Maria Bonvechio, Head of Wholesale for King City Gardens- Interview Series

While the Ohio cannabis industry may be one of the newest recreational markets, it is not yet known as a hotspot for cannabis culture. Despite this, the Buckeye State’s cannabis industry has still generated over $1 billion in total sales. Even though the state shares a border with Michigan, a powerhouse state in the sector that has sold more than multiple state markets combined, Ohio remains thriving and unique. For a deeper look into the Ohio cannabis industry and the strengths and weaknesses of an industry still so nascent, mycannabis.com had the pleasure of speaking with Maria Bonvechio, Head of Wholesale for King City Gardens.

Prior to working in the cannabis industry, what industries did you work in? 

Before entering the cannabis industry, I worked in the medical field, managing a 500-patient Chiropractic office. I was also a Home Healthcare aid focusing on Veterans, and then moving into my first cannabis job managing two Ohio Marijuana Card clinics. My work focused on patient intake, compliance, and day-to-day operations, including direct supervision of physicians and intake staff. That’s where I started to understand people seeking alternative relief from traditional medical modalities that were failing their quality of life. My roots are in patient advocacy, and that perspective has never left me.

What caught your professional attention about working in the cannabis industry? What was your previous personal experience with cannabis prior to entering the industry? 

I’ve always been drawn to plant medicine and its ability to support the whole body, mind, and spirit. Professionally, cannabis was one of the few industries where I saw a real intersection of impact, growth, and creative innovation. I entered the space knowing I wanted to make it more accessible and understandable for people who were curious but cautious. My personal experience gave me confidence, but it was seeing patients light up with hope that pulled me in completely. 

My biggest surprise was the patient demographics. I worked with thousands of people between the ages of 40 and 85 who were trying cannabis, sometimes for the first time ever, and many as a last resort after exhausting other options. Many of them came back the following year to renew their card and shared life-changing stories from getting off blood pressure meds, sleeping better, and just living with a better quality of life. That kind of feedback grounds this work in something much deeper than product or profit. It’s about restoring possibilities for people who had almost given up.

What were your first roles in the Ohio cannabis industry, and what were the most valuable lessons and skills you learned during your early years? 

My first cannabis role was in patient registration and education at Ohio Marijuana Card, where I quickly learned the importance of clarity, compassion, and meeting people where they are. From there, I moved into wholesale and wore just about every hat you can imagine — hauling soil, lollipopping plants, hanging sachets, stuffing tubes, packing fresh-frozen biomass, managing sales, launching brands, handling logistics, making deliveries, and even building METRC manifests from scratch. 

I laugh about it now, but there were days I was driving across Ohio in my Honda Civic with hundreds of thousands of dollars in product and cash, handling every part of the process myself. I’d deliver to dispensaries, run patient education events, and build menus in Excel, all while raising three kids on my own. It was fast-paced, nonstop, and incredibly hands-on, but it shaped how I work today. I learned how to connect each part of the supply chain to the actual experience patients were having on the ground. The biggest lesson was this: every step matters when you’re trying to build trust in a brand-new industry.

How would you describe working in the Ohio cannabis industry prior to Issue 2 passing in 2023? What were the biggest changes to your work and job duties when Ohio went recreational? 

Before Issue 2 passed, the medical market in Ohio required considerable creativity and patience. There were fewer tools, tighter limitations, and a constant need for education. When the adult-use market opened, everything scaled quickly. Overnight, the volume of orders increased, the pace of communication doubled, and consumer expectations shifted. My work now and always has been onboarding new dispensaries, educating teams, staying ahead of dual-market regulations, and making sure our messaging and quality align with how fast the industry is growing.

What are your regular duties as Head of Wholesale for King City Gardens? What are some lesser-known parts of the job that average customers may not consider? 

At King City Gardens, I manage our statewide sales strategy, coordinate brand drops, support logistics, monitor and create data, align with all of the state’s dispensaries, and maintain relationships with dispensary buyers. I also spend a lot of time with new software and watching how data shifts week to week. One part of the job most people don’t see is the storytelling. Whether it’s crafting menu language, responding to feedback, or setting up a drop that actually sells through, I’m always thinking about how to make our product make sense to someone who’s never tried it before. That connection work is what keeps the sales strong.

