The Dispensary With a Bite

The Story Starts With a Delivery Route in DC

Cottonmouth Dispensary is a social equity cannabis business in Runnemede, New Jersey, founded by four partners who built their company from the ground up during a global pandemic. Cottonmouth did not begin in a boardroom. It started on delivery routes through Washington, DC, in the middle of COVID-19, when most of the country had shut down and the people who needed cannabis most had no safe or reliable way to get it.

Matt and Alyssa launched Cottonmouth Coaching as a cannabis delivery service during COVID-19. They built routes by hand. They learned inventory, compliance, customer service, and the logistics of running a regulated cannabis business from the ground up. There was no investor playbook. There was no corporate backing. There was a car, a phone, and a commitment to doing it right.

That delivery experience is the reason Cottonmouth’s pickup window exists today. The urgency of meeting customers where they are — fast, professional, no friction — descended directly from those early DC routes. When you pull up to our window in Runnemede and get your order in under three minutes, you are experiencing the same philosophy that started in the back of a car in 2020.

The Pivot to New Jersey

When New Jersey legalized adult-use cannabis and launched its social equity framework, Matt and Alyssa saw the opportunity they had been working toward. The NJ Cannabis Regulatory Commission created pathways specifically for applicants from communities disproportionately impacted by the War on Drugs. Matt and Alyssa qualified.

They partnered with John and Nancy, combining operational cannabis experience with deep roots in the South Jersey community. Together, the four of them applied for and received NJ Class 5 Retail Cannabis License #RE000055 — one of the first social equity licenses issued in the state.

They opened the doors at 10 E Clements Bridge Rd, Runnemede, NJ 08078. The location was chosen deliberately: accessible from I-295, surrounded by 72 free parking spaces, and situated in a community that deserved better access to legal, regulated cannabis.

Why Social Equity Matters Here

Social equity is not a label we applied after the fact. It is the operating principle that shapes every decision we make. Cottonmouth exists because the founders came from the communities most harmed by cannabis prohibition, and they built a business that serves those same communities.

What that means in practice:

• Hiring from the community. We recruit locally and prioritize candidates from areas impacted by enforcement disparities. Our staff reflects the neighborhoods we serve.
• Six discount programs. We run ongoing discounts for first-time customers, veterans, seniors, medical card holders, industry workers, and civil servants. These are not promotional gimmicks. They are commitments.
• Budtender as education position. We train every budtender to educate, not upsell. If a customer needs a lower dose, a cheaper product, or a different consumption method, our staff will tell them.
• Glass art studio. Our in-house flameworking studio exists because culture matters. Cannabis culture includes artistry, craftsmanship, and creative expression.

The Glass Art Studio

Cottonmouth is one of the only dispensaries in New Jersey with a working flameworking studio built directly into the retail space. This is not decoration. It is a functioning glass art workspace where artists create original pieces using traditional lampworking techniques.

• Daily demonstrations. Every afternoon, you can watch glass artists work live. No reservation required. No purchase necessary.
• Guest artist sessions. We regularly host visiting artists who bring different styles and techniques to the studio.
• Custom commissions. Want a one-of-a-kind piece? Our artists take commissions for custom glass art.
• Artist residency. We offer studio time and resources to emerging glass artists who are building their practice.

The studio exists because cannabis and glass art have always been intertwined. We believe a dispensary should honor the full culture, not just the transaction.

The Team

Every budtender at Cottonmouth is trained to educate, not just sell. Our onboarding program covers all seven product categories — flower, pre-rolls, edibles, concentrates, tinctures, topicals, and vaporizers — along with terpene profiles, cannabinoid science, dosing principles, and consumption methods.

We pay competitive wages because we believe cannabis retail workers deserve professional compensation. Our team members are not interchangeable parts in a sales machine. They are educators, consultants, and the face of everything Cottonmouth stands for.

The Name

Cottonmouth. The word means two things, and we chose it because we mean both.

First: the snake. The cottonmouth is a pit viper native to the American Southeast — resilient, distinctive, and not to be underestimated. It does not chase. It does not posture. It stands its ground.

Second: dry mouth. If you consume cannabis, you know what cottonmouth feels like. It is one of the most universal shared experiences in cannabis culture.

“The Dispensary With a Bite” is our tagline, and it is a promise. We are not a sterile pharmacy. We are not a corporate chain. We are a dispensary with personality, conviction, and teeth.