TOWNSHEND - Originally from Virginia, Joseph McKenna of the Burlington Kush Factory, started growing cannabis plants in his backyard when he was 15. In his early 20s, he realized he wanted to grow cannabis for a living and his love of cannabis has taken him all across the country, learning growing techniques and its many applications.
"I was seeing all the amazing things it was doing for people around me, and I wanted to ensure that myself, friends, and my family have access to clean, organic cannabis," said McKenna.
Before cannabis was legalized in Vermont, McKenna ran a cannabis cultivation farm in California. It was there that he learned from growers within the legacy market. McKenna transformed the California farm from salt-based to all-organic; these details set his business apart from other growers.
Years before moving to California, McKenna met his partner, Grace Bertsch, while taking a break from hiking the Appalachian Trail in Rutland, Vermont. Bertsch, a licensed massage therapist, works full-time at their company, Burlington Kush Factory, which became licensed in August 2023.
One night McKenna was joking with his friend about business names and the name Burlington Kush Factory was born. "Burlington Kush Factory came up and we couldn't stop giggling about it, and for us cannabis has to be fun, and that was fun," said McKenna.
The duo is committed to the details that make their product high-quality. Their growing method is less about cultivating plants, but guiding the individual seed to its full potential with as little human interaction as possible.
Burlington Kush Factory holds a tier-4 mixed-tier license and is particularly partial to outdoor-grown cannabis. "There's much beauty and medicine, particularly in sun-grown cannabis. The ability to watch a plant grow from seed, and how it interacts with the local environment is a blessing," said Bertsch.
It's been a dream of Bertsch and McKenna to have their own cannabis business. "Being able to work outside, with your hands in the soil, connecting with the farm in a very intimate way, and watching it develop over the years as we built the soil," is their motivator, said McKenna.
In 2025, they are looking forward to further building their brand and are excited about the future of cannabis in the Green Mountain State. "People know that Vermont has the best cannabis in New England," said McKenna.
One significant hurdle they faced was obtaining social equity status for their business. McKenna has a cannabis-related felony that makes business logistics harder to figure out.
"Outside of Vermont, I'm hoping for people who are still imprisoned for non-violent cannabis offenses, to see those people released. There's a handful of nonprofits that are working to release people for nonviolent cannabis offenses. It's heartbreaking and so unfair that we're still seeing people in prison while we're making money in this industry," said Bertsch.
Burlington Kush Factory recently won a first place award for their strain "Blue Lobster" at the Harvest Cup, New England's premier cannabis competition. "I know several Vermont cultivators have won cups and I think that's important for showing the rest of the country just how good Vermont cannabis is," said McKenna.
Their product can be found at Vermont Bud Barn in Brattleboro, True 802 in Burlington, Ratu's Cannabis Supply in Wilmington, Mountain Girl Cannabis in Rutland and other dispensaries across the state. Visit their website at https://burlingtonkushfactory.com.