Cannabis Supplement 2022 by PMMIMediaGroup

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1/25/22 10:06 AM

Packaging for the

CANNABIS

MARKET

FEBRUARY 2022

Cannabis Weighing System Accounts for Variable Container Weights By Matt Reynolds, Chief Editor RYTHM is a brand by Green Thumb Industries that operates squarely at the premium, top-quality end of the cannabis flower (also called bud or nug[get]) totem pole. Most flower by other brands is either sold in flexible pouches or lightweight HDPE jars, but RYTHM brand managers opted for a heavier, premium painted glass jar so the package experience would match the premium-quality product and price point. Until recently, these were hand-filled by workers. Increasing volume and worker shortages made this packaging operation ripe for automation. But precision weights would be key. That’s because cannabis is an expensive product, even at small volumes. There’s a lot of IP, horticulture, and grow and processing time that goes into each cannabis flower before it arrives at the packaging stage. Overweights and product giveaway eat into profitability. Meanwhile, consumer expectations are high, especially for a product that’s positioned as premium. Underweights are heavily frowned upon, to put it mildly. “But we knew, through research, that the empty jars themselves would vary sometimes by a gram, a gram and a half, even two grams,” says Toby Strickland, Fusion Support Services LLC, an automation acquisition consultant who works closely with Green Thumb. “And you can’t have that kind of weight variation when you’re dealing in tenths of a gram. The traditional method of weighing product into a jar, and then trying to send it across a checkweigher, was not going to be effective at these precise weights.” The company solved this problem by employing a Spee-Dee tare gross weighing system, which is uses a starwheel flanked by two scales, one for before and one for after filling. It weighs the empty jar, fills the jar with cannabis flower, weighs the filled jar, and thus validates the weight by comparing the feeding scale weight versus the post-fill scale weight.

Visit pwgo.to/7470 to watch the gross tare weight system in action. “It’s validating, in real time, the weight that you just put into the jar, which I thought was clever,” Strickland says. “You have the ability to set overweight and underweight limits. Of course, in the cannabis industry, there’s no such thing as an underweight. There’s no maximum allowable value yet, but I think when we specified the allowable range, we began around 3.5 grams per jar, minus zero, plus three-tenths of a gram. That was the weight range we were looking for, otherwise the

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The tare gross weighing system accounts for variable-weight glass jars (finished jar shown left) by weighing the empty jar, filling the jar with cannabis flower, weighing the filled jar, and finally validating the contents’ weight by comparing the feeding scale weight with the post-fill scale weight. system rejects the filled jar.” In a wrinkle that’s somewhat unique to cannabis flower, there’s a high degree of variability in size between each individual bud or nug. This factor further highlights the importance of a bud spec defining size and weight, which needs to be completed before the equipment is dialed in. “There had to be a mixture of large and small buds, and the system had to manage the combinations it needed to give you the precise weight,” Strickland says. “It’s hard to hit a tenth-of-a-gram target when you’ve got a scale full of two-gram buds, but it all worked together nicely.” “It’s a really good system,” concludes Bryce Watters, Regional Continuous Improvement/Lean Manufacturing Manager, Green Thumb. “It’s a very clever design for managing variable-weight jars. And it has a good system for managing checks and balances, so that the consumer never feels like they’re cheated by not getting their correct weight. It pretty much eliminates the possibility of a consumer getting an underweight jar.” PW

Visit pwgo.to/7474 to read the full story about the RYTHM packaging line, including machinery by Ishida/Head and Control, Morrison Container Handling Systems, Arol, Arrowhead, and more.

2/3/22 3:11 PM

Packaging for the

CANNABIS

MARKET

FEBRUARY 2022

Cannabis Drinks Aim to Scale In a recent presentation at the Cannabis Drinks Expo in Chicago, Bethany Gomez, managing director at Brightfield Group, addressed what it would take to scale the drinks segment of the cannabis market, which she says has considerable potential. In 2021, the sector accounted for just over 2% of the U.S. cannabis market overall, and 3% of Canada’s. To grow the market, it’s important to understand who the consumer is. It’s the high-end cannabis consumers, with a household income of $150,000 or more, who are turning toward cannabis drinks. Given that cannabis drinks tend to be expensive, consumers see them as an indulgence. “This is never going to be the cheapest way to get high,” Gomez says.

