ELIOT, Maine — Champion boxer Mike Tyson made a special appearance at East Coast Cannabis for a private meet-and-greet Friday, celebrating his recent partnership with the local dispensary.
Tyson, whose TYSON 2.0 product has been sold at East Coast Cannabis for a year, spent 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with the dispensary’s owners, staff and 30 raffle-winning customers. Co-founder Dana Brearley said Tyson was generous with his time and gentler than his reputation as one of the world’s toughest fighters.
“He’s a sweet man,” Brearley said. “He was relaxing, passionate. He was laughing, he was joking, having a good time.”
The dispensary at 290 Harold L. Dow Highway had previously posted on social media about “a visit from the legend himself.” Co-founder Ryan Ward said about 50% of the event was customer focused.
“This is kind of a thank you and a give-back,” Brearley said.
Tyson was also there for a photo shoot at the new dispensary being built behind the trailer used for the store’s temporary retail location. The new location has been under construction since 2022 and will feature a 15,500-square-foot cultivation space. Brearley said it will likely be open to the public in September.
Tyson launched his cannabis company TYSON 2.0 in October 2021 and has since put out award-winning cannabis products, according to a story on PR Newswire. The company has since expanded to a variety of other related products, such as vapes. Tyson 2.0 products are currently sold in 17 countries and various dispensaries, including East Coast Cannabis.
Brearley said East Coast Cannabis reached out to Tyson’s company about selling TYSON 2.0 in Maine in 2023. The brand was already sold in several other states, and they wanted to bring it to Maine as well.
“Pretty much, we reached out,” Brearley said. “We said we like the product, and we like Mike Tyson.”
East Coast Cannabis has earned accolades like Best Maine Recreational Dispensary at the 2023 NECANN Community Awards. Brearley and Ward said they never considered their paths as cannabis cultivators would lead them to a partnership with one of boxing’s biggest names.
They and their other partner, James Folan, started as a medical-only dispensary. After five years, they became the state of Maine’s first recreational dispensary south of Portland in 2021. Their business boomed with just under $5 million in gross revenue in their first seven months selling recreational cannabis.
“We came from humble beginnings. We started a venture around a product we’re very passionate about,” Brearley said. “We’ve just been fortunate to have a very loyal customer base… That has the same appreciation for quality and integrity.”