What are some clever and useful ways that King City stands out among the Ohio cannabis industry? How does the brand consistently ensure quality remains consistent? 

King City Gardens doesn’t cut corners. We focus on full-spectrum expression, dialed-in processes, and clear communication with our retail partners. One thing we do well is blending legacy cultivation principles with operational consistency.

We also stay close to the plant and close to the people who use it. We are proud that we do not remediate any of our cannabis. Our team is passionate, and it shows in the quality. From harvest to packaging, everything we sell is fresh and hand-manicured. Quality isn’t something we chase at the end. It’s baked into the whole process.

Even though it’s one of the youngest markets in the country, the Ohio cannabis industry has still broken over $1 billion in total sales. What do you think are some of the primary reasons behind the Ohio industry’s major successes? 

Ohio’s cannabis market grew fast because we had a foundation in the medical program. Patients were already familiar with products and trusted dispensaries, so when adult use came online, the transition was exciting. Operators here are strategic, and many of us were already planning for recreational sales before they were official. That preparedness, combined with real demand and brand loyalty, helped push the numbers where they are today. With only 37 cultivators in the state supplying the whole market, all brands work together to some degree. Whether it is selling to each other’s retail locations or supplying biomass for processing, we are truly one working together, even though there are more than 230 brands available and growing.

What advantages does the Ohio industry have over other neighboring state markets? 

Our state’s regulatory systems, though rigid at times, actually help create a baseline of quality and safety. We also have a patient community that’s been engaged for years, and that makes a difference. A lot of other markets leaned hard into hype. Ohio focused on education and access, and that gave us a stronger launchpad when adult use rolled out.

Simultaneously, what are some of the Ohio market’s biggest disadvantages and most widespread issues? 

One of the biggest challenges in Ohio is the market’s inconsistency. From moratoriums to licensing uncertainty, operators are constantly navigating moving targets. But one issue that really stood out this year was the shift in compliance around flavor regulations. When the DCC updated the rules and removed non-cannabis-derived flavors from vapes, all-in-ones, and concentrates, it caught a lot of consumers off guard. Everyone in wholesale and retail knew it was coming, but very little was done to prepare the public. 

I tried to get ahead of it on our end by using Dutchie banners and updating our retail menu messaging, but that only reaches the consumers shopping at the dispensaries where King City Gardens owns, The Garden. It’s just a small fraction of

the state dispensary licenses. I would love to see the DCC invest in more direct-to-consumer education, especially when changes like this impact how products are purchased. Operators can adjust, but without shared messaging, customers are left confused, and that affects the entire supply chain.

Outside of your roles in cannabis, what are some charity organizations you volunteer with, and what is the importance of those organizations’ work and objectives? 

I founded the MC Warrior Project, a grassroots nonprofit focused on supporting families navigating trauma through mindfulness and connection to free resources. It started from my own lived experience and the realization that too many families in crisis have no idea where to turn. We focus on education, empowerment, and connecting people to lesser-known nonprofits that can actually help them move forward. It’s built on my family’s own journey. 

In addition to that work, I’ve been a long-standing advocate for victim rights through the Ohio Crime Victim Justice Center. I supported efforts to pass Marsy’s Law in Ohio and continue to uplift conversations around trauma-informed care and access to justice. That advocacy is personal for me, and it’s one of the most meaningful parts of my life’s work.

How do you envision the federal rescheduling of cannabis impacting both your job duties and the Ohio cannabis industry as a whole?

Federal rescheduling will hopefully remove a lot of the barriers we’re still working around, especially when it comes to banking, logistics, and research. I’d love to see expanded access, more open supply chains, and the removal of outdated stigma across the entire ecosystem. From a business perspective, it means I can build strategies without having to work around so many restrictions. Partnerships across state lines would become less complicated, and operators could focus more on growth than on navigating red tape. 

But beyond operations, I want to see reform that impacts real lives. I’ve been documenting products in METRC for nearly seven years, and yet there are still people sitting in prison for doing what’s now considered legal business. Rescheduling needs to come with pathways to release for non-violent cannabis offenses, and our industry needs to step up and create opportunities for those individuals when they come home. This isn’t just about policy. It’s about people who deserve a second chance and a place in the future of cannabis.

Thank you for joining us, Maria! For more information on King City Gardens, please visit its website.