ANNA
OG Sin, Pruno, Street Urchin, Root Canal #2
Best High
Apples & Bananas, Big Bubba Diesel, Cherry Hills , Cherry Punch , Electric Lemonade , Frankenberry , Mac N Cheese , Mandarin Cookies , OG Sin, OG Sin , Oreoz , Pruno, Pruno , Quatro Kush , Sex Grenade , Melonade #8, Root Canal #2
Blue Heron
Interdimensional Cable, OG Sin, Pancakes, Pruno, Street Urchin, Peking Duck #6, Root Canal #2
COS Confidential
Apple Fritter , Apples & Bananas , Double Deja Vu , Electric Lemonade , Horchata , Oreoz , Scooby Snax , Strawberry Guava , Triangle OG , El Chivo #4, Melonade #8, Muffinz Breath #1, Sugar Rush #2
Canna Cabinet
Apples & Bananas , Pancakes , Toxic Boo , Veritas Cookies , El Chivo #4, Item #9, Melonade #8, Muffinz Breath #1
CannaCo
Apples & Bananas, Cherry Diesel, Garlic Breath, Pancakes, Scooby Snax, Sour Diesel, The Sauce, GG #4
Cannabicare
Apple Fritter , Apples & Bananas , Cherry Diesel, Cherry Hills , Garlic Breath, OG Sin, Sherb Crasher, Sour Diesel, Durban Kush #8, El Chivo #4, Melonade #8, Muffinz Breath #1, Sugar Rush #2
Cherry Peak
Apples & Bananas , Electric Lemonade , Frozen Dessert , OG Sin, Pancakes , Street Urchin, Toxic Boo , Tres Leches , El Chivo #4, Item #9, Melonade #8, Muffinz Breath #1
Colorado Harvest Company
Apple Fritter , Apples & Bananas, Apples & Bananas , Big Bubba Diesel, Cherry Hills , Cherry Punch , Electric Lemonade , Frankenberry , Frozen Dessert , Georgia Pie , Horchata , Interdimensional Cable, Mac N Cheese , Marmot OG, OG Sin, OG Sin , Oreoz , Pancakes , Papaya Cake , Pruno, Pruno , Rotten Cherries , Sex Grenade , Snickerz, Sour Apple , Street Urchin, The Sauce , Toxic Boo , Tres Leches , Veritas Cookies , Apples & Bananas, El Chivo #4, INFVSED Scooby Snax, INFVSED The Sauce, Item #9, Melonade #8, Muffinz Breath #1, Peking Duck #6, Root Canal #2, Sugar Rush #2, Sunset Drive, Tart Pops #3
Dark Matter
Cherry Hills, Item #9, Sueno
EMJ's
Apples & Bananas, Big Bubba Diesel, Cherry Diesel, Scooby Snax, Snickerz, Street Urchin, Sunset Drive, The Sauce, GG #4, Peking Duck #6
Elevated
Electric Lemonade , Sex Grenade , The Sauce , Toxic Boo , El Chivo #4, INFVSED Sueno
Emerald City Wellness
Cherry Diesel, INFVSED Oreoz, INFVSED Sour Orange Zkittlez, Peking Duck #6
Green Dragon
Apple Fritter , Electric Lemonade , Horchata , Oreoz , Pancakes , Pruno , Toxic Boo , Veritas Cookies , El Chivo #4, Item #9, Melonade #8, Muffinz Breath #1
Green World Express
Apples & Bananas, Frankenberry , Mac N Cheese , Snickerz, Sour Diesel, Tres Leches , El Chivo #4
HERBS 4 YOU
Electric Lemonade , Sex Grenade , Root Canal #2
High Class
Cherry Hills, Item #9, Sueno
Igadi
Cherry Diesel, Electric Lemonade , Frozen Dessert , Garlic Breath, OG Sin , Pancakes, Rotten Cherries , Snickerz, Sour Diesel, Sunset Drive, El Chivo #4, GG #4
Kind Care of Colorado
Toxic Boo , El Chivo #4, INFVSED Apple Fritter, INFVSED Peking Duck #6, INFVSED Scooby Snax, INFVSED Sherb Crasher, INFVSED Sueno, INFVSED Sunset Drive, INFVSED The Sauce, INFVSED Yuk Mouth, Melonade #8
LA CASA CANNA BIS
Apples & Bananas, Frankenberry , Mac N Cheese , Snickerz, Sour Diesel, Tres Leches , El Chivo #4
LIGHTSHADE
Apples & Bananas , Frankenberry , The Sauce , El Chivo #4, INFVSED Sueno, Item #9
Lightshade
Apple Fritter , Apples & Bananas, Apples & Bananas , Electric Lemonade , Frankenberry , Pruno , The Sauce , El Chivo #4, Item #9
Livgreen
Apples & Bananas, Apples & Bananas , Big Bubba Diesel, Cherry Diesel, Cherry Hills , Double Deja Vu , Frankenberry , Funyunz, Georgia Pie , Oreoz , Pancakes, Pancakes , Scooby Snax , Snickerz, Sour Diesel, Sunset Drive, The Sauce, Veritas Cookies , El Chivo #4, GG #4, Item #9, Melonade #8
Lucky Monkey Buds
Apples & Bananas, Garlic Breath, Pancakes, Scooby Snax, Sour Diesel
Magnolia Road
Chemdawg , Divine Kush Breath , Milky Weigh , OG Sin , Tropsanto , Watermelon Sorbet , Durban Kush #8, Root Canal #2
Magnolia Road
Apples & Bananas , Chemdawg , Cherry Hills , Cherry Punch , Divine Kush Breath , OG Sin, OG Sin , Papaya Cake, Pruno, Scooby Snax , Street Urchin, The Sauce, Tropsanto , Watermelon Sorbet , Durban Kush #8, El Chivo #4, Item #9, Peking Duck #6, Root Canal #2
