At a glance
NUG is an Oakland-founded, vertically integrated cannabis company combining cultivation, extraction, manufacturing, distribution and licensed retail. Founded in 2014 by environmental scientist Dr. John Oram, it now operates house brands and a current California store network rather than the 19-store, two-state footprint claimed in the old profile.
John Oram moved from science into cannabis
Oram studied chemistry, biochemistry and applied mathematics before earning a doctorate in environmental engineering at UCLA and researching agricultural pesticides. He began consulting on medical-cannabis cultivation in 2007, then co-founded an early analytical laboratory in 2008. NUG followed in 2014 as the commercial brand and operating company.
Vertical integration shaped the business
NUG built cultivation, extraction, distillation, post-processing, distribution and retail capabilities under one organization. In a 2019 founder interview, Oram said this seed-to-sale control was intended to improve quality assurance and speed product development. That structure is documented historically, but individual products should still be checked for the licensed manufacturer shown on their package.
Flower, vapes, edibles and concentrates
The NUG label spans indoor flower, pre-rolls, cartridges, concentrates and infused edibles. Its own stores also carry a multi-brand assortment, so a NUG dispensary is not a single-brand showroom. Live inventory varies by location, and the menu—not an old corporate catalog—is the reliable record for a particular flower cultivar, extract format or edible.
TERP and SimplyERB are sibling labels
NUG's current brand page positions TERP as an Oakland-rooted flower line focused on selected cultivars and city identity. SimplyERB is the simpler value proposition, emphasizing straightforward formats and price. Keeping the three labels separate helps shoppers distinguish the parent retailer and manufacturer from specific product positioning.
The current store directory lists nine California doors
NUG's live directory names NUG Wellness San Leandro, Sacramento, El Cerrito, Alameda, Oakland, Red Bluff, NUG x Sundial, Vallejo and Hits Cannabis Studio. A New York heading appears without a listed store.
Oakland remains the anchor
The City of Oakland lists NUG at 1600 Broadway as a permitted dispensary. California's license record identifies Oaklyfe LLC as the operator under active adult-use and medicinal retailer license C10-0000369-LIC. The downtown site also participates in Oakland's Cannabis Trail and has developed a consumption-lounge and cultural-history component.
Equity work is part of the company history
During Oakland's early equity licensing program, Oram's Bloom Innovations provided space for six equity applicants as an incubating general applicant. The Broadway store was later promoted as Asian-owned and equity-owned. Those are specific ownership and program facts; they should not be expanded into a claim that every NUG-affiliated location has the same equity status.
Historical scale claims need dates
In 2019, NUG said it employed nearly 200 people and reached about 65% of California's licensed retail outlets through wholesale distribution. Those figures describe a particular pre-pandemic period and should not be reused as current headcount or market penetration. The live store directory and state license registries are the better 2026 operating snapshot.
Why NUG matters. NUG's distinguishing story is not merely “better prices”; it is Oram's laboratory and cultivation background, an early vertically integrated model, Oakland equity-program participation and a surviving licensed retail network. The corrected profile separates those durable facts from stale store and distribution counts. Explore NUG alongside other California operators in the High Rise brand directory and current products in the product directory.