The Chronic Factory Dispensary Replaces New Amsterdam Organics

The medical marijuana dispensary at 150 Rio Grande Boulevard has a new face, now that the Chronic Factory  has opened in the former New Amsterdam Organics store.

According to Chronic Factory co-owner Matthew Lopez, the on-site cultivation is where his team shines.

“Our flower is just so different," he says. "It sets itself apart."

The Denver native brings more than a decade of experience cultivating legal marijuana to the Chronic Factory, starting in 2008 at Northern Lights Cannabis Co., where he and his staff were responsible for first- and second-place showings at a Rooster THC Classic, and a first-place finish at a High Times Cannabis Cup. After leaving Northern Lights to grow for Willie's Reserve for several years, Lopez joined New Amsterdam Organics as a co-owner.

But when New Amsterdam Organics was stuck in financial peril earlier this year, Lopez recruited a new investor to buy out the dispensary's majority owner, and started working on the Chronic Factory transition.

“I wanted to start a company and create my own atmosphere, and treat everybody equally," he explains.

The Chronic Factory opened shop in July, taking over New Amsterdam Organics' old growing facility, as well. Lopez and his staff grow fifteen different strains of marijuana for the dispensary, and the company sells wholesale flower to other Colorado dispensaries, too.

"The plants are everything. We give every single plant the love and attention it needs to produce quality medicine. We are very hands-on in everything we do,” Lopez says. “Just smoking it, you can tell the difference, because of the flavor, high and texture of the buds.”

Unlike its predecessor, the Chronic Factory does not offer organic cannabis, but it comes close. “New Amsterdam Organics was run on all-organic products. It was pretty much a vegan line," Lopez says. "I do still use all-organic pest control and all-organic additives, but our overall nutrient formula is not technically organic."

The Chronic Factory is currently restricted to medical marijuana patients, but Lopez says plans are in the works to open for recreational sales at some point, and he hopes to build other growing facilities, as well.