Their Story – The Green Bouquet Cannabis

By Heather Huff-Bogart

What first got me into cannabis was that I was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease at the age of 21 and my older brother was diagnosed with MS a year before. We both got our medical licenses to use cannabis and that is where I started to learn how much the plant really had to offer as a medical benefit.

It changed my life for the positive and got me off the pharmaceutical medication I was on, gave me a better quality of life and that is how I started my journey working in the cannabis industry. 

Having worked in the cannabis industry for many years, I jumped on the opportunity when the Government made it so individuals could own and operate a retail store. The Licensed Producer I was working for declared bankruptcy, so I was laid off, which actually worked out really well for me as it removed my non-compete clause of my contract. It was all around the same time.

For a year I went back to the hospitality industry as a bartender, so I had time to build out the store location I had chosen in Port Sydney. As well, I did not want to work for another cannabis company as they always added a non-compete to my contract, so I was in the clear working in hospitality.

It took me a year and a half to build out the store and go through the licensing process. I officially founded the company in 2020 just before the pandemic hit and was laid off again when all the restaurants were closing during that time. Which again worked out for me as I focused on building my new business and completed renovations.

My AGCO rep accelerated my licensing 3 times so I could open in May 2021 and get the Muskoka summer rush. When we opened, we were serving people outside as they were not allowed in the store, which as the pandemic changed the rules we were slowly allowed to allow customers to come inside, which was nice.  

From serving people outside using a folding table to now having people come into the store has changed. We have also grown our customer base and really made a name for ourselves in the educational space. We are really focused on our community and supporting them as they support us.

I have transitioned to working over 100 hours per week, to having a team of women now to support me. We offer delivery in the summer and are slowly thinking about opening a second location. 

My store has won a lot of awards as we have grown, 2023 Business of the year form our Chamber of Commerce, 2025 Business of the Year form our Chamber of Commerce, Best of the Best Dispensaries in Ontario 2025 and recently we just won the Best Dispensary Muskoka from the Readers Choice awards. So, our hard work is really showing and our customers support us, so has helped us build the confidence to continue on our journey in the cannabis space. 

I have lived in the Muskoka region for about 15 years now and the community is what has really kept me here. I do what I can to support the community back as they support me and my business. Muskoka is a tight knit community and very shop local mind set which is one of the reasons we have thrived and grown as a company. My team is all local and the locals love that from what I can tell. 

For me it is helping people and teaching them that there are other options to wellness and that there is more than just pharmaceutical drugs that one can use. I love seeing people click when we are talking about cannabis. The stigma is still very strong towards cannabis, so I enjoy people being more open after they talk with myself or my team, they leave having learned something and being more open to using the plant then when they walked into the store normally. 

My journey has been long and interesting. From what I am told, not many have my experience in the industry, which is always fun when I share my stories.

I did not get into this business to make loads of money, as in cannabis retail that is definitely not the case as there is so much competition and the margins are slim. I got into this because I am passionate about the plant and what it can do for us and our lives.

I do hope to see change within the use of Hemp (the male plant in the cannabis family) as well, as it can help replace the usage of trees/ lumber, concrete, assist in fuel and our clothing plus it has so many more benefits and it is a very underutilized plant. I do think our planet would have a brighter future if we started to focus on utilizing this plant more over time, as it is a very renewable plant and does not harm our planet. 

My business means the world to me and I appreciate all of my customers that shop at my store, as I would not be able to survive if my community did not support my business, so that is why I give back as much as I can by volunteering where I can and supporting many local events and such.