in healthcare innovation. Both of us, along with my sister and brother, have always been interested in entrepreneurial endeavors, particularly those in the wellness sector.
When I initially broached the topic of going into the cannabis business to my dad, a longtime healthcare executive, he thought I was “nuts”. But persistence prevailed and our due diligence process revealed the therapeutic value this plant and industry can provide.
In 2016, we were fortunate to win licenses to cultivate, process and dispense in Maryland and our brand has been the market leader since inception.
As a member of the greater cannabis industry, it became clear that women and BIPOC individuals are grossly underrepresented in the cannabis industry. This is what really pushed us to do and be more.
This desire to make a real impact on this industry led us to start the inclusive Far & Dotter franchise model, and because cannabis dispensary franchises did not exist yet, we saw it as an opportunity to empower diverse entrepreneurs and serve communities on a broader scale.
We envision our stores as trusted neighborhood wellness centers that provide personalized care and education and demystifies the cannabis landscape. It's deeply rewarding to create a brand that is not only beautiful but also fundamentally rooted in improving people’s lives.
Q: How does Far & Dotter play a role in changing the demographics of the industry?
A: One of the key reasons that we started the Far & Dotter brand was to influence the demographic landscape of the industry and give everyone an equal opportunity to make their mark. We saw an opportunity to foster change and empower people to create generational wealth with a proven business model.
With this vision of expanding diversity and enabling economic empowerment in the industry, we started an investment fund that provides below-market rate franchise fees and financing programs to women, BIPOC and disabled veterans. The fund allows eligible franchisees to start their business as the majority owner from day one and enjoy a clear pathway toward full ownership.
far and dotter dispensaryQ: What are the benefits of operating a Far & Dotter franchise versus operating your own business?
A: When you open a Far & Dotter franchise, we provide the toolkit — all you need is your entrepreneurial spirit.
Overall, Far & Dotter gives you the skillset, experiences, and tools of a corporation, but exists to support independent owners and franchisees. At the end of the day, our mission as a franchisor is to inspire entrepreneurs and strengthen their path to success by providing brand power, operational support, established processes, and effective communication at every step of the process from site selection and construction to on-site training and marketing.
We have the resources to help independent operators stay competitive with quality and consistent inventory. Far & Dotter provides tools to help our franchisees manage inventory, markdowns, and procurement — our team provides robust support in areas like supply chain, product purchasing/creation and visual merchandising, to name a few.
In the cannabis industry, compliance is critical. We help franchisees remain compliant providing customized operations and regulatory manuals for each state in which we are located. We consistently monitor the landscape and update guidance to ensure that our franchisees remain current.
On the patient side of things, our customers love our quality-over-quantity approach and our calming, curated atmosphere. Born from our market-leading cannabis brand, Far & Dotter brings best-in-class products, educational events, holistic health services, and wellness experts all under one roof, bringing a trusted dispensary and wellness center into each community.
Q: What's the application process like? Do applicants need a dispensary license to franchise?
A: The application process can be started on our website, where prospective franchisees will go through a very intuitive six-step process that is anchored in discovery and education — both about Far & Dotter and the industry overall.
One hallmark of our process is our Discovery Day, which is an immersive workshop where we meet with applicants to truly walk them through our brand and industry, while assessing if our partnership is a good fit.
Once a prospective franchisee is approved, we hit the ground running with training, selecting the site of the new store, putting together a launch strategy, and hiring staff.
For existing dispensary licensees, converting to a Far & Dotter location, we provide transitional support on everything from remodeling to training to brand building & marketing. We are particularly excited about this population - our experience as a leading retailer and wholesaler well positions us to enhance existing operations through conversion to a Far & Dotter franchise.
We do not award cannabis dispensary licenses, but we can partner with prospective applicants to assist with this process if they seek to apply in their state.
Q: What's the most important thing people looking to get in the cannabis business should know?
A: It doesn’t have to be scary — you can have a partner and all the operational support you need to help you navigate legislation and operational nuances.
The cannabis industry as a whole is an incredibly rewarding community to be part of and it’s changing people’s lives for the better.
Through Far & Dotter, not only do you connect with your local community and improve consumers' lives, but you truly improve your own by embracing entrepreneurship and creating generational wealth.
Wendy Bronfein lives in the Baltimore area and is currently overseeing the renovations of the Timonium, MD dispensary, as well as advocating for change in federal law to normalize banking, allow more accessibility in the form of commercial lending and reform the overall tax burden on cannabis licensees.
Interested in franchising with Far & Dotter? Head to their website at fardotter.com to learn more.
