Parténát
 | |
 | |
| TSX: PRT QSX: PA | |
| Industry | Marijuana cultivation |
| Founded | July 27, 1994 in Jackson, Alcosky |
| Founders | Mikhail Tobuskevet Atnen Kostarí |
| Headquarters | 6777 Fred Kastor Parkway, |
Number of locations | 337 (2035) |
Area served | South Crona |
Key people | Julio Kaphás (CEO) Maté Astaqalanen (Chairman) |
| Products | Marijuana and by-products |
| Brands | Pure Zaza |
| Services | Parténát Dispensaries Parténát Clubs Parténát.com |
| Revenue | $61.8 billion (2035) |
| $33.4 billion (2035) | |
| $23.7 billion (2035) | |
| Total assets | $109 billion (2035) |
| Owner | Songun Credit Group (20%) |
Number of employees | 11,556 (2035) |
| Subsidiaries | Bongaroo International Yurk Vaporizers |
| Website | parténát |
Parténát Cultivation S.A., marketed as simply Parténát and the Weed Company, is a Tierradorian multinational agricultural producer and distributor specializing in the marijuana industry. The company typically distributes its cultivated products across its franchise of marijuana dispensaries, marijuana clubs and bars, and online through its website, Parténát.com. Parténát is the largest marijuana retailer in South Crona, and the largest online retailer of the crop in the world. It controls 23% of the Tierradorian market share for marijuana, and 13% of the country's cash crop market.
Parténát was founded in 1994 as a partnership between Ceylon businessman Mikhail Tobuskevet and wheat farmer and illegal marijauna salesman Atnen Kostarí, operating from Kostarí's marijuana farm in Jackson, Alcosky. The name "Parténát" is derived from the Qabóri word for "group." Parténát grew quickly due to the slow reform process enacted by the Marijuana and Copium Commerce Act of 1991, along with the Weed Market Loophole, which allowed the company to bypass restrictions on inter-commonwealth marijuana commerce. This allowed for the company to take control of the commodity market for marijuana. By 2000, Parténát essentially controlled the marijuana commodity market in Tierrador, but its power would shortly be diminished after the legalization of inter-commonwealth marijuana commerce, forcing Parténát to reduce its market power.
History
Atnen Kostarí had been cultivating and selling marijuana illegally out of his farm in Jackson, Alcosky, since 1981. He operated his black market business all throughout Alcosky, and had reportedly distributed to parts of Ulunkheria and Telohakee. In 1983, he was sentenced to 7 years in Imperial prison for marijuana cultivation, however he was paroled in 1986. Kostarí returned to his black market business immediately after, which placed him on several Walakee watchlists. Meanwhile, Tobuskevet at that time was a failed businessman that traveled from Santa Maria, Ceylonia to Anloiya, Ulunkheria, where he had hoped to purchase a Prontoburger franchise in the city, however he was denied of a business loan due to his below-average credit history. Kostarí and Tobuskevet met in an Anloiya bar in 1991, and discussed transitioning Kostarí's business into a legal distributor. As part of the reforms process for marijuana legalization, the Imperial Government offered to subsidize a large portion of a large illicit marijuana distributor in exchange for the crop's commodification.
With a $175 million loan from the Imperial Government and Songun Credit Group, Parténát was officially incorporated in 1994. Kostarí began expanding his operations by increasing his farm's acreage, along with replacing his wheat crops with marijuana crops. Meanwhile, Tobuskevet began partnering with nearby farms in Jackson. By the end of 1994, Parténát had partnered with more than 30 farms across Alcosky. Despite the restrictions on inter-commonwealth commerce, the Imperial Government allowed for Parténát to purchase farms in different commonwealths, as long as the marijuana cultivated from the farms they purchase are sold within their respective commonwealth. In February 1996, Parténát launched its brand of dispensary franchises, Parténát Dispensaries, and by October of that year, had 47 dispensaries across Alcosky and Ulunkheria. Between 1997 and 2003, Parténát had opened 200 more dispensaries across Tierrador. Various marketing reforms for marijuana allowed for Parténát to sign several sponsorship deals with different media outlets. In 2004, Parténát became an official sponsor for the Orixtal Hockey League, which skyrocketed the company's popularity.
By 2005, Parténát owned more than 240 dispensaries and 17 farms across Tierrador, along with even more contracted farms/dispensaries and a massive 65% market share. Many economists began to criticize Parténát's blatant monopolization of the commodity market for marijuana. The Independent Marijuana Cultivators' Union, a union of small marijuana farmers and dispensary owners, would take it a step forward and filed a lawsuit against Parténát, claiming Parténát's government loophole blatantly violated numerous Tierradorian antitrust laws. However, the issue would be quickly resolved as Woqali Ipana III signed into effect the legalization of inter-commonwealth marijuana commerce, which eliminated the need for Parténát's loophole. The Imperial Government ordered Parténát reduce its market share to less than half of the marijuana industry, to eliminate its monopoly. In 2008, hardware retailer Timê Maher and agricultural conglomerate Atulasan began launching cultivated and manufactured marijuana products of their own, while Parténát launched an online shipping service for marijuana.