Bethany Gomez, managing director for Brightfield Group, presented at the Cannabis Drinks Expo in Chicago about trends in the industry.

Consumers also come from stable, established households. Almost three-fourths of the cannabis drinks consumers are partnered or married, and 69% have children in the household. That said, cannabis drinks consumers also tend to be younger, with 83% of under 45. In comparison, that same age group makes up 63% of the total cannabis consumers. This aligns with a cohort that’s reducing their alcohol consumption, a major trend of late. Gomez pointed to this as well, noting that 66% of Millennial consumers want to reduce their alcohol consumption. That’s an even bigger story among Gen Z consumers, among whom only 38% over the age of 21 consume alcohol. “22% of consumers looking to reduce their alcohol consumption were substituting their alcohol with cannabis,” Gomez says. “This is a real opportunity to hit on that consumer segment.” The alcohol industry has been investing increasingly in the cannabis drinks space in a bid to make up for the sales lost on the beer side of the equation. Constellation, which makes Corona and Modelo beers, has made a massive investment. For example, Constellation has a nearly 40% investment in Canopy Growth, maker of CBD-infused sparkling water. It’s also investing in Karma, which is taking advantage of Constellation’s distribution network to get its CBD water out into stores. Others are starting to dabble as well, Gomez says, including AB InBev, Lagunitas, and Molson Coors. Molson Coors has just recently launched a beer-style cannabis beverage range, Bedfellows Liquid Arts, through its Truss BeverageCo joint venture with cannabis company Hexo.

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Cannabis drink manufacturers should think about consumers and understand what their dosage levels are for different needs. Much of this investment is taking place in Canada, where—unlike in the U.S.—cannabis and its byproducts have been legalized at the federal level. But even in Canada, more needs to be done to get the industry on track. Corrections that need to happen going forward, Gomez says, are toward dosage adjustments and flavors. She emphasizes the need to think about the consumer and understand what their dosage levels are for different needs. Some complaints are that cannabis drinks are too expensive to not provide more of a buzz. For a price aligned with craft beer or hard seltzers, cannabis dosage comes in around 2-4 mg, which makes them micro-dose products. It’ll take several to really feel the effects of the THC. Other cannabis drinks have very high dosage levels (at a price, of course) and are designed to be more like high spirits. But there’s not a lot in between. Gomez urges drink companies to think more about the consumer and what their needs might be at given times—whether they’re using cannabis for calm/relief, energy, intimacy, or sleep. Flavors early on were “pretty rudimentary,” she says, with lemonades and iced teas taking up a lot of the shelf space. “Over the past couple years, there’s been a very strong growth in flavor sophistication,” she says. “The high-income consumer is consuming cannabis throughout their day. This is their indulgence. There has to be something fun and indulgent; it needs to feel like a treat, with flavors that are a bit more exotic.” Though 19% of cannabis users overall have reported using cannabis drinks within the past six months, those drinks still only make up 2% of sales. “They’re using a lot more than just cannabis drinks,” Gomez says. “They’re using other products for more of their daily consumption, and using drinks on occasion. It’s seen more as a splurge or fun way to spice things up in overall consumption habits.” —Aaron Hand, Editor-in-Chief, ProFood World

Molson Coors has launched a beer-style cannabis beverage range, Bedfellows Liquid Arts, through its Truss BeverageCo joint venture with cannabis company Hexo.

2/3/22 3:11 PM

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26 1/12/2022 3:50:13 PM 2/3/22 3:13 PM

