Marijuana Business Magazine October 2018

another part of the year. “When you do a themed product and it becomes very popular, it’s hard to discontinue,” Hunter said. “If it hits for a bit then fizzles out, you try other innovative ideas and different prod- ucts and keep experimenting with the marketplace.” But demand isn’t always high enough to keep some infused products in sea- sonal rotation. Some popular products spoil quickly if they aren’t stored, transported or shelved at low temperatures – and not every dispensary is equipped with refrigeration units to keep infused products cool. For instance, Sweet Grass Kitchen discontinued an infused key lime pie because the summer heat made it fin- icky to manufacture and store. By contrast, the company’s pumpkin pie – a similar product – is more “shelf stable,” Berliner said, and fares better during fall’s lower temperatures. Green Labs’ Stannard cautioned infused product makers to consider market share. For example, even if your business locked down a sizable chunk of the market with a signature line of chocolates, a seasonal gummy may not steal traction from other established players – and so it may not be worth releasing. Identify Social-Giving Campaigns It’s popular to incorporate seasonal, themed or limited-release products as part of a corporate social-giving campaign.The practice can be a boon to your brand and a tax write-off, accord- ing to Moore of Love’s Oven. Infused-products makers – includ- ing AbsoluteXtracts, Love’s Oven, Sweet Grass Kitchen and Green Labs – manufacture limited-release or themed products that donate all or a portion of the proceeds to charities. For example, the majority of proceeds from Love’s Oven’s limited-release Choose Love rainbow sugar cookies and limited-release camouflage sugar cookies benefit LGBTQ and veterans organiza- tions. Similarly, Sweet Grass Kitchen released a 20-to-1 CBD-to-THC double-chocolate cookie, with 5% of the proceeds going to Planned Parent- hood of the Rocky Mountains. If you plan to donate proceeds from a product to an organization, it’s important to identify a recipient that aligns with your brand’s values. Love’s Oven asks employees to select charitable organi- zations to receive proceeds from sales of various seasonal or limited-release products, Nettles said.Then, it rotates the charities to which it contributes. “It’s a way to engage staff and make them feel in control,”Nettles said. “That’s really probably the biggest return on investment, the employee engagement.” Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains was at the top of Sweet Grass’ list, Berliner said, because of the education and health services the organ- ization provides to girls and women. To coordinate with the local Planned Parenthood office, Sweet Grass Kitchen worked with KindColorado, which helps cannabis companies in the state strategize how to connect with neigh- borhood groups and nonprofits. Love’s Oven and Sweet Grass Kitchen use social media or news releases to announce donations to their partner organizations, which demon- strates accountability to consumers. “Being in the cannabis industry, by nature, really allows us and anyone in the industry to make our case and fight for what we believe is right,”Berliner said. ◆ Love’s Oven in Colorado produces a strawberry lemonade cookie as a seasonal offering. When you source new ingredients such as fresh fruit, make sure they’ll be consistently available during your targeted manufacturing times and that they’re within budget. Photo courtesy of Love’s Oven 80 • Marijuana Business Magazine • October 2018