In 2010, Kostarí sold his farm in Jackson and moved Parténát's headquarters to Tarhogun, Alcosky. That same year, Parténát began international operations in Ceylonia and Porlos, opening 50 dispensaries across both nations. As part of the restructuring of Parténát's sponsorship deal with the OHL, the company began selling THC-infused edibles and blunts in Tierradorian OHL venues during games, becoming the first company to legally sell marijuana in professional sporting events. Because of this, "hockey blunts" became a popular internet meme across South Crona. By 2015, more than half of Parténát's sales were done online, which led to the company reducing its dispensary franchises. In 2019, Parténát was one of the main cash crop producers at the center of the 2019 Tierradorian pesticide scandal, when several government inspections discovered heavy pesticide usage in several Parténát marijuana farms. This led to several lawsuits against the company, which ultimately resulted in Atnen Kostarí leaving the company out of built-up frustration and returning to his farm in 2019.
Due to Parténát making little effort to reform its policies on pesticide usage, many consumers began to boycott Parténát, along with other major marijuana producers such as Atulasan, Pasco, and Songun Cultivation. In 2024, Parténát took a massive hit in revenue, and recorded negative profit for five straight years from 2025 to 2030. Parténát's market share was drastically reduced from 33% to 21% around that time frame. In 2033, due to pressures from the pesticide scandal, Tobuskevet resigned as CEO, and was briefly succeeded by Aphío Pelikaanen before his appointment as the Speaker of the Qangreč Šawardet in 2035. Julio Kaphás replaced Pelikaanen that same year and placed harsher restrictions on pesticide usage, hoping to reduce it. By the end of 2035, government inspections found a massively-reduced amount of pesticides in marijuana sold by Parténát.
Operations
Parténát currently fully owns 38 indoor growing facilities across South Crona, along with being contracted with 205 independently-owned outdoor farms. The company controls approximately 5 million acres of marijuana farms across Tierrador, or almost 20% of the total acreage yield within the country. The company also owns a franchise of 337 dispensaries across all 18 Tierradorian commonwealths, Ceylonia, Porlos, the U.R. provinces of Veraise and Betlands, and the Castadillaan state of Samalosi. Until 2010, Parténát operated strictly within Tierradorian borders, due to legal restrictions of international marijuana commerce, even between the those three nations whom legalized the crop. In early 2010, the Porlosi Assembly of the Woqalate passed Resolution AW-433, which permitted the international trade of marijuana only to nations that legalized it. Immediately after, Ceylonia passed a similar law, and it ultimately resulted in Parténát expanding their operations to those countries.
Newly-cultivated marijuana is typically grown, harvested, dried, and cured within Parténát's 243 farms, then is sent to one of 20 marijuana inspection facilities in the farm's respective commonwealth. Marijuana inspection facilities are located in 15 commonwealths, with marijuana from Tawakee, Sonaxa, and the Saukhin Islands being sent to either Auqali, Aracadó, or Teschego. Once the marijuana passes the inspection, it is then packaged and sent across 54 Parténát distribution centers throughout Tierrador, Porlos, and Ceylonia, to be distributed to one of Parténát's 337 dispensaries. Parténát's headquarters are located in Tarhogun, Alcosky, along with maintaining three other corporate offices in Qabór, Ambaqwe, and Naqili.
Finances
Controversies
Monopoly allegations
Parténát received a heavy sum of government subsidization for the first years of its existence, leading to the company rapidly growing and forming a monopoly over the Tierradorian marijuana industry. Both the Imperial Government and Parténát were slammed by economists and stoners for violating numerous antitrust laws and monopolizing a historic Abio symbol of individualism. Parténát's monopoly would come to an end, when Ipana III levied increases in the company's corporate tax rate and forced market share reduction.
Offensive marketing
In 2012, Parténát ran a campaign of advertisements, which were interpreted as mocking people of Alstinian and Coscivian descent. One of the advertisements had the slogan "drunk Coscivian ruined your day with their bad driving? Smoke a blunt." The Coscivian person's depiction of recklessly driving while intoxicated was a stereotype used by Walakee propaganda to suppress non-Abio driving privileges during the rise of automobiles in Tierrador in the mid-1920s. After considerable backlash from many customers, Parténát pulled the campaign two months later. This was considered as the beginning of a domino effect which eventually led to Atnen Kostarí's 2019 departure.
Role in the 2019 pesticide scandal
Parténát, and several Tierradorian cash crop producers, failed numerous government inspections in 2019 due to heavy usage of pesticides in their crops. In 2033, leaked documents discovered that Parténát, Atusalan, Apscam, and Songun Cultivation had planned a massive $2.4 million bribe to the inspecting agents in exchange for crucial documents detailing the pesticide usage in their crops. Parténát pulled out of the plan at the last minute, however, which led to CEO Mikhail Tobuskevet receiving massive backlash when the other three companies outed him as the mastermind behind the plan after the documents were leaked. Tobuskevet would eventually be forced to resign as CEO.