Packaging for the

CANNABIS

MARKET

FEBRUARY 2022

Feeder is Key to Pre-Roll Cannabis Equipment Not long ago, Grant Schuster, co-founder of machine builder Accelerant Manufacturing, looked at the cannabis pre-roll cone joints market and noticed that it was outperforming overall market. The Marylandbased company saw an opportunity in automation. “We observed that pre-rolled product sales grew 47% year-over-year in established markets in 2020,” Schuster says. “The problem is that operators cannot hire, train, and retain labor to keep up with demand. In response, our early research and development efforts proved that automation could produce up to 2,000 pre-rolls per hour and repurpose the 15 to 20 people needed to produce the same output.” Accelerant contacted integrator Cutting Edge Automation to help move the effort forward. Together, they developed what would become Accelerant’s PRO Modular System. Inclusion of an Eriez® 6C electromagnetic vibratory feeder was critical to the success of pre-rolling and reducing waste. The Eriez feeder handles 500 to 2,000 pre-rolls per hour. The weigh filling system is accurate to .01 g, and is never underweight, according to the company. This light capacity feeder enhances compacting and serves as an ideal component within this demanding operation where small quantities of cannabis are required, and consistent shape and uniform density is crucial. The 6C electromagnetic feeder—ideally suited for precise material metering applications—features a stainless-steel tray. The enclosed vibratory feeder drive is designed to operate in dusty and wet environments. When paired with Eriez’ Unicon solid-state feeder control, superior feed rate control is achievable. The Eriez 6C electromagnetic vibratory feeder meets USDA requirements. “If you do a deep dive on our PRO Modular System, you will see many other features that provide our customers state-of-the-art technology at a price-point that is attractive,” Schuster says. “We have a cloudbased platform that is meeting and exceeding customer expectations.” The Accelerant modular system allows for capacity expansion as the producer’s market grows. It’s robotic cone loader adapts to sizes ranging from 70 mm to 140 mm offered by brands such as RAW, Elements, JWare, Hara, Futurola, and more. With the machine’s recipe approach, operators easily adjust specs to different flower strains through compacting (vibration and rod) and twisting (turn and depth) to produce consistent shape with uniform density. The durable design includes a stainless-steel frame and contact parts, a sophisticated scale, quality motors, and a modular method that allows swap-outs. Remote monitoring enables ready data to be sent to Accelerant’s cloud platform for every 10 units. Recipes, weights, configurations,

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quantities, and cycle times are adjusted by station. Real-time remote visuals are integrated using in-line cameras. Key data insights allow Accelerant’s engineers to assist operators in improving productivity and quality. Maintaining an ideal environment is possible through monitoring humidity and temperature, while production count monitoring ensures compliance. Exception-based weight conformity and key issue alarms act in real-time to address root causes and reduce downtime.

The machine’s recipe approach allows operators to easily adjust specs to different flower strains through compacting and twisting to produce consistent shape with uniform density.

Production as a Service The stigma attached to cannabis-related businesses makes funding difficult for many startups. Accelerant offers a solution: high-performance equipment under a lease, based on cost-per-unit, that includes maintenance. “Ours is the first ‘production as a service’ (PaaS) pre-roll machine,” Schuster says. “Because most cannabis operations are start-ups, we provide the machine, maintenance, and scale for no upfront costs. We charge on a per unit produced basis at a price that declines based on production levels. We call it a ‘plug, play and prosper’ solution. “We needed a reliable vibratory feeder. Eriez provided us a partnership—the kind we want with our clients,” Schuster concludes. “Eriez responded right from the start with a prototype product and support to help us produce 10 units immediately. We reduced cycle times and solved other issues with Eriez. We are impressed with the willingness of Eriez to work in the industry and partner with Accelerant.” —Matt Reynolds, Chief Editor, Packaging World

2/3/22 3:13 PM

AFM SHRINK SLEEVE LABEL APPLICATORS RELIABLE. ACCURATE. AFFORDABLE. S H R I N K S L E E V E S O LU T I O N S E N S U R E S A F E T Y A N D M A K E YO U R PRO D U C T S TA N D O U T

AFM’s tamper band and shrink sleeve label applicators are a perfect solution for sleeving cannabis containers including jars, tincture bottles, pop tops, pre-roll tubes, vials and more. The single-head mandrel, in-line labeling systems are engineered to meet the demands of your application while providing the safety, security, and marketability of aprofessionally shrink sleeved product. With over 40 years of experience in shrink labeling, AFM offers a complete line of shrink sleeve labeling and tamper evident band applicators, tunnels, shrink sleeve labels, and tamper bands. Supplying both the machines and the material, AFM products a single source that works together seamlessly and maximizes uptime. For more information, visit www.afmsleeves.com or call 714-974-9006 for an Authorized AFM Distributor in your area. AMERICAN FILM & MACHINERY SHRINK SLEEVE & LABELING SOLUTIONS SHRINK SLEEVE APPLICATORS / TAMPER EVIDENT BAND APPLICATORS RADIANT HEAT TUNNELS / ELECTRIC HEAT TUNNELS / STEAM HEAT TUNNELS SHRINK SLEEVE LABELS / TAMPER EVIDENT SHRINK BANDS

