Building anticipation and excitement for a legal cannabis product in Canada is no small feat. With limited marketing abilities and communication channels, Licensed Producers must get creative and focus on delivering products that delight consumers. One example of a company that was able to successfully create a buzz for their recent product launch is Greybeard Cannabis Co, a new recreational brand offered by Thrive Cannabis.
Greybeard has entered the Ontario market with a line of novel dabbable concentrates dubbed “terp slush”. This product is an “elevated version” of live resin HTFSE (High Terpene Full Spectrum Extract), derived from whole cannabis flower grown at the Thrive farm and made using Greybeard’s proprietary hydrocarbon extraction process.
What is Live Resin?
Live resin is a form of cannabis concentrate that is made using fresh frozen flower, meaning that plants are harvested, immediately cryogenically frozen, and then used in extraction. Many producers claim that this is the best way to retain the full flavour (terpenes) of the live cannabis plants, resulting in a delicious and potent concentrate.
HTFSE and similar extracts are incredibly popular in mature U.S. markets such as California. However, this is one of the first products of this kind on the legal market in Canada, which has excited dabbers across the country. By analyzing and understanding other cannabis markets, Greybeard was able to identify a white space and offer a new product that Canadian consumers wanted but wasn’t available to them yet. In a regulated marketing environment, product mix and quality are crucial for attracting the right consumers.
Greybeard’s Brand Philosophy
Greybeard has a well-thought-out and developed brand philosophy. The company is all about recognizing the rebellious past of the cannabis industry and intends to continue advancing its development in Canada’s legal adult-use market. They insist on doing things “the right way, not the easy way”, which can be seen in the quality of their products. In a recent press release, Art Bluhm (founder of Thrive Cannabis) stated that “Greybeard is our pledge to be the modern-day torchbearer for a quality-first philosophy that this industry sorely needs.”
Sung Kang, SVP of Marketing at Thrive Cannabis, told ADCANN in an exclusive interview that “for our brands, and Greybeard in particular, we just want to sell exceptional concentrates and flower that we, the leaders of the company, would actually want to buy and use (and we do)”.
It is apparent from their marketing messaging, imagery, and product offerings that this brand is initially targeting cannabis enthusiasts who previously (or still) purchase from the legacy market. Their messaging addresses and celebrates the illicit past of the cannabis industry, which is a sentiment that resonates with those who have been consuming long before legalization and normalization. This is an intelligent decision for a brand that is launching with dabbable extracts.
Cannabis concentrates are typically consumed by enthusiasts (those who are highly knowledgeable about, involved in, and spend a lot of money on cannabis) because there is typically a barrier to entry to become an extract consumer (the price of a dab rig set-up or a vaporizer pen that works with derivatives). These consumers are typically not afraid of purchasing (or consuming) illegally but are willing to transition to legal sources if the value proposition is lucrative enough. Greybeard recognizes these truths and speaks to their target market in language that will appease and attract them.
However, Kang also believes that there is a large, untapped population of potential consumers that would love to indulge in products like their terp slush, “but simply need a little help getting started.”
”That’s why we have developed in-store and social media-based communications that we think will help the entire industry educate this new wave of legal market consumers get introduced to dabs and other concentrates that require a little bit of knowledge of the equipment, tools and techniques necessary.
To communicate to these potential new consumers, Kang believes that speaking in plain, educational language is the best approach. “We like to tout that Greybeard is all about No Distillates. No Additives. No BS. I guess you could say that being able to speak plainly to people in engaging ways is what we have been seeking to do with these pieces of marketing collateral”.
Greybeard’s Product Line
Greybeard has launched with two SKUs of what they call Live Resin Terp Slush. As mentioned before, Greybeard’s Live Resin Terp Slush is a version of the ever-popular High-Terpene Full-Spectrum Extract, carefully made from Thrive’s own whole flower. After the plants are harvested, the crop is flash-frozen to seal in cannabinoids and terpenes until they are ready to be extracted through Greybeard’s proprietary hydrocarbon process, resulting in a highly aromatic and flavourful end product.
The first SKU of Live Resin Terp Slush is made using a Greybeard-exclusive cultivar known as “SLK”. This strain consistently reaches between 17-22% THC indoors, with a pungent, earthy, peppery, citrusy aromatic profile. This concentrate tests at 76% THC and over 10% terpenes, providing a potent experience and tropical fruit flavour.
The second Live Resin Terp Slush product is made with Kish (AKA Shiskaberry), a Canadian-bred cultivar born out of the mixture of DJ Short Blueberry and Afghani. Kish Terp Slush gives off delicious notes of raspberry, mango, and pine. This product hits 73% THC and a whopping 12% Terpenes.
Along with these two dabbable concentrates, Greybeard also launched the first 510 Cartridge made with Live Resin in Canada. Live Resin can be consumed in a 510 vape without the addition of any extra solvents, providing a flavourful, clean and potent high. These products typically retain up to twice the terpene content of a C02 extracted vape cartridge, which is the current industry standard. These Live Resin vapes are available in both Kish and SLK strains as well. Both are packaged in a unique sliding-top tin that offers a premium, reusable and fully recyclable package while minimizing waste.
Greybeard also plans to bring “Top Cola Flower” and “All Flower Pre-Rolls” to market soon. Subscribe to the brand’s newsletter and follow them on Instagram to be notified when these products become available.
Last Updated on September 16, 2020 by ADCANN
