A Missouri Story of Grit, Growth, and Good Cannabis
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Flora Farms
A Missouri Story of Grit, Growth, and Good Cannabis
by Matthan Black, Contributing Writer
Grand opening ribbon cutting at the Joplin dispensary.
Back in 2020, if you had asked Mark Hendren, president of Flora Farms, and CEO and Founder, Daryl Deel, what they’ d be doing in five years,“ running one of the most successful cannabis companies in the country” probably wouldn’ t have been on the list.
“ We knew there was opportunity here,” Hendren recalls.“ But we had no idea what to expect.”
With just three cultivation and three retail licenses, Flora Farms started with a straightforward goal: build a solid business, run it well, keep costs down, and eventually sell it for a reasonable profit. Fast forward to 2025, and Flora Farms now operates Missouri’ s largest indoor grow, a full-scale manufacturing facility home to three brands, and twelve dispensary locations across the state. What began as a modest plan has become a staple of the industry; one known for value, integrity, and good old-fashioned customer service.
From day one, it’ s been about hard work and learning from our mistakes. We’ ve made a lot of mistakes, but we just don’ t know how to quit.
Those early days weren’ t easy. Between pandemic-era supply chain issues, construction delays, crop failures, and chronic staffing challenges, building a stable brand felt like an uphill climb. But perseverance paid off. As of this year, Flora Farms employs over 450 people across Missouri.
“ When you find the right people, they tend to stick around,” says Hendren.“ And we’ ve got some of the best in the business.”
The 200,000-square-foot indoor grow in Humansville is a testament to what can happen when trust, tenacity, and a little farmhand ingenuity come together. Built in three phases, each expansion brought hard-earned lessons that shaped the next. Starting with more efficient dry and cure spaces, expanded grow room capacity, and finally, a long-awaited switch to LED lighting. Every upgrade brought the team closer to its mission: to grow premiumquality cannabis and keep it affordable for everyday Missourians.
But cultivation was only the beginning.
To reach new heights, Flora’ s leadership knew that the same attention to detail that made the grow successful had to carry through to the retail experience. That’ s where Director of Retail Mary Kate Black comes in.
“ I saw this cool thing they were building, but also how much they were struggling. And I thought,‘ I can help.’” And she did.
Over the past three years, Mary Kate has led Flora’ s retail division through two store relocations, two acquisitions, and two grand openings. Flora Farms Sikeston, the newest addition to the retail footprint, opened on July 1, and held its grand opening celebration from August 29 through September 1, featuring promotions, giveaways, and special appearances from several top partner brands.
The growth of Flora’ s retail division isn’ t slowing down anytime soon. The team is in the early stages of a four-store brand acquisition that will mark Flora’ s first foray into the St. Louis market. Mary Kate is excited for the challenge. As the company grows, her focus remains on the little things— especially listening.
“ How are we supposed to know what to do if we’ re not listening to our customers? They’ ll tell you everything, but you have to slow down long enough to hear them,” said Mary Kate.
That mindset has paid off.
“ Our job is to take care of the customer, not the way we think they need it, but the way they actually do,” says Deel.“ Like anyone else, we’ ve got financial limits, but we try to get as close to that line as possible. We’ re not in charge; the customers are. They tell us if we’ re getting it right.”
And by all accounts, Flora Farms is.
As Missouri’ s cannabis industry continues to evolve, marked by consolidation and increasing out-of-state ownership, Flora Farms remains proudly local.
“ We’ re not interested in going to another market,” Deel says.“ We’ ve got our hands full right here. There’ s more to learn, and more value we can bring to Missouri.”
Matthan Black is the director of sales and marketing for Flora Farms. Black moved from Chicago to Missouri in 2020 to help get Flora Farms off the ground. He is also an accomplished opera singer with The Metropolitan Opera and a chorister with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for five seasons before moving to Missouri. His Cannabis Industry Employee by Day, Musical Maestro by Night article was featured in this magazine’ s December 2024 issue.
20 September 2025