Wellgreens: How a San Diego Dispensary Built a 12-Store California Retail Chain in Under Four Years

- Founded in 2021, San Diego's Wellgreens grew to 12 California locations and $30M in sales by focusing on the parts of retail it could control: pricing, service, and data -

Wellgreens, not to be confused with the CVS counterpart, is a San Diego-based cannabis dispensary founded in 2021 by Menuu Hallak, Sarmad Hallak, and Bessma Loussia. The company opened its first three stores between September 2021 and April 2022, reached $30 million in sales by the end of 2023, and has since grown to 12 locations across California through a run of acquisitions completed by April 2025.

Betting on Retail Basics in a Market That Skipped Them

The Wellgreens team entered the cannabis space in 2020 with a specific observation: most operators in the category were behind standard, mainstream retail practices. Pricing, merchandising, and customer service in cannabis retail hadn't caught up to what shoppers expected in other categories, and that gap became the opening the founders built their business around.

That thesis translated into fast, deliberate growth. Three stores opened in eight months. By the end of 2023, the company had done $30 million in sales. Over the following year and a half, Wellgreens acquired nine additional locations, bringing the total to 12 by April 2025.

A Philosophy Built on What You Can Control

Location in cannabis retail is often fixed by local regulations and state and local zoning laws, not choice. The Wellgreens team is candid about that constraint, and about where they've chosen to compete instead: on customer service, product selection, pricing, and an easy shopping experience, with staff trained to educate customers rather than push a sale.

Data plays an equally large role behind the scenes. The team uses it to track customer behavior, manage inventory, and design promotions that support long-term growth rather than a single strong week or racing to the bottom. 

Their goals are straightforward: stores customers want to return to, employees who are proud to work there, and a business worth owning.

A Culture Built on Ownership and Consistency

Wellgreens describes its team as competitive, accountable, and customer-obsessed, with every function, from purchasing to the sales floor, tied back to two outcomes – a better customer experience and stronger business results. The core values guiding that culture are ownership, continuous improvement, and integrity, combined with a belief that data should back decisions without losing sight of the people behind the numbers.

According to Wellgreens, a team that knows leadership will support them, holds everyone to the same standard, and leads by example builds team trust.

What Sets the Stores Apart

Wellgreens points to three differentiators: value, selection, and service. That means competitive everyday pricing, a wide product assortment, and a staff trained to educate rather than simply sell. The team also explicitly names transparency as part of what it's building toward to make every visit easy, welcoming, and worth remembering.

A Team Effort Under Pressure

One of the moments the team points to as most representative of its culture came during a product promotion that drove far more foot traffic and sales than expected. Employees moved into roles outside their normal responsibilities, communication remained consistent, and the focus stayed on the customer experience throughout the day. The team closed with strong sales, satisfied customers, and a sense of ownership in what they'd pulled off together.

What's Next for Wellgreens

Wellgreens' next chapter centers on a collaboration with CAM, one of the top-selling flower brands in California, according to Headset sales data. The partnership includes six strains available exclusively at Wellgreens.

Beyond that collaboration, the team is working to expand its digital shopping experience, add more exclusive products, and build out additional brand partnerships. Details are still being finalized, but the team expects customers to notice the difference over the coming months.