Hospitality

Shops, restaurants, gyms and other businesses will be able to welcome more patrons into their spaces starting Monday after Gov. Charlie Baker on Thursday announced he'll ease the capacity restrictions he imposed in hopes of tamping down COVID-19 spread during the holiday season.

The CBD Farm Stand in Webster sells CBD products made from hemp grown at DreamCatcher Hemp Farm in Dudley.

A nine-acre site eyed for an expansion by Milford medical cannabis cultivator and seller Sira Naturals has sold for $5 million to a firm registered in New York.

Seven Saws Brewing Co., a four-year-old craft beer manufacturer in Holden, is building an 8,000-square-foot expansion in the Holden Industrial Park, which will feature brewing and canning operations, as well as indoor and outdoor taproom space.

Marijuana testing company MCR Labs, of Framingham, has opened a location in Allentown, Pa., marking its first expansion outside of Massachusetts, according to a Wednesday announcement.

MCR Labs, a cannabis testing company in Framingham, received 38% more samples in the 2020 calendar year than the year prior, according to new data released by the company, which says it works with 95% cannabis providers, growers and producers in the state.

Stung by an exodus of members since it filed suit to block new cannabis industry rules permitting home delivery, the business group that represents most of the state's brick-and-mortar marijuana shops announced Monday morning that it is dropping the legal challenge.

The cannabis business is exploding. The worldwide market will grow to $57 billion by 2027, up from $9.2 billion currently.

Renee Diaz, founder of popular Worcester bakery The Queen’s Cups, is side-stepping into party planning, launching a second business aimed at organizing and coordinating smaller, more intimate events. 

Brew City Grill & Brew House on Shrewsbury Street in Worcester has temporarily closed, with ownership citing increased COVID-19 cases and restaurant capacity restrictions.