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This week, Phoebe DePree, CEO of Goddess Growers, joins the Cannabis Equipment News podcast to discuss her pursuit to make the perfect edible.
Phoebe DePree is a lifelong cannabis consumer and food scientist by trade. After she had three kids, she became a full-time mom and started looking for cannabis products that were a bit more discreet. She became interested in edibles, hoping to find something fast-acting and delicious with discreet packaging. She couldn't find anything to meet her needs.
DePree noticed an opportunity, a gap in the market and decided to lean on her research experience to potentially develop a new product. After all, women make up more than half of cannabis consumers—and they make about 80% of health and wellness purchasing decisions in the home. Women are often most likely to be the decision-makers for aging parents.
So, about four years ago, DePree started researching, focusing on edibles. She spent two years learning about the relationship between cannabinoids and how they interact with one another. She arrived at a hybrid formulation to provide consumers a sense of calm during the day without too big of a high and founded Goddess Growers.
As a food scientist, she needed something manufacturable. Many recipes run into issues with minimum order quantities or ingredient availability. She wanted to make something that tasted delicious and was easily scalable.
When she started, she spent much time iterating product formulations. She arrived at a full-spectrum distillate with elevated cannabinoids, specifically 5 mg CBD, 5 mg THC, and 1 mg THCV. The products also include a proprietary blend of terpenes and flavonoids DePree calls the "Mother Elixir." The concoction is her secret sauce that augments the calm.
DePree works with co-packers to make the products in cGMP facilities. In Ohio, she recently partnered with BeneLeaves for statewide distribution. While Ohio remains a medical state, voters legalized recreational cannabis use last year, and a whole new market will soon open up.
DePree is planning a soft launch of her Goddess Growers edibles to get a few on shelves for proof of concept and to make sure the brand and formulation resonate with customers. She hopes the recreational market will be rolled out by the end of the year.
Jump around:
- Women cannabis consumers. (2:14)
- Two years of product research. (4:56)
- The Goddess Growers "secret sauce." (7:21)
- The R&D process. (9:54)
- Obstacles for women-owned business owners. (14:06)
- Manufacturing with co-packers. (16:11)
- Why Ohio? (17:19)
- The soft launch. (19:36)
- The pursuit for co-packers. (21:06)
- Challenges and roadblocks. (26:39)
- Predictions for federal legalization. (31:31)
- Farmer partnerships and product suppliers. (37:41)
Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at [email protected].
