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As Chris McPhillips winds his way through the cavernous rooms of the former Green Giant research facility in Le Sueur with his French bulldog Scrappy in tow, he sees the potential for a green revival within the white concrete block walls — not from vegetables, but cannabis.  

“I think the city of Le Sueur will rise again,” said McPhillips, founder of Minnesota Valley Cannabis. “We’ll just rise again with a different crop. This time, it’s not going to be peas or corn. This time, we got a shot to do it with cannabis, and do it in a way that’s a lot different.”

All McPhillips needs is a license to operate from the state. But, that process is on hold. A group of applicants who were denied access to the social equity pre-approval lottery sued the Office of Cannabis Management. 

They claim the process lacks clear criteria and leaves no room for appeals. A judge agreed and halted the lottery the day before it was due to happen. There were more than 1,500 applicants for that stage of the licensing process, and the lottery was meant to narrow the pool down to 282. 

The delay was disappointing, McPhillips said. He had plans to watch a stream of the lottery at one of his favorite bars with a colleague. 

“We had our numbers and we were literally 24 hours away from them doing this,” he said. “That would have been absolutely hilarious to sit in a bar and watch [the lottery] like the NBA Draft to see if we got a license. It’s an important time, but now we’re in a stalemate again.”

Minnesota Valley Cannabis Company reached out to Le Sueur city leaders to discuss their idea in early 2024. That’s when they learned that the city had already updated it zoning ordinances and was prepared to host a cannabis business. 

Joe Roby, city administrator, said it was they type of industry many could envision thriving in town.   

When McPhillips later approached Le Sueur about purchasing the former Green Giant research facility, Roby says people got excited. 

“Really the cannabis industry is when you look at the licensures that Minnesota Valley cannabis is going after they’re really agribusiness-type licenses,” Roby said. “And agribusiness is something that we do really well in Le Sueur.”

But Roby said everything now hinges on the delayed lottery. 

“I’m waiting with bated breath for the next steps with the lottery, because I am really excited, I think, for my community, certainly but also lots of other communities in greater Minnesota,” he said. “This is a new frontier that is worth exploring.”

The Office of Cannabis Management said in an email statement this week that it’s “evaluating options and will announce plans for the next steps soon.”

Even though Chris McPhillips doesn’t have an answer yet on what will happen with his licensing application, he’s still optimistic about his company's future in Le Sueur. 

The level of interest shown by the city and its residents has convinced him the investment is worth the waiting game. 

“I’m a firm believer that this to this scale, this whole idea, will not work unless it’s in conjunction with the state, with the city, who’s there, and with the people to build it,” McPhillips said. “And that’s what we’re doing in Le Sueur, and that’s why I think we have a good chance of getting a license, because I just can’t really see why we shouldn’t.”

McPhillips still hopes to make that trip to his favorite bar for another licensing lottery — if it happens. 

“We better have that draft still,” he added, “because I’m extremely excited about it.”

Hannah Yang

Author

Minnesota Valley Cannabis Company wants to open a cannabis-growing facility in a former Green Giant research facility in Le Sueur. The company is planning to renovate the 48,000-square-foot building to grow and package cannabis products, but a delay in the state’s licensing lottery means the project is at a standstill. 

Founder of proposed cannabis facility in Le Sueur waits for next steps in stalled licensing lottery

A man stands in a production plant with a dog.

Jackson Forderer for MPR News

A man stands in a production plant with a dog on a leash.

Founder of proposed cannabis facility in Le Sueur waits for next steps in stalled licensing lottery

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