For These ‘Potrepreneurs,’ Brownies Are Just t
Post# of 5949
Posted On: 05/25/2014 12:09:22 PM
For These ‘Potrepreneurs,’ Brownies Are Just the Beginning
Sun, 25 May 2014 08:19:33 PDT
Americans finally appear to be getting over their fear of cannabis. After nearly two decades of states legalizing marijuana to be used for medical purposes, Colorado is now playing the pioneer role of first state where the drug is completely legal. Last October Gallup found that 58 percent of Americans now favor full legalization. As the weed train creeps down the tracks toward societal acceptance (with plenty of regulations and protections), people will be smoking the green, of course. But might we be eating it too?
Companies like Love’s Oven, Bakked and Dixie Elixirs and Edibles—all Denver-based startups making foods and beverages infused with cannabis and its derivatives—are banking on it.
They’re part of a handful of pot food companies currently serving Colorado’s new market—and people apparently are excited about the variety of ways they offer to get stoned. Edible products may comprise as much as 40 percent of the state’s dispensary sales, reports Joe Hodas, chief marketing officer at Dixie Elixirs. Users are looking for ways to ingest marijuana other than smoking, because, as Hodas puts it, “ingesting burning plant matter into your lungs isn’t that great for you.” Enter the army of “potrepreneurs” combining the culinary and cannabis. After all, pot is no worse for the body than sugar, and cupcake and ice cream shops are still legal.
Eating marijuana is nothing new, of course, and Hodas recalls that (somewhat) universal moment when “your buddy invited you to try his pot brownies.” But without the threat of legal percussions, that same dorm-kitchen brownie baker is getting a lot more creative. Dixie, for example, began making its infused sodas (seven flavors in three dosages of THC, the ingredient that gives pot its kick) in 2010, serving the medical marijuana industry, but its menu today includes chocolates, mints, and even topical salves.
The company is actually lowering the THC dosage in its latest product, a watermelon cream soda made with all-natural agave syrup. “You’ll be able to enjoy the benefits of marijuana—relaxation, slight euphoria—without being stoned, without being worried about getting stoned,” Hodas says without the slightest bit of irony.
Other companies are innovating in different ways. Bakked makes products like “Bhang” cannabis chocolate, which contains 65 percent cacao and 100 mg of THC. And Coloradans can munch down yummy sweet treats like ginger snaps, chocolate chip cookies (available as gluten-free), and s’mores brownies, all made with “cannabutter” and all prepared with love at Denver’s Love’s Oven.
But we very well could see an even closer synergy between fine dining and marijuana, Hodas says. The basis of many of the edibles are cannabis oils and butters, which are used in cooking, but tight state and federal regulations mean it could be a while until kitchens begin turning out dinners actually made with pot. Instead, chefs he’s spoken with are interested in pairing marijuana with the different dishes they prepare. “There’s a reason why wine and cheese go together so well. The profiles go together so nicely. The same can be said for marijuana,” he says.
Still, news of the imminent rollout of pot-themed food trucks in Denver took the Internet by storm last week.
reference source
http://news.yahoo.com/potrepreneurs-brownies-...33205.html
Sun, 25 May 2014 08:19:33 PDT
Americans finally appear to be getting over their fear of cannabis. After nearly two decades of states legalizing marijuana to be used for medical purposes, Colorado is now playing the pioneer role of first state where the drug is completely legal. Last October Gallup found that 58 percent of Americans now favor full legalization. As the weed train creeps down the tracks toward societal acceptance (with plenty of regulations and protections), people will be smoking the green, of course. But might we be eating it too?
Companies like Love’s Oven, Bakked and Dixie Elixirs and Edibles—all Denver-based startups making foods and beverages infused with cannabis and its derivatives—are banking on it.
They’re part of a handful of pot food companies currently serving Colorado’s new market—and people apparently are excited about the variety of ways they offer to get stoned. Edible products may comprise as much as 40 percent of the state’s dispensary sales, reports Joe Hodas, chief marketing officer at Dixie Elixirs. Users are looking for ways to ingest marijuana other than smoking, because, as Hodas puts it, “ingesting burning plant matter into your lungs isn’t that great for you.” Enter the army of “potrepreneurs” combining the culinary and cannabis. After all, pot is no worse for the body than sugar, and cupcake and ice cream shops are still legal.
Eating marijuana is nothing new, of course, and Hodas recalls that (somewhat) universal moment when “your buddy invited you to try his pot brownies.” But without the threat of legal percussions, that same dorm-kitchen brownie baker is getting a lot more creative. Dixie, for example, began making its infused sodas (seven flavors in three dosages of THC, the ingredient that gives pot its kick) in 2010, serving the medical marijuana industry, but its menu today includes chocolates, mints, and even topical salves.
The company is actually lowering the THC dosage in its latest product, a watermelon cream soda made with all-natural agave syrup. “You’ll be able to enjoy the benefits of marijuana—relaxation, slight euphoria—without being stoned, without being worried about getting stoned,” Hodas says without the slightest bit of irony.
Other companies are innovating in different ways. Bakked makes products like “Bhang” cannabis chocolate, which contains 65 percent cacao and 100 mg of THC. And Coloradans can munch down yummy sweet treats like ginger snaps, chocolate chip cookies (available as gluten-free), and s’mores brownies, all made with “cannabutter” and all prepared with love at Denver’s Love’s Oven.
But we very well could see an even closer synergy between fine dining and marijuana, Hodas says. The basis of many of the edibles are cannabis oils and butters, which are used in cooking, but tight state and federal regulations mean it could be a while until kitchens begin turning out dinners actually made with pot. Instead, chefs he’s spoken with are interested in pairing marijuana with the different dishes they prepare. “There’s a reason why wine and cheese go together so well. The profiles go together so nicely. The same can be said for marijuana,” he says.
Still, news of the imminent rollout of pot-themed food trucks in Denver took the Internet by storm last week.
reference source
http://news.yahoo.com/potrepreneurs-brownies-...33205.html
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