Analyzing the Cannabis 2.0 Market in Canada: Edibles

On October 17th, 2019 (the anniversary of the legalization of recreational cannabis in Canada) regulation was put in place to allow for cannabis-derivative products such as edibles, beverages, concentrates, topicals and vapes. This new wave of cannabis products has been labelled “Cannabis 2.0”. It has been almost half a year since this regulation has been put into place, so we thought this would be a good time to analyze the top brands that have emerged in each cannabis 2.0 category.

This series of articles will focus mainly on new brands that have emerged specifically to sell 2.0 products exclusively, but we will also briefly look at which previously existing LP brands have extended into the derivative space.

To start us off, let’s  take a look at the new products, product details and branding of the top edible cannabis brands in Canada.

Canadian Cannabis Edible Brands

Products: Soft Chews

Product details: Soft Chew edible infused gummies are available in both pineapple and “blaspberry” flavours. Each gummy contains 2mg of THC, with a total of 10mg of THC per package.

Branding details: San Rafael’ 71 is a recreational cannabis brand by MedReleaf (owned by Aurora) that existed before cannabis 2.0. Before launching their derivative products, the brand was known for their dried flower strains including Pink Kush, Great White Shark, Tangerine Dream and Delahaze. They have recently launched the aforementioned line of soft chew gummies in addition to 510 concentrate vaporizers. The brand San Rafael’ 71 is named after the town and year that the term “4/20” was initially coined in, playing on the “classic California cannabis culture.”. San Rafael is known for their creative, engaging and playful social media content.

Products: Soft Chews (and 510 Vape Pens and Batteries)

Product details: Soft Chew edible infused gummies are vegan-friendly and are made with natural ingredients, available in Apple Green Tea and Grapefruit Hibiscus. 

Branding details: Kolab Project is a licensed cannabis brand and retailer owned by Auxly. Kolab’s branding is extremely modern, hip and cool and seems to be geared at a youthful urban audience. Kolab Project considers themself a platform dedicated to arts, design and culture. They aim to create purposeful goods produced in collaboration with culturally-relevant creators. They use a typewriter-like font along with coordinates (latitude and longitude) in much of their marketing materials. The brand first launched with dried flower but is now primarily a cannabis 2.0 product purveyor. Kolab’s stated mission is to “provide Canadians with high quality products with impact”. Their storefronts are modelled after a futuristic laundromat and their apparel and merch is some of the highest quality in the cannabis industry.

Products: Soft Chews, Chocolate Squares (and 510 Carts and Pens)

Product details: Soft Chew edible infused gummies are made with “natural, traceable and of course tasty ingredients” and are available in Raspberry Vanilla, Peach Mango, and Pineapple Orange.

Branding details: Foray is another recreational brand from Auxly that challenges cannabis consumers to “see cannabis differently”. Foray is a strictly cannabis 2.0 brand, only offering edibles and vape pens. Foray is positioned as an easily accessible entry point brand for the cannabis curious and new consumer that is interested in trying 2.0 products. Foray markets through the education and celebration of the cannabis plant.

Products: THC Chocolate Bars

Product details: 10mg THC-infused chocolate bars that split into 4 pieces and are available in both milk chocolate and dark chocolate varieties. 

Branding details: Bhang is an award-winning global cannabis edible brand that originated in the USA about 10 years ago. The brand was licensed and brought to Canada by licensed producer Indiva. The word “bhang” is a hindi term describing an edible preparation of cannabis, milk and other ingredients that originates from India and has been used in the region since 1000 BC. The brand’s slogan and main marketing campaign is titled: #BhiteMe, which is also used here in Canada (see the first picture of two Indiva/Bhang reps standing in front of a banner at a Canadian cannabis conference). Bhang’s logo is noticeably colourful and vibrant. The brand does not have Canadian-specific social media channels or a website, instead banking on the brand equity that has been built up in other parts of the world. Bhang is just one of several edible brands licensed by LP Indiva. Although not available for purchase quite yet, the producer has also licensed the brands Wana sour gummies, Ruby cannabis sugar, Sapphire cannabis salt and Gems, a chewable snack made with dehydrated fruit and coated with Ruby cannabis sugar.

Products: Chocolate Bars and Soft Chews

Product details: Chowie Wowie milk chocolates are available in both solid THC (10 mg) and balance (10mg THC, 10mg CBD). Chowie Wowie’s soft chewable gummies are available in pineapple mango (10mg THC, 10mg CBD) and watermelon (10mg THC), which are offered in 4-gummy packs.

Branding details: Chowie Wowie is a bright, colourful, fun, playful and approachable recreational cannabis edible brand presented by High Park Company (which also owns Tilray). The name appears to be an edible-based play on the name “Maui Wowie” – which is a famous cannabis strain hailing from Maui, Hawaii. The brand’s slogans are “bring the wow” and “a wow you can maow”. Chowie Wowie believes that taking edibles should be fun, safe, tasty, and consistent and heavily encourages sharing with friends.

