Former Food Plant Reopens, Wyvern Opens Craft Cannabis Grow

Wyvern Botanicals has been quietly operating since April out of a portion of the former ACH Food Cos. processing plant at 1201 E. Morton Ave. The company is cultivating cannabis within the 78,000 square foot building, initially approved for 5,000 square feet of canopy and recently cleared to expand cultivation to 14,000 square feet, an increase of 9,000 square feet or 180 percent over the original authorization.

The operation positions itself as a craft grow, focusing on hand trimming, higher touch cultivation and rarer strains rather than large scale commodity production. Once fully operational the company expects to harvest about every week, yielding roughly 250 pounds per cycle. If weekly harvests are sustained that would equate to roughly 13,000 pounds of flower annually, a substantial volume that will supply local and regional dispensaries. Wyvern flower is already available at Kush21 and is scheduled to roll out to additional Illinois dispensaries over time.

Owners and managers said local investment and local contracting were key to converting the long vacant facility into a secure, compliant cultivation site. The buildout included nearly 500 surveillance cameras, multimillion dollar HVAC and environmental control systems and extensive security and alarm infrastructure. Those investments reflect both the capital intensity of indoor cultivation and the regulatory demands for secure cannabis operations.

Employment and local economic impact are central to Wyvern’s pitch to the community. The operation currently employs roughly 22 people and aims to expand to 40 to 50 employees by the end of the year, an addition of 18 to 28 jobs and a workforce increase of roughly 80 percent to 130 percent. Beyond direct hires the project created work for local contractors during renovation and ongoing maintenance, and it returns an otherwise idle industrial site to productive use on East Morton Avenue.

From a market perspective Wyvern’s craft strategy may allow it to capture niche demand for specialty strains and premium flower while avoiding some pressures of large scale producers. The expanded canopy and projected weekly yields suggest the facility will be a meaningful source of supply for Morgan County dispensaries, potentially affecting pricing and availability locally.

The conversion of the former ACH Food Cos. plant illustrates a local trend of repurposing older industrial buildings for new economic uses. For residents, the project brings jobs, increased commercial activity on a long underused property and a larger, more stable supply of cannabis products at nearby dispensaries. As Wyvern scales toward its year end hiring targets and broader distribution, the project will offer a practical example of how regulated cannabis cultivation can factor into Morgan County economic development.