Micro Biz News ~
Still Blüming
Two Years of Grit, Growth & Missouri Micro Flower
by Samantha Blum, contributing writer
Blüme is more than a microbusiness license number. The journey began with one application, a surprised young woman, a trusted grandpa, two experienced siblings, and a plant that united them.
As new microbusiness hopefuls await the September 9th lottery, Blüme’ s first two years show what’ s possible with determination and when the right team cares about their product.
Blüme is led by Daphne Cook, president; Corey Plank, vice president; and Alicia Plank, manager of operations. The team was formed through Daphne’ s grandpa, Bill Cook, who knew and trusted Corey and Alicia from their work in industrial hemp. When Daphne’ s license was selected, Bill brought them together.
Above all, Blüme is a people story.
Daphne felt both hope and fear. She had never run a business or grown marijuana, so she learned quickly, wrote SOPs, and built the facility as she went. That is when Corey and Alicia changed everything.
Corey and Alicia, siblings, brought years of cannabis experience— Corey with 16 years, Alicia with 10, including work in California and Oklahoma. They brought expertise in cultivation, compliance, and genetics.
Daphne brought the license and a willingness to learn; Corey and Alicia brought plant experience and systems expertise. Together, they became a small team where everyone covers for each other.
Blüme is built on trust and a little duct tape.
After their state inspection, they learned they needed to clean 20-foot ceilings but couldn’ t afford the expensive equipment or tolerate any construction delays. Daphne improvised a 16-foot cleaning wand from boards, a Swiffer, and duct tape— an example of microbusiness resourcefulness.
Blüme received state approval to operate on July 31, 2024. Now, two years later, the team continues to grow and produce high-quality flower they are proud of.
Its grow is indoor, simple, organized, and hands-on. The team hand-waters, hand-trims, and hand-bags. They stay close to the plants every day, catching issues early and learning each plant’ s personality.
The Blüme team, from left to right: Corey Plank, Alicia Plank, and Daphne Cook. That photo was taken at 816 Dispensary’ s Christmas party in 2025.
Daphne entered the cannabis industry through hemp. While finishing college at MU, she worked with her grandpa in industrial hemp, collecting data, helping with research, and learning firsthand about the plant’ s potential. That experience gave her a deep respect for the cannabis plant before entering the marijuana industry.
When Daphne and Bill submitted a single microbusiness application, she didn’ t expect it to be selected. She was fresh out of college, with no marijuana business background, and suddenly became one of four license winners in her district. It was both overwhelming and surreal at the same time.
That care matters. Blüme wants customers to see and feel the difference between quality flower handled by people and flower pushed through a machine. It cares about THC numbers, of course, but it also cares about smell, flavor, bud structure, trim quality, consistency, and whether the flower has enough personality to make someone come back for more.
Corey’ s perspective brings a lot of old-school cannabis honesty to the room. Coming from the legacy side, before everything revolved around numbers, he still values bag appeal, terps, and the simple truth of first trying the flower and listening to what customers think.
Blue Dream flower is Blüme’ s baby. Corey has had that cut since his California days in 2008 or 2009, and the team is proud of it. A genuine Blue Dream strain can be hard to find in Missouri. It is a classic workhorse— resilient, reliable, high-yielding, and familiar in the best ways.
Rainbow Cake flower has also earned its place in the Blüme heart. It performs well through harvest, drying, trimming, testing, and presentation. Some plants make you work for every inch. Others
20 August 2026