Hi Cloud Dispensary plans to open a recreational cannabis and medical dispensary in North Mankato at the end of June or in early July 2026. The store, a sister location to Hi Cloud Tobacco and 507 Tobacco in Mankato, will be the city’s first combined medical and recreational cannabis outlet.
Manager Michael McMahn said the business originally intended to launch at 300 Belgrade Avenue in November 2025 but had to reapply for its license after state regulation changes. That reapplication pushed the opening timeline by about 7–8 months. In June 2026 the Office of Cannabis Management completed the final inspection and issued the license, clearing the way for a late-June or early-July opening. The team aims to avoid overlapping opening promotions with Independence Day.
The new dispensary will operate from the former Game On Nutrition building. Hi Cloud plans to retain metal plating from the previous tenant as shelf decoration to acknowledge the site’s commercial history. The location choice keeps the business within an established retail corridor and at a street address residents already recognize: 300 Belgrade Avenue.
Hi Cloud says it will enroll customers in a shared rewards program across all three stores—Hi Cloud Dispensary, Hi Cloud Tobacco and 507 Tobacco—so customers can earn and redeem points at any location. McMahn described the program as a single loyalty system linking in-store purchases across those addresses; he expects the shared program to be active at opening.
Regulatory timeline and local context
Minnesota’s Office of Cannabis Management handled licensing and inspections for the North Mankato site. According to the company, the dispensary passed its final inspection in June 2026. The regulatory change that required Hi Cloud to reapply followed statewide adjustments to licensing procedures issued earlier in 2025; Hi Cloud did not specify which criteria changed, only that reapplication was necessary under the new rules.
North Mankato’s city records and local business listings identify no prior combined medical and recreational dispensary in the city, making Hi Cloud the first operation of this type in North Mankato. Nearby Mankato has existing cannabis retail sites, and Hi Cloud’s expansion places an additional retail option within the metropolitan area.
Products and services
Hi Cloud will sell both medical and adult-use cannabis products. Company representatives say the inventory will include flower, edibles, concentrates and vape products that meet Minnesota packaging and testing standards. The dispensary must follow state testing, labeling and potency limits required for both medical and recreational products; the Office of Cannabis Management enforces those rules at the point of licensing and inspection.
Business impact and planning
Opening at an established retail address gives Hi Cloud immediate storefront visibility. The company expects to hire local staff to manage daily operations, point-of-sale, and compliance tasks, though exact employee counts were not provided. The shared rewards program could direct customers between North Mankato and Mankato locations, increasing cross-town sales and consolidating customer records across the three stores.
Community and design details
Hi Cloud’s plan to reuse metal plating from the former Game On Nutrition building provides a specific design detail: the company will display those panels as shelving accents. That choice keeps part of the prior tenant’s physical presence and reduces the amount of new interior material required for the fit-out.
Next steps
With licensing completed in June 2026, Hi Cloud’s immediate steps are final staffing, inventory stocking, staff training on state compliance, and a soft opening targeted for the last week of June or the first week of July. The company intends to avoid major promotional overlap with July 4 events. Local customers can expect the dispensary to open with both medical and adult-use products and to offer shared loyalty benefits with Hi Cloud’s two Mankato stores.
SOURCE: KEYC, company statements to local media, Office of Cannabis Management inspection records reported June 2026.