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2/3/22 5:45 PM

Packaging for the

CANNABIS

MARKET

FEBRUARY 2022

THE LEGAL SIDE

Cannabis and CBD: Still. Holding. Breath. By Eric F. Greenberg, Attorney-at-law As an attorney, my job is easy. I advise clients that they should follow the law. As we say in Latin, “Duh.” If the client needs help figuring out what the law requires, we help with that. If it’s not completely clear and predictable, well then, there’s more work to do. The recent history of the regulation of cannabis and CBD products has been one of those “more work to do” scenarios, filled with uncertainty and unpredictability for packagers, and lots of frustration. Perhaps most frustrating of all is that most of us expected there to be more certainty by now. The crux of the problem is the conflict between the federal laws that outlaw cannabis and CBD in many forms and in foods and dietary supplements, and the many states who have legalized many forms of cannabis and CBD-containing products. Visit pwgo.to/7465 to read my last examination of all this. What’s the holdup? After all, the tough part appears to be behind us: So many of the historical taboos about cannabis have already fallen away, with 18 individual states legalizing it for recreational use, another 13 decriminalizing it, and 36 legalizing it for medical purposes. CBD-containing products, too, are proliferating in most states, powered by state laws permitting sales and a range of perceived health benefits. But until the feds finish the thought by removing the federal prohibitions, the policy transformation won’t be complete. Eliminate those federal requirements and packaging companies, processors, and contract manufacturers would see a world of new opportunities. Thus, the federal prohibitions of cannabis and CBD in foods (including supplements), stand as an anachronistic symbol of a bygone era. Cannabis is a federal controlled substance along with heroin and LSD, and among the awkward results of that are that businesses are not permitted to use federal banking systems, and have to restrict themselves to sales and marketing within one state. Various bills proposing to change federal law are already before Congress, and it can be treacherous to attempt to predict either their fate or final form. It’s a popular topic, though. It’s even possible to find reports on bills that aren’t proposed yet. However, several bills have been proposed and have made it through varying levels of consideration by legislative committees. For example, the bill proposed by South Carolina Republican Nancy Mace would take cannabis off the list of “controlled substances” and let states make their own rules about cannabis, including keeping it outlawed if they want, but would allow interstate commerce in cannabis and allow cannabis businesses to use banks, and even get loans and issue stock. She describes it as regulating cannabis like alcohol. The bill even provides for some excise taxes (Look, Ma! A Republican suggested a tax!)

CBD-containing products would be regulated differently under other proposed federal laws, such as one that would specifically make CBD from hemp lawful as an ingredient in foods and dietary supplements (which the law now says it isn’t), but would allow FDA to impose labeling and packaging requirements on such products. I checked back with consultant Dr. Sanford Wolgel, (former Chief Science Officer for Cannabistry Labs), whom I quoted last March on this topic. He spent the first few minutes teasing me for having predicted that something would get done during 2021. After that hilarious interlude, he offered a useful summary of the overall scene, which he phrased in terms of the varying interests of four groups of stakeholders. First, he says, are consumers, many of whom want their cannabis and CBD and really don’t care much about what any regulators say. Second is industry—including growers, manufacturers, packagers, and their suppliers—champing at the bit to expand their activities or dive into the business, some of whom are legitimate companies marketing consistently made products and adhering to scientific best practices, while others are, well, less so. Third are the federal government players, both the Congress which has the power to change the law and the FDA whose job it is to implement the law (and whose ability to accommodate consumers and industry is ultimately limited by the laws Congress hands them), all while juggling assorted political pressures from everywhere. Finally, there are the states, many of which have already demonstrated their willingness to get out ahead of the feds. The states might want to see the feds change some things and clarify some things, but in the meantime aren’t waiting, and are happy to keep allowing sales and marketing of cannabis and/or CBD in their states. Usually, businesses don’t want the federal government to impose any requirements on them, but other times the certainty and consistency that comes from having a single national standard are helpful to businesses. Recognition of that advantage helps explain the level of bipartisan support for proposals in Congress. And yet, it ain’t happened yet. And not to be a buzz-kill, but once it does, it’s not clear that smooth sailing for cannabis and CBD will result. For example, FDA has been saying for some years that it’s not convinced that CBD is safe. What happens if Congress orders FDA to set standards for the safe use of CBD in foods and supplements, and FDA does so, only to conclude that levels of CBD that consumers commonly consume now are unsafe and should be unlawful? If, like a lot of folks, you are inclined to predict that Congress won’t pass anything because they seem too often to be unable to get anything done, that’s not irrational. But happy surprises do occur—if you have a minute, let me tell you about the Chicago Bulls’ season so far. PW