Makena
Apples & Bananas , Rotten Cherries , El Chivo #4, Item #9
Mellow Harvest
Cherry Hills, Item #9, Sueno
Munchiez
Sueno
Native Roots
Apple Fritter , Apples & Bananas , Cherry Hills , Cherry Punch , Double Deja Vu , Electric Lemonade , Frankenberry , Frozen Dessert , Horchata , Interdimensional Cable, Mac N Cheese , OG Sin, OG Sin , Oreoz , Pancakes , Pruno, Pruno , Rotten Cherries , Sex Grenade , Street Urchin, The Sauce , Tres Leches , Veritas Cookies , Durban Kush #8, El Chivo #4, INFVSED The Sauce, Item #9, Melonade #8, Muffinz Breath #1, Peking Duck #6, Root Canal #2
Oasis Cannabis Superstore
Cherry Hills , OG Sin, Veritas Cookies , Item #9
Peak Dispensary
Electric Lemonade , OG Sin, Pruno , Sex Grenade
Peak North
Horchata , Tres Leches , INFVSED Apple Fritter, INFVSED Scooby Snax, INFVSED The Sauce, INFVSED Yuk Mouth, Item #9
Roadrunner Cannabis
Item #9, Sueno
Rocky Mountain Blaze
Big Bubba Diesel, Electric Lemonade , Horchata , Papaya Cake, Sex Grenade , Tres Leches , El Chivo #4, Peking Duck #6
Rocky Mountain Cannasol
Eagle Scout , Horchata , Pruno, Rotten Cherries , Scooby Snax , Toxic Boo
Rocky Road
Apple Fritter , Apples & Bananas, Big Bubba Diesel, Cherry Punch , Electric Lemonade , Horchata , Interdimensional Cable, Papaya Cake, Sueno, The Sauce, The Sauce , Tres Leches , El Chivo #4, INFVSED Pineapple Blast, INFVSED Scooby Snax, Peking Duck #6, Root Canal #2, Tart Pops #3
Rocky Road Remedies
Apples & Bananas, Big Bubba Diesel, Cherry Diesel, Funyunz, Garlic Breath, Interdimensional Cable, Marmot OG, Pancakes, Papaya Cake, Snickerz, Sour Diesel, Street Urchin, Sueno, Sunset Drive, GG #4, Peking Duck #6, Root Canal #2
Roots Rx
Cherry Hills , Cherry Punch , Citrus Cake , Divine Kush Breath , Eagle Scout , Frankenberry , Mac N Cheese , Mandarin Cookies , Milky Weigh , OG Sin , Oreoz , Passionfruit , Quatro Kush , Rotten Cherries , Scooby Snax , Sour Apple , Sour Diesel , Toxic Boo , Tres Leches , Tropsanto , Veritas Cookies , Durban Kush #8, GG #4, Item #9, Peking Duck #6, Root Canal #2
Sandia Botanicals
Cherry Hills, Item #9, Sueno
Simply Pure
Apples & Bananas , Rotten Cherries , Toxic Boo , El Chivo #4, INFVSED Sherb Crasher, Item #9, Melonade #8, Muffinz Breath #1
Solace Meds
Apples & Bananas , Electric Lemonade , Sex Grenade , Toxic Boo , El Chivo #4, INFVSED Sour Orange Zkittlez, Melonade #8
Spark Dispensary
Apples & Bananas, Grape Cream Cake, Pancakes, Sunset Drive
TGS
Apple Fritter , Cherry Punch , Frankenberry , Frozen Dessert , Horchata , El Chivo #4
The 404 Dispensary
Citrus Cake , Divine Kush Breath , Milky Weigh , Rotten Cherries , Tropsanto , Peking Duck #6, Root Canal #2
The 64 Store
Cherry Diesel, OG Sin
The Dispo
Apples & Bananas, Cherry Diesel, Double Deja Vu , Frankenberry , Pancakes , Papaya Cake, Passionfruit , Scooby Snax, Sour Diesel, Tangidos , The Sauce, Toxic Boo , El Chivo #4, GG #4, Item #9, Melonade #8, Peking Duck #6
The Happy Camper
Apples & Bananas , Big Bubba Diesel, Cherry Hills , Frankenberry , Frozen Dessert , Interdimensional Cable, Mac N Cheese , Mandarin Cookies , Milky Weigh , OG Sin, OG Sin , Pancakes , Passionfruit , Pruno, Quatro Kush , Rotten Cherries , Sour Apple , Street Urchin, Tangidos , Toxic Boo , Veritas Cookies , El Chivo #4, GG #4, Item #9, Melonade #8, Muffinz Breath #1, Root Canal #2
The Joint By Cannabis
Cherry Punch , Frozen Dessert , OG Sin, Pruno, Street Urchin, Melonade #8
Third Day Apothecary
Cherry Diesel, Garlic Breath, Marmot OG, Sour Diesel, GG #4, Peking Duck #6
Top Crop
Cherry Hills, Item #9, Sueno
Tumbleweed
Apples & Bananas, Big Bubba Diesel, Cherry Hills , Double Deja Vu , Electric Lemonade , Frankenberry , Georgia Pie , Horchata , Interdimensional Cable, Mac N Cheese , Scooby Snax, Sex Grenade , Sour Diesel, Sueno, The Sauce , Tres Leches , Apples & Bananas, Durban Kush #8, El Chivo #4, Item #9, Muffinz Breath #1, Root Canal #2, Sunset Drive
Twin Peaks
Frozen Dessert , OG Sin, Sex Grenade , Street Urchin, El Chivo #4, Item #9, Melonade #8, Muffinz Breath #1
Unity Rd.
Apples & Bananas , Toxic Boo , El Chivo #4, Item #9
Zipz
Cherry Diesel, Garlic Breath, Sherb Crasher, Peking Duck #6

