Little Beach Harvest, Long Island, New York’s Shinnecock Indian Nation’s wholly-owned cannabis business, is partnering with Phoenix, Arizona-based TILT Holdings to create vertical cannabis operations on their tribal territory in the Hamptons. The proposed facility will include a two-story dispensary with a drive-thru; an adjacent wellness lounge; and a 60,000 square-foot cultivation, processing, extraction, and packaging facility.

“As the wealth gap in the U.S. has grown wider and wider, it is economic development opportunities like this that will help our tribe bridge the gap,” said Chenae Bullock, member of the Shinnecock Nation and Managing Director of Little Beach Harvest. “Through our partnership with TILT, we will not only create dozens of jobs and jump-start careers but will also cultivate business relationships with other tribal business owners, generating growth for Indigenous communities.”

A joint venture with the Nation’s cannabis project development firm, Conor Green, TILT will provide management services to Little Beach Harvest for the development of the facilities, including planning, design, and funding. The deal is expected to provide lots of opportunities for the Nation and will help to increase indigenous inclusion in the ongoing national social equity conversation.

“This partnership—which is a true partnership in every sense—is a step forward in creating social equity for the Nation,” said Gary Santo, CEO of TILT Holdings. “We believe our expertise in cannabis operations along with Shinnecock’s thought-leadership and cultural connection to plant medicine will deliver economic growth for the region while cementing the Nation as a leader in cannabis operations among Indigenous communities.”

The management agreement may be extended up to 10 additional years, pending the accomplishment of certain performance-based milestones related to revenue and profitability.