Eric Greenberg can be reached at greenberg@efg-law.com. Or visit his firm’s Web site at www.ericfgreenbergpc.com. INFORMATIONAL ONLY, NOT LEGAL ADVICE.

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2/3/22 3:16 PM

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2/4/22 11:22 AM

Packaging for the

CANNABIS

MARKET

FEBRUARY 2022

Cheeba Chews Tackles New Markets with Swabbing Station Founded in Colorado in 2009, Cheeba Chews is a long-tenured brand by cannabis standards. Founders were edibles pioneers and early adopters of accurate, consistent THC dosing in precisely sized taffy chews back when an edible product’s potency—usually in brownies or cookies—was anything but consistent or accurate. The brand hit its packaging stride in 2014, when Colorado legalized recreational cannabis and began regulating. After a scramble to meet the then-new regulatory standards, Cheeba Chews settled into a child resistant-certified (CR), 10-cavity blister-pack format using a multilayer paper/ foil CR lidding solution from Constantia and Klöckner Pentaplast rollstock blister forming material, with FormTight as the local thermoformer. Save for minor updates, this format is still used today.

had developed tried and true processes and manufacturing equipment, and it made sense to license that whole package together for the new market partners. But going into a place like Massachusetts, even Oklahoma, even California, the company began to see a lot of variables across multiple kitchens. Depending on the humidity at which it was processed, taffy product sticking to blister cell walls became an issue. “Even within the same state, different kitchens have different humidity controls,” Leslie says. “When we take the same taffy manufactured in Colorado, ship it to Massachusetts, they cook it down, and then infuse it, they are doing so in a kitchen with higher humidity, so they’re collecting more moisture in the taffy process that changed the viscosity. That changed the behavior of the taffy and how it interacted with our thermoformed trays. Taffy wasn’t popping out for the consumer the same way that it was in this dry climate in manufacturing here in Colorado.”

Automating a solution for themselves The home-grown solution, which came with the help New Jersey equipment partner RLS Equipment Co. Inc., is what’s called a swabbing station. Cheeba Chews and RLS developed an automated, in-line swabbing system with 12 sponges on a motorized arm. Each is able to dispense, through feeder tubes, a thin layer of food-grade oil-based agent that prevents taffy from sticking to the internal blisters of the thermoformed tray. Why 12 sponges? Keep in mind, the thermoformed blisters that will eventually be 5x2 10-packs arrive to the facility as 12x10 format, 120-count trays. They are filled in that larger format via a modified Egan Food Tech chocolate depositer. Only later will they be cut into 12 separate, 5x2 10-packs prior to flow wrapping. The swabbing system covers an entire 120-cavity tray. Each cavity in the individually portioned 10-pack (5x2 format) blister strip holds one 10-mg piece of single-dose THC-infused taffy, with dosing and other pertinent details, varying by SKU, printed on the pack. The foil-backed blister strip is then flow wrapped in printed film. The whole system is dialed in for production, packaging, and distribution in Colorado and California, early markets in which Cheeba Chews played. But the recent spate of states legalizing recreational cannabis offered potential for the brand to expand outside into new markets. “We were able to operate Colorado and California by ourselves. And we’re a small business. There are three of us at the ownership level, and we have zero debt, zero investors.” says Eric Leslie, co-owner, CMO, Cheeba Chews. “As new states began to legalize, we were able to establish more of a licensing model to operate in multiple states. This led us into opportunities in Oklahoma, Nevada, and Massachusetts. In this licensing system, we ship our base taffy or our gummies [before adding THC, which cannot be transported across state lines], along with our packaging components and automation information, to our partners.” Those Cheeba Chew partners are separately licensed in their own state, with their own licensed kitchen facilities. They then have to source their cannabis, their extract, and their oil locally. “So, they source their oil, and we ship them the base taffy product and packaging,” Leslie says. “We set them up with a manufacturing process and machinery, walk them through training processes, and they operate their kitchen and do the infusion process in order to take it to market.” Having started in Colorado, which is very dry climate, Cheeba Chews