December 10, 2021

How cannabis companies can save money on packaging

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By Bart Schaneman, Editor

December 10, 2021

Image depicting packaging

(Editorโ€™s note: This is the first installment in a three-part series on marijuana and hemp packaging solutions.)

Complying with regulations while sourcing and working with cost-effective, attractive marijuana or hemp packaging requires a deft touch, which canโ€™t be done by simply throwing money at the problem.

Packaging is a major cost for any marijuana or hemp company that makes products, and a few considerations to cut expenses include:

  • Buying in bulk to get better pricing.
  • Keeping a close eye on the packaging manufacturer to ensure quality.
  • Dialing in forecasting to accurately order the correct supply.
  • Selecting affordable base materials and simplifying the process as much as possible.

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Thatโ€™s just a brief summary of what marijuana and hemp industry stakeholders suggested for saving money on packaging.

Below are tips and advice from cannabis companies across the country. Their quotes have been edited for length and clarity:

Eric Leslie, chief marketing officer and co-owner, Cheeba Chews, Boulder, Colorado

The cheapest option isnโ€™t always the most cost-effective.

Print errors, random defective units and inconsistencies of appearance are all variables that seem to pop up more often when we work with the cheapest providers available.

You really have to micromanage the orders to ensure they are consistently right.

Always have a backup option. Sometimes you can see price creep in your orders, as a supplier tries to earn your business with a low-ball offer.

They eventually need to gain those pennies back, and youโ€™ll find that in small increments on your subsequent orders.

Keep them in check with a competing bid, if you think a price is getting to an uncomfortable place.

