Making ice cream and other delicious edibles infused with CBD has been around for some time, but since the recent development of the government legalizing hemp to grow and sell CBD in the US, this segment is the next gold rush. A once calculated and risky business endeavor, has now become the edible train everyone wants to jump on. However, making it a successful ride maybe more involved than you believe.
Making edibles by infusing THC (offers psychoactive effects) or CBD (offers no psychoactive effects) is far from new, however, many manufacturers operating a edible infused business, I term “cottage” and see as a risky operation, why? Primarily for a lack of proper process, procedure and equipment in a “clean room” environment.
I predict businesses with a cottage mindset will easily fall to the side while others entering will be more successful. With more people consuming CBD plus a heightened interest from national retailers, will demand a higher, professional standard in the entire manufacturing process.
Keep in mind, the FDA along with state and local health departments are not as concerned about the CBD side of food edibles, as much as insuring that manufacturers are making products in a clean, safe and responsible facility. In the past I have written about the importance of implementing good manufacturing practices in a production and why, because food-borne illness and bacteria is on the rise and that’s not cool.
Making a manufacturing change will not affect the intrigue and uniqueness of your product, if anything a process improvement will make your edibles more attractive and profitable. The signing of the farm bill to legalize hemp growing and CBD infusions, creates the opportunity for investors to invest in a well operated company that professionally manufactures consumables. Investors do not want the risk of someone getting ill from a contaminated product made in “home kitchen” type environment with little to no processes in place.
Making infused ice cream, gelato, sorbet and pastries in a commercial facility will being monitored & licensed by two separate government agencies. The department of health and a local arm of the DEA. The agency’s focus of interest will be sanitation and the declared MG. per serving. Routine health inspections looking for areas where bacteria to grow and transfer, second is testing your product by a 3rd party certified lab for CBD consistency and strength.
I’m not suggesting that to be successful every manufacturer is required to be a Ben & Jerry’s type operation, but rather, need to grasp and think like a big operation in standards and process. Staying as a small cottage operation is fine, but will not be a sustainable model as you grow.
So where’s the middle ground to attract investors and operating a compliant business to keep up with trends and growth? It begins with looking very differently at the way you currently conduct business in every aspect of the operation.
You’re a local operator without a health license and not testing the claimed amount of CBD in your ice cream. The business is growing at a rate that is challenging to keep up with. People love your products and the business receives raving reviews. The daily routine is putting out fires and trying to fulfill sales commitments.
One day you decide to approach a local Whole Foods with hopes of growing your brand name on a national scale. The manager recognized the brand and says your product would sell well. After the initial shock, you run back to your shop to share the great news with staff.
However, your current operation will not support the demands required and suggest you probably will not the first purchase order for a long time. You’re thinking, you don’t even know my business, so how can you possibly make such a claim? Well, I invite you to prove me wrong and see how many questions you can honestly say “yes – already happing.
- All of the ingredients used come from a licensed supplier, nothing comes from the grocery store or someone’s kitchen
- Your label and claims on the website match what you actually make
- You make product to fulfill inventory, not immediate sales
- A like ingredient can be substituted when the primary runs out
- Finished goods are weigh checked and fall within a specific weight parameter
- A sanitation procedure is in place and monitored
- There is a recipe for every item with percentages of the batch included
- A local, state or federal inspector visits your facility one – four times/year
- Finished products are routinely sent to a 3rd party lab for microbiology analysis
- The manufacturing facility has applied for or conducts food safety inspections.
- The city water used in products is filtered
- You update the cost of goods every quarter
- You carry product liability coverage
If yes was not the response to every items, then suggest you stay local and avoid selling to large retailers. Why, for one, just about every national retail chains now requires having a food safety program in place such as HACCP or SQF II, second, retailers like Whole Foods, post a list of unaccepted ingredients for food that cannot be included in any item.
However, if you are serious about making a CBD infused edibles with intentions of selling nationally, then you’re first step is to contact Darryl and schedule a meeting. The meeting offers you a better understanding of the tasks ahead in order to responsibly make and verify your edible claims.
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