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Watch the Cheeba Chews swabbing station in action at pwgo.to/7475. Given an oil-based agent was being applied to the trays, an early concern was maintenance of a solid lidding seal if the swabbing sponges left a trace amount of agent on the sealing surface rather than in the cavities or pockets. Fortunately, the lidding supplier Constantia had been working on that problem for other applications and had a new lidding product at the ready. Leslie says there’s no problem with tight seals, even after swabbing, using this updated lidding material. “While a lot of third-party solutions are available, there’s a lot of markup on the solution from whoever owns the CR certification, to the material providers, to the guy selling it to you,” Leslie concludes. “There’s a lot of pennies being stacked on top when you just go get a clam shell, or you get a pouch, or a jar. By working directly with an OEM, and certifying our own solution, and going through some of these painful R&D processes, we were able to keep our costs down to provide a solution that not only is cost effective, but we can scale it into any market in the U.S. and still be compliant with the state regulations.” With their own Colorado machine up and running, Cheeba Chews has since installed swabbing stations in California and at the Oklahoma franchise. Franchisees in Massachusetts and New Jersey are next up to adopt the swabbing station solution. —Matt Reynolds, Chief Editor, Packaging World

2/4/22 12:35 PM

SQUID INK PRINTING SYSTEMS SUPERIOR QUALITY CODING AND MARKING ON A VARIETY OF SUBSTRATES PROV I D I N G T R AC E A B I L I T Y R EQ U I R E M E N T S F O R T H E C B D A N D C A N N A B I S I N D U S T R I E S

Squid Ink’s coding and marking systems are a perfect solution for marking expiration dates, batch numbers, or dosage recommendations on a variety of containers for the CBD and cannabis industry. Whether you need to mark on jars of flowers or edibles, CBD tincture bottles, pop tops, pre-roll tubes, vials, barrier bags, or more, Squid Ink has a solution to meet your ever-changing packaging requirements. A coding and marking leader for over 25 years, Squid Ink’s proven printing systems and inks are designed to keep your production line up and running day after day. For more information, visit www.squidink.com or call 1-800-877-5658 for an Authorized Squid Ink Distributor in your area.

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2/3/22 6:06 PM

Packaging for the

CANNABIS

MARKET

FEBRUARY 2022

Sustainable Cannabis Vape Pod Carton When cannabis provider STIIIZY’s cannabis pod was recognized as the best-selling brand in California and the third best-selling brand in the U.S., the company felt compelled to provide its consumers with more eco-conscious packaging. The result was a vape pod carton.

