Where Are All The Healthy Cannabis Edibles?
Where Are All The Healthy Cannabis Edibles?
"I wanted healthy, functional items that tasted good, and I knew others did too, so I created Pantry Food Co."
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A question I have seen more and more people asking in recent times is where are all the healthy cannabis edibles?
Having worked in the cannabis industry for 3+ years now, I like many others have simply become accustomed to the idea of only having access to sugar-laden cannabis edibles from brownies to gummies and everything in between.
Thankfully, my days of having to purchase products that I wouldn’t otherwise consume if not for them having cannabis are coming to an end as Pantry — a cannabis-infused food brand that started in California is coming to Canada.
For today's edition of Four PM, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Scott, Co-founder & CEO of Pantry to learn more about his journey into the cannabis industry, the trends he’s paying closest attention to, and much more.
Scott C. Jennings is the former of Vice President Of Tidal Royalty Corporation, and is currently the Co-founder & CEO of Pantry Food Co.
What was the insight that led you to found Pantry?
When transitioning from joints to edibles in my 30s in pursuit of healthier consumption methods, I immediately noticed a common theme in the space.
ALL of the products were essentially CANDY - highly processed, artificially flavored junk food that we've been told all our lives to avoid. I found it tough to see that as my alternative to smoking.
I wanted healthy, functional items that tasted good, and I knew others did too, so I created Pantry Food Co.
What trends are you keeping a close eye on in cannabis today?
Within the past 1-2 years we have seen a significant shift in consumer’s purchasing priorities in the edibles category.
Consumers are bringing the interest in clean labels and functional ingredients that we see elsewhere in CPG to the cannabis category. Previously, price and cannabinoid content was a higher priority. This health and wellness-minded consumer is a key demographic for us.
We are also starting to see an increased demand for CBN-infused products, with CBN quickly becoming the top growth category within the edibles space.
What does success look like for Pantry?
Everything starts and ends with our products, with our success for me reflected in consumers' appreciation of functional cannabis-infused foods, mindfully made with wellness top of mind by a team of best-in-class chefs, nutritionists, functional medicine, and cannabis experts.
We've most recently launched our Good Day Bites with Lions Mane, Ashawaganda, Turmeric & Ginger, and our Nite Bites with Valerian Root, L-theanine, Passionflower, Melatonin & CBN, and they have quickly become our best selling products. We're ecstatic to be experiencing the real-time indications that consumers want more than just THC from their edibles. We also offer several vegan, keto-friendly, gluten-free products, to offer products to people that earlier remained on the sidelines due to dietary restrictions.
It’s amazing to see both experienced cannabis users and new, canna-curious consumers begin their journey with Pantry and share positive personal experiences on how our products helped them.
That kind of consumer feedback is what drives our dedicated team.
What are the biggest changes you see occurring in cannabis in the next five years?
Beyond federal legalization, I think there will be a rush of capital inflow from the CPG space looking to capitalize on the Better For You category that includes cannabis/cannabinoids
Hopefully, when we see federal legalization, the cannabis tax will be reduced and regulators will work more collaboratively with operators to help them succeed. The fact that the illegal market is still much larger than the legal market shows more has to be done to help the legal market thrive. The increased success of the legal market will lead to higher tax revenue for the state and ultimately better and safer products for consumers. Everybody wins.
What has you most excited about the future of cannabis?
I'm excited for a day when I walk into a restaurant and I can choose to see the wine menu or the cannabis menu. It will be a sight to see cannabis meshed into the fabric of social gatherings to the same degree alcohol is.
On the innovation side, it's remarkable that for a plant that has been used for thousands of years, we still know very little about its true potential, relatively speaking. From sleep to anxiety and inflammation - we continue to see profound learnings as research and studies continue to develop. It’s super exciting to visualize the benefits we can provide consumers and the planet by combining the benefits of nutritious, whole food ingredients, with micro-dosed amounts of major and minor cannabinoids.
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