At Substance, the shelves flow with flowers, but the focus points to people.
“We’re a compliant inventory management company, but we’re really in the human care industry,” owner Jeremy Kwit explained. “Our staff are our ambassadors.”
Compassion Over Commerce
Carrying that torch shapes everything from how the team trains to the feel of each store. For Kwit, every sale isn’t a retail transaction; it’s “a human transaction,” a small exchange built on empathy over efficiency (though it’s not lacking the latter).
Founded in 2013 as a medical dispensary, Substance has since expanded into nine Oregon stores, including two in Medford. The Crater Lake Highway shop sits at the core of Oregon’s cultivation country.
“We sell Cannabis to people who grow Cannabis,” Kwit said.
Catering to cultivators requires a high standard, which keeps the team curating craft products from across the state, not just southern Oregon.
Kwit’s perspective didn’t first bloom from business; it came from experience. As a teen, he watched Cannabis prohibition fracture his family after his mother discovered a note about his sister trying a joint at a Madonna concert.
“Our household turned into a police state,” he recalled. “Instead of building a relationship of trust, it created a culture of secrets.”
The lesson that stuck and shaped Kwit’s career was honesty and transparency in place of fear and shame.
Designed for Discovery
Kwit’s ethos has seeped into every Substance location.
“We’re trying to change people’s perceptions of the plant and their relationship to it, and that starts where they get it,” Kwit said. Picture something between a mini-mart and a Nordstrom. It’s bright, clean and “designed for discovery.”
Seven custom-built fixtures invite guests to gaze and explore instead of waiting in line. “Trick or treat your way around the store,” Kwit joked, describing how digital shelf tags let customers learn as they browse.
Selection with Substance
The selection is equally intentional, with anywhere from 150 to 180 types of flower and upward of 600 vapes, so there’s something for every kind of customer. Kwit explained that every detail aims to create what he calls “a regular retail experience,” one that’s approachable, informative and stigma-free. It’s the same reason you won’t see traditional Cannabis icons or leaf symbols in their branding.
Behind the scenes, the same care fuels their supply chain. From a central hub in Bend, Substance sources from roughly 150 farms and 150 packaged goods companies.
“We buy in bulk and send all of our different stores the right amount of material,” Kwit shared. The practice aims to ensure that smaller shops stay stocked (but not over-stocked) with variety and freshness.
Care Begets Care
Hailing back to his human-centered approach, Kwit believes that care for customers begins with care for staff. Substance covers full health care premiums, AAA memberships and a 401(k) match for all 90 employees across the company. Ongoing education includes more than simple product knowledge, with digital courses on communication, emotional intelligence and more offered to staff.
Now, the company looks to expand further across Oregon, “adding more spokes to our wheel,” hopefully, Kwit shared, in mountain towns and new communities. Wherever Substance lands, the mission stays the same: create connection and keep humans at the heart of the harvest.
