In the industrial kitchen at Major Bloom, staff are assembling joints using a gadget that turns out nearly 200 so-called “pre-rolls” in one go. A large bag of multi-colored fruit cereal sits ready to be baked into marijuana-infused treats. And owner Ulysses Youngblood is explaining the business philosophy he subscribes to, a “blue ocean” strategy.
“Blue ocean is basically like saying that there’s enough space for everybody to have their own lane, essentially,” he says. “There’s enough water in the sea for us to kind of sail and do our own thing.”
The concept comes from Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne, best-selling authors of several books on “red ocean” and “blue ocean” theory. Red oceans are existing markets, where competition is cutthroat, or bloody; Blue oceans are niches in the market, where innovative businesses can carve out new demand.
In the fledgling cannabis industry, large companies have quickly risen to dominate the market in states where pot is now legal. But Youngblood says he believes there’s room for everyone, if they think about cannabis as a blue ocean, like he does. “That’s what’s important, you know. You don’t look at anyone as direct competition.”
Retail sales of recreational weed got going in Massachusetts in 2018. Here in Connecticut, they’re slated to begin by the end of this year.