Jonathan Persofsky, co-founder and CEO, Green Gruff, Toronto

Forecast accurately so you can buy in larger quantities and avoid excess packaging that doesnโ€™t bring value.

Customers today are far more environmentally conscious and donโ€™t want to receive useless excess.

Shannon Reed, chief marketing officer, Omura, Santa Monica, California

No. 1 is usually package size and weight.

By maintaining the lowest possible footprint, you are then also able to reduce shipping costs, storage space, production time and, of course, be more eco-friendly.

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Limiting the number of colors printed and print methods reduces the amount of work for the producer and can make a big impact.

Selecting the correct base material is critical.

If an incorrect paper is chosen, it could lead to additional interventions, which cost money each time, and additional tertiary packaging.

Work with the manufacturer to ensure the packaging design is easily automatable to reduce the numbers of touches per assembly.

Samip Shah, chief operating officer, C3 Industries, Detroit

The most important consideration is the quality of the material and construction โ€“ protecting the product is paramount and the reason weโ€™re looking for packaging in the first place.

Margin profiles differ state by state, product to product, so understanding how packaging costs fit into a productโ€™s overall wholesale price is critical for brands to be competitive.

Optimize and reduce the number of overall packaging base stock-keeping units (SKUs) , even if the designs and labeling might differ product to product.

Before ordering packaging, predict how labor will fill the packaging and how that fits into the overall plan: High-design, complex packaging likely will result in increased labor costs and frustrated operations teams.

Trent Woloveck, chief commercial director, Jushi Holdings, Boca Raton, Florida

The best way to save on packaging costs is to find simple and attractive packaging solutions. The packaging should serve the product.

A lot of cannabis companies lose sight of this and get caught up in flashy or expensive packaging fads, many of which are environmentally wasteful.

The packaging should be durable and aesthetically pleasing to entice customers.

But donโ€™t lose sight of the big picture โ€“ cannabis customers are looking for high-quality, affordable and effective products. They donโ€™t want to incur extra costs because of expensive, unnecessary packaging.

Avoiding expensive packaging helps to keep prices reasonable for customers or patients while operating companies yield higher margins.

If the packaging is compliant in multiple states, that saves us from having to enter more partnerships and reduces our overall costs.

When considering and negotiating partnerships, it is wise to take advantage of data analytics and leverage your buying power by conveying current and projected volumes. For example, costs are lower with bulk purchases.

Additionally, utilize blanket or consignment orders when it is possible. This will accommodate limited storage capabilities while also taking advantage of bulk pricing.  

Lauren Claire Smith, director of product and innovation strategy, Plus, Pacifica, California 

Global supply-chain issues have increased costs for all cannabis companies, particularly in packaging.

You can lower your cost by seeking out domestic production โ€“ when possible.

Erin Mulkeran, product and special projects manager, High Life Farms, Chesaning, Michigan

While not always the most aesthetically pleasing, it helps if you do not fully customize the packaging โ€“ i.e., strain names, flavors, etc. โ€“ so the packaging can be used across multiple SKUs for that product line.

Austin Stevenson, chief innovation officer, Vertosa, Oakland, California

Proper management of the cost of goods sold is critical to success in cannabis packaging.

One immediate way to save costs is to utilize turnkey products rather than custom packaging. Less is more, quite literally.

Brands often use an excessive amount of packaging to remain compliant, which can then create a horrible customer โ€œopeningโ€ experience as well as excessive waste.

To save costs, spend time upfront exploring all compliance solutions and donโ€™t leave any stone unturned as you work to a simple and compliant solution that results in less waste.

Thomas Winstanley, vice president of marketing, Theory Wellness, Great Barrington, Massachusetts

Understand your burn rate, forecast your needs and align on lowering costs by increasing volume.

This is easier said than done given regulatory requirements and constantly evolving product lines.

The inherent risk is getting stuck with slow-moving packaging that takes up space based on a poor forecast.

Matt Jacobs, director of front of house operations, Veritas Fine Cannabis, Denver

Packaging vendors will typically offer price breaks at various quantities, but this requires a certain level of preparation and planning ahead to fully maximize value here.

Once Veritas identifies where price breaks exist, we will plan ahead and place bulk orders for packaging that might not be introduced immediately but will be used later down the line for future projects.

This can be challenging to take advantage of, however, without the ability to analyze future projects and plan ahead.

Bart Schaneman can be reached at bart.schaneman@mjbizdaily.com.

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