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STIIIZY’s pod is part of a proprietary vape system that includes the custom-made pod filled with high-grade cannabis oil and a sleek, proprietary handheld battery into which the pods are inserted for vaping. In late 2019, the company began working on a redesign of the paperboard packaging for the pod that would use less material to gain cost and resource efficiencies. Interstingly, the new packaging was created in-house by STIIIZY’S large team of in-house designers. The legacy packaging comprised an outer paperboard carton, with an inner tray, die-cut to hold the pod. The tray took up two-thirds of the package on the right side of the carton, with the left side empty. Each carton was customized, with the variety name included with the logo lockup. An anti-counterfeit authentication sticker appeared on the front of the carton, but only for those products sold in California. The childresistant mechanism was positioned on the left side of the box. In creating the new package design, the guiding principle was to use less material. One of the biggest material savings came from right sizing the carton so that its dimensions are the same as the tray, getting rid of the empty space on the left side of the carton. Another was eliminating a paper-insert user manual— measuring from 2.5 to 3.5 in.—and replacing it with a QR code printed on the left side of the inner tray through which consumers can easily access, by way of a smartphone, user instructions, information on product features, and disclaimers. “By getting rid of this insert and decreasing the size of our package, we easily reduced our material use by more than 25%,” says Jackie Kim, STIIIZY’S Director of Integrated Marketing. Another modification made to the package that helped make a smaller carton possible was a change in placement of the child-resistant feature and some of the graphics. As Kim explains, the CR mechanism comprises a round die-cut in the carton that exposes the inner tray. The “button” acts as a latch. To get to the product, consumers hold down the button, while pulling a tab at the top of the package, which allows the tray to slide out. —Anne Marie Mohan, Senior Editor, Packaging World

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Paper Tube Differentiates a Unique Brand of Cannabis Colorado cannabis brand äkta is one of only two companies in the cannabis space that is single source; all its products are made from plants grown by its parent company, Hava Gardens. Another differentiator, its supplier (Hava) employs a soil-focused growing technique, whereby all of its cannabis is planted in Living Soil, which contains a robust and complex collection of microbes. Äkta also stands out for its extraction method, which is based on the traditional artisanal hash-making process of using ice, water, heat, and pressure versus extraction with solvents, such as butane, ethanol, and carbon dioxide. Despite all of these distinguishing characteristics, the company still felt like its packaging was pretty standard in the industry. Which is to say, not very sustainable. “We felt like the cannabis industry as a whole is extremely wasteful—a lot of plastic, a lot of things that get thrown away due to regulatory requirements within the market,” says Blair Kralick, äkta CEO. “So, we really wanted to be creative and look at packaging options that would meet these compliance requirements without being wasteful. We didn’t want to put a bunch of trash out there, a bunch of plastic filling landfills, just to sell products.” Kralick adds that the brand also wanted to bring a touch of professionalism into the CPG world of cannabis. “I’ve worked with a lot of brands in the past, and we’ve always followed the norm of what the industry was doing,” he says. “We really wanted to raise the bar and bring something new to the market.” The solution came from The Paper Tube Co., a paper-based packaging supplier. Wanting to avoid plastic as much as possible and looking for a format that would align with the brand’s soft, approachable aesthetics, äkta selected a paper tube format. “When I came across the tube, I liked that it was made of paper and had rounded edges—it was everything I was looking for,” Kralick says.

open the lid when it’s lined up on the ring of the tube. The second tube, measuring 1.25 in. tall x 1.5 in. wide, is used for its Live Rosin Concentrates and is made from paper only. The concentrates are packaged in a CR jar, with the tube acting as a marketing vehicle. —Anne Marie Mohan, Senior Editor, Packaging World

CM420 DISPENSING SYSTEM

Automated dispensing of oils, extracts, liquids, and more.

Read PW ’s Q&A with Blair Kralick on the need for sustainable packaging in the cannabis industry at pwgo.to/7477. Äkta is now using two different tube designs. One is for its Live Rosin Vape Cartridges in three varieties. The tube measures approximately 3.5 in. tall x 1.5 in. wide and holds a cartridge with 500 mg of full-spectrum, strain-specific, solventless live rosin hash oil. The consumer accesses the cartridge by pushing up on a paper insert on the bottom of the tube, which features a round hole to hold the product upright. Says Kralick, the insert “slides up and down like a push-pop,” propelling the product out of the tube. To meet regulatory compliance, the tube is topped with a plastic, child-resistant closure with a lineup feature that only allows the consumer to

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Start Dispensing 800.600.3675 | fluidresearch.com

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Batching Systems, Inc. is your Best Source in the Industry for high speed, high accuracy, fully automatic systems to count gummies into bags, jars, or other containers.

Our complete engineered solutions will count the exact number of gummies and other edibles into bags, jars and containers. All product contact parts are rigidized stainless steