Organigram Begins Shipping Its First Cannabis Infused Chocolates This Week

Cannabis

The truffles, branded ‘Edison Bytes’, are Organigram’s first edibles to go to market. They’re round chocolate bites, filled with a creamy chocolate centre infused with THC, the psychoactive substance in cannabis.

“[Chocolate is] what we’ve kind of committed to as our major play within the space,” said Ray Gracewood, SVP of marketing and communications, noting that around 40 percent of the edibles market in most regulated states are dominated by chocolate.

“We might modify that strategy or look at different product types as we go forward. But for now, our big bet is we think a new sophisticated cannabis consumer is going to really react well to chocolate as a base product.”

The company is selling the truffles in two sizes, a one-pack and a two-pack. Because federal regulations only allow 10 mg THC per retail unit, the box with one truffle inside are infused with 10 mg of THC and the box with two truffles is infused with 5 mg of THC each.

But the truffles are just one type of chocolate product from Organigram’s planned line of edibles.

“Under our Edison brand, we aimed for a more rich cacao profile offers instead of going different flavours. For our Trailblazer brand, we’re looking into more of the hip, trendy flavours. We will launch Trailblazer mint-chocolate snacks and mocha-chocolate snacks,” said Ginette Ahier, Organigram’s edibles product manager who is also the founder of Shediac’s artisan chocolate company Adorable Chocolat.

Edibles became legal in Canada last October, opening a new market for the country’s licensed producers, including Organigram.

Gracewood says in other regulated markets, such as those in certain U.S. states, so-called Cannabis 2.0 products represent about 50 percent of the market. He says that means the introduction of these products in Canada would double the size of the country’s cannabis market.

Ahier added that the company’s research shows half of the non-cannabis users are “more than comfortable” trying regulated edibles. Boomerang consumers – people who have used cannabis but stopped, and those who are against smoking are also more comfortable with edibles.

Many consumers of edibles consume with friends or at dinner parties, and they seek out the gastronomic experience, leading Organigram to the path of chocolate instead of gummies or other forms. This is also why the company tests the products against non-infused premium chocolate brands that can be found in grocery stores.

“It’s all about the consumer. They’re the ones buying it, they’re the ones that will come back, they want a delicious product,” Ahier said.

Organigram invested $15-million into its chocolate manufacturing department, which includes a fully automated production line that only requires around 12 full-time employees to run it from start to finish – i.e. from raw chocolate to ready-to-ship cartons.

Read More at Source: Huddle

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