Report · Oct 1, 2026
Who Actually Owns Your Dispensary Now? TerrAscend Just Bought Aunt Mary’s
One of Hunterdon County’s strongest independent shops is now part of a multi-state chain. What the deal looks like, and what changes on the shelf.
TerrAscend announcements, Aug 6 & Sep 16 2026 · Cannabis Business Times · NJBIZ
One of Hunterdon County's best-performing independent shops just became part of a multi-state chain. On September 16, TerrAscend closed its deal for Aunt Mary's in Flemington. It's TerrAscend's fifth store in New Jersey, and it brings the company to about 21 dispensaries across five states and Canada.
The deal
TerrAscend paid about $9 million total. It was set up in two parts: a $3 million convertible note at 6% interest over five years, which bought TerrAscend an option on 35% of the business, plus $6 million in cash when they exercise that option. The deal was built to fit New Jersey's rules for investing in diversely owned cannabis businesses.
Aunt Mary's was doing over $10 million a year in sales. That's a strong shop, and that's exactly why it got bought.
What changes on the shelf
Here's the line from TerrAscend's executive chairman Jason Wild that stuck with me. When the deal was announced, he said they see a clear opportunity "to enhance margins through vertical integration and the introduction of our premium brand portfolio, including Kind Tree, Legend, Valhalla and Cookies."
In plain words, expect to see more TerrAscend house brands on the shelves. When a chain owns the grow, the brands, and the store, they get to decide what you see first at the counter. Sometimes that's great flower. Sometimes it means the small craft brand you liked gets less shelf space.
Why I'm paying attention
New Jersey has 260+ dispensaries now, and a lot of them still look and feel independent. The name on the sign doesn't always tell you who's behind it, and deals like this one can be structured in ways that are hard to see from the outside.
This matters to me because the whole promise of NJ's legal market was supposed to include local and diverse ownership. If the strongest independent shops keep getting folded into bigger companies, the market slowly starts to look like every other MSO state.
What you can do
- Ask your budtender who owns the shop and whose brands are in the case.
- Look at the brand mix. If half the menu is one company, that's a clue.
- Support the craft brands you love by name, so stores know people are asking for them.
I'm not saying every acquisition is bad. Good operators can make a shop better. I just think you deserve to know where your money is going, and I'll keep tracking who's buying what in Jersey.
Sources
Right of reply
I haven’t contacted TerrAscend or Aunt Mary’s for this piece. If they want to respond, anything they send goes up on this page.
How this was put together
Written October 1, 2026 from TerrAscend’s own deal announcements and trade reporting, linked at the bottom. Deal terms are as the company announced them. The dispensary count is approximate.