Marijuana grow company continues expansion; releasing new products
Riviera Creek currently distributes products to more than 200 dispensaries across Ohio and says it plans to continue introducing new products as the adult-use cannabis market expands.
- By Derek Steyer, Assistant News Director/Anchor
- Jun 3, 2026 Updated Jun 3, 2026
A Youngstown marijuana grow facility says years of research and development are leading to new cannabis products unlike anything currently available in Ohio dispensaries.
Riviera Creek, a medical and adult-use cannabis cultivator located in Youngstown, recently showcased several new products currently rolling out across Ohio, including freeze-dried THC infused caramels, redesigned pre-rolls and a new do-it-yourself cannabis system.
Chairman of the Board Brian Kessler said innovation has become the foundation of the company since opening nearly a decade ago.
“Everything we do in this facility is innovation, new technology, new ways to bring legal medical adult-use cannabis to market,” Kessler said.
According to Kessler, Riviera Creek develops many of its own growing and manufacturing technologies in-house. Cannabis inside the facility is grown using an aeroponic system, where plant roots are suspended in air instead of soil while nutrients are sprayed directly onto the roots.
Kessler said the company’s focus now extends beyond cultivation and into product development.
One of Riviera Creek’s newest products is a freeze-dried THC infused caramel the company says took more than two years to develop.
Kessler said the goal was to create an edible that avoids the strong marijuana taste commonly associated with cannabis gummies and other infused products.
“Most people buy a gummy, what they get doesn’t taste great, tastes like pot,” Kessler said. “If they taste like watermelon, it’ll taste like watermelon, pineapple, but you don’t taste marijuana.”
The freeze-dried caramels recently launched in Ohio dispensaries and are patent pending, according to the company.
Kessler said Riviera Creek believes the product is unique within the cannabis industry.
“No one has ever done this product,” he said. “This doesn’t exist anywhere in the world.”
The company sells the edibles in small three-packs and encourages consumers to use caution with dosage because edibles can take time to affect the body.
“When you eat an edible, you have to be careful because it does take an hour, hour and a half for it to get into your system,” Kessler said.
Riviera Creek is also preparing to launch a new pre-roll product next month called “Clear Riv Sticks.”
Traditional marijuana pre-rolls are typically wrapped in paper, which Kessler says absorbs moisture and dries out the cannabis over time.
“Typical pre-rolls don’t taste the same as regular fresh product because all the moisture has been taken out,” he said.
To address that problem, Riviera Creek developed a plant-based non-wicking material designed to prevent moisture loss while still functioning like a traditional pre-roll.
Kessler demonstrated the difference by cutting open a standard pre-roll and comparing it to the company’s new product.
“Ours literally protects the plant material and keeps it fresh,” he said.
The material is not plastic and is designed to burn similarly to traditional paper products while maintaining product freshness.
Another product expected to launch later this year is Riviera Creek’s “DIY Riv Stick.”
The product allows consumers to fill their own pre-rolls using pre-prepared cannabis flower stored inside a reusable container system.
Kessler said the concept was designed to solve a common complaint among cannabis users who do not always finish an entire pre-roll in one sitting.
“This way you use what you want to use, and then you have stored available for any time in the future,” he said.
The product is expected to launch sometime this fall.
Riviera Creek also continues to expand, adding employees and a new addition to their facility which will feature two more grow roooms.
“Once this is done, we’ve now filled out this whole facility, and we’re growing over 10,000 pounds of cannabis a year, which in units they’re sold in grams, so it’s multi million units of product are sold out of just the Youngstown building,” Kessler said.
Kessler also discussed changes in marijuana laws and regulations that he says are shaping the future of the cannabis industry.
One issue involves Delta-8 and hemp-derived THC products, which have faced increased scrutiny from lawmakers and regulators.
Kessler said he supports stronger regulations for intoxicating hemp products.
“If it intoxicates you, it needs to be a safe, regulated, tested product,” he said.
Ohio recently outlawed certain intoxicating hemp products, while federal regulations targeting the industry could take effect later this year.
Kessler also referenced the federal government’s move to reclassify marijuana from a Schedule I drug to Schedule III, a change that could significantly impact cannabis businesses nationwide.
“That will open up lots of opportunities for people that provide product in the ways that have been set up for the last 10-15 years,” he said.
Kessler said one of the company’s primary goals is ensuring cannabis products are manufactured and sold safely through regulated dispensaries.
He said unregulated cannabis can expose consumers to unsafe growing methods, pesticides or contaminants.
“If you buy regulated, tested, safe product… now you know when you go into a dispensary that that product can’t hurt you,” Kessler said.
Riviera Creek currently distributes products to more than 200 dispensaries across Ohio and says it plans to continue introducing new products as the adult-use cannabis market expands.
“Our goal is to launch about a dozen new items,” Kessler said.
