Hispanic-Owned Budzooka Dispensary Opens in Elizabeth

Hispanic owned Budzooka dispensary opens in Elizabeth pictured here.

The Hispanic-owned Budzooka dispensary recently opened its doors downtown in the City of Elizabeth in Union County.

They had a quieter, soft opening last week with no ribbon cutting. Nonetheless a Union County Commissioner came out to celebrate the opening along with friends, allies, and family.

The Budzooka environment has a great feel to it with the unique colors of its logo. Like a couple of other dispensaries, they found an old bank they could use. Inside, it’s a cozy place. While most of the walls are white, other bright colors and decorations give it a fun vibe.

Wide Range of NJ Cannabis Flower and Products Available

Notably, the Budzooka dispensary has a bud bar where you can see and smell the different types of cannabis flower they have for sale.

Cannabis flower bud bar of Budzooka dispensary in Elizabeth pictured

This is important since seeing the quality of the flower and smelling it are significant factors in determining its quality. So many cannabis consumers appreciate this.

Initially, no NJ dispensaries had a bud bar.

Budzooka dispensary has a wide range of flower and cannabis products from cultivators and manufacturers that have entered the market for less than a year.

Among the newer cannabis growers with flower available for sale were Bango Elyon, Full Tilt Labs, Garden Greens, and Niche.

Their newer vape and concentrate brands included Onyx, Jersey Smooth, and  Sun Extraction vapes.

The new edible brands for sale included products by the gummy makers OGeez! and Gron, along with Jersey Canna chocolate.

They also had a few small Multi-State Operator (MSO) brands like Loud Labs and Nova Farms selling gummies, chocolate, and flower.

And then there were some very new products for sale like Cheeba Chews chocolate, Rove vapes, and Binske flower.

They only had a few large MSO brands for sale like Wana and Ozone.

Prime Location in Elizabeth to Serve Diverse Community

Budzooka dispensary is right by the downtown Elizabeth train station. So, they are likely to get a good amount of foot traffic.

Budzooka CEO James Tundidor Jr. (pictured above center) noted a lot of effort is going into revitalizing Elizabeth.

“We’re in a good position,” he said.

Tundidor noted that his mother instilled in him the habit of sweeping the front of the store, and he has taken it up as well.

It’s important to me to keep our streets clean.

Since Elizabeth is such a diverse city, Tundidor explained most of his budtender staff also speaks more than one language and his menu is in Spanish, Portuguese, and others.

Tundidor noted they recruited many from a Union County College job fair hosted by the county since the college has a professional cannabis training program.

He added they have worked hard to become part of the community by joining the local downtown association and Hispanic organizations.

Elizabeth is a very pro-cannabis city among the few that said they would allow consumption lounges. Some cannabis dispensaries have already opened there with more coming. The New Jersey adult-use recreational cannabis market was opened at the MSO Zen Leaf dispensary in the city on April 21, 2022.

Ownership Background

“It’s exhilarating. It’s a dream come true,” Tundidor said about finally opening.

He said they had been in the process for four years. Like many owners, he noted coping with NJ Cannabis Regulatory Commission (NJ-CRC) delays was intense.

Tundidor credited his team for helping him open.

“I’ve been in the game for about 12 years. I started on the CBD side. We just wanted to bring health and wellness products to help people,” he explained. “We wanted to help people and make people at the same time. I found cannabis always has that intersection.”

“You do good, it always comes around, but you can’t expect anything in return,” he noted.

“Living in Hialeah, FL (by Miami), the majority of the people living there are predominantly Hispanic. I lived in a predominantly Cuban neighborhood,” Tundidor said.

It was only when he came to New Jersey that he came to understand the stigma sometimes associated with that.

“I’m proud of my heritage and where I’m from,” Tundidor declared.

In Florida, Tundidor was a real estate agent.

He said he moved to the area four years ago.

Budzooka dispensary won its annual NJ cannabis dispensary license needed to legally open in December 2022.

Family Business

Tundidor said his grandparents came to Elizabeth from Cuba in 1957. Like many immigrants, they worked in factories and kitchens. They saved money and opened a bar and mini-mart in town. He explained that his dad, James Sr. (pictured above right), eventually moved to the Miami, FL, area where he was born.

“When legalization happened, we started working and knocking on doors finding a property,” Tundidor explained.

He noted James Sr. had a strong network in Elizabeth after keeping in touch since he kept in touch with friends he grew up with. A family friend helped them secure their prime location in downtown Elizabeth.

“It’s almost like a full circle,” Tundidor said.

(Full disclosure: Budzooka Dispensary was a recent sponsor of our underground legacy to legal forum and celebration.)

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