Products: Chocolate Truffles “Bytes”

Product details: Edison’s chocolate truffles are available in both milk and dark chocolate and in two varieties, 1 x 10mg for maximum potency and 2 x 5mg for sharing or for a more controlled dose. The chocolates are perfectly circular and are engraved with the Edison logo. These truffles are made using a combination of three cocoa beans –  criollo, forastero and trinitario. These chocolates provide a truly upscale experience for the sophisticated consumer. 

Branding details: Edison is the flagship recreational cannabis brand from Organigram, a licensed producer based in Moncton, New Brunswick. The Edison brand is all about “genius” – finding smarter, more efficient and better ways to create and sell cannabis products. Edison takes the quality of their chocolate seriously – employing classic chocolatier practices with modern extraction techniques. Beyond what the product looks and tastes like, Edison is devoted to quality in all that it does. The cocoa ingredients used in Edison Bytes chocolate truffles are sourced through a global program designed to support self-sustaining farming practices that help to protect nature, communities and families of Canada.

Products: Chocolate Bars

Product details: In Canada, The Goodship company/Goodship currently offers sea salt dark chocolate sprinkled with flaky sea salt and containing 10 mg THC and 10 mg CBD. These chocolates are engraved with the Goodship hot air balloon icon logo and wordmark. 

Branding details: Goodship is an American cannabis brand that originated in Washington state but has been brought to Canada through High Park Company. These brands are connected through Privateer Holdings, a parent company that owns cannabis directory website Leafly, Goodship and High Park Company/Tilray. Goodship does not have Canadian-specific social media channels or a website but the brand has strong awareness in the Washington market. The brand’s slogan is “Makers of damn fine edibles. Purveyors of good times.”

Products: Chocolate Bars

Product details: 5-piece chocolate bars that possess 10mg total, feature branded engravings and offered in both “Go” and “Pause” varieties. 

Branding details: Tokyo Smoke is a hip licensed cannabis lifestyle brand, retailer, producer and coffee shop owned and operated by Canopy Growth Corporation. Tokyo Smoke categorizes all of their products into four distinct categories. “Go” represents all of their high-THC sativa-dominant offerings while “Pause” describes their high-THC indica-dominant products.

Products: Chocolate Bars

Product details: Tweed’s chocolate bars are strain-specific, offering Bakerstreet, Penelope and Houndstooth strains in their edible products. Bakerstreet (10mg THC/pack) is mixed with peppermint, Houndstooth (10mg THC/pack) is mixed with mocha, while Penelope (which is a balanced mix of 5mg CBD and 5mg THC) can be found in a plain milk chocolate bar.

Branding details: Tweed is one of the most well-known legal recreational cannabis brands, presented by parent company Canopy Growth Corporation. Each chocolate bar that they offer is engraved with a unique design. The ‘Bakerstreet’ chocolate bar is engraved with a row of houses resembling a street, Penelope features a swirly pattern and Houndstooth displays an odd tooth-like design. These extra touches go a long way for helping to cement the brand in consumer’s minds as they interact with the product. Tweed’s edible products and branding appears to be more well thought out than many other producers. Across marketing materials, Tweed pronounces that their premium infused chocolate bars are “made for sharing” as they can be broken up into several accurately dosed pieces.

Notably, all of Tweed’s social and digital content promoting their 2.0 products (edibles, beverages, vapes) include health warnings superimposed over the imagery. It is unclear whether Tweed is doing this as an extra precaution or if they have received new information surrounding promotion regulations from Health Canada. This may be something that is mandated for all Canadian cannabis companies in the future. 

Products: Chocolates

Product details: Salted caramel chocolates that are available in both milk chocolate and dark chocolate varieties, milk, dark and mint chocolate pieces. Fireside offers a variety of different chocolate drops that all come in 2 pieces per container, with 5mg in each piece.

Branding details: Fireside is the flagship recreational cannabis brand from licensed producer Vivo. Fireside’s brand is devoted to encouraging and creating connections – to people, to nature and to new experiences. They aim to offer a product for everyone, no matter what mood you’re in. To accomplish this feat, the brand offers a wide assortment of products including dried flower, edibles, vapes and concentrates. They are a proudly Canadian cannabis brand that focuses on the outdoors, adventure and campfires in their marketing imagery.

Analysis & The Future of Cannabis Edibles in Canada

The edible and cannabis 2.0 market has only just begun in Canada. Several licensed producers have been working on edible formulations that have not come to market yet. It is interesting that basically all of the current edibles on the market are high in sugar, high in calories and do not have any healthy ingredients. There may be room for a healthy edible brand (or at least a vegan-friendly and ingredient-conscious brand like Kolab Project) in the minds of certain consumers.

Additionally, some enthusiasts and heavy cannabis users claim that 10mg is not nearly enough for them to feel the effects that they desire. Until these maximum THC limits are altered, it will be a challenge for licensed edible brands to attract consumers from the informal market. Until then, edibles will remain a great product for canna-curious consumers looking to dip their toes in the world of cannabis and/or consumers that prefer smoke-less options (which are becoming ever more popular in today’s climate).

Stay tuned to ADCANN as we track the progression of edibles and the cannabis 2.0 market in Canada, the US and beyond.

Which edible do you think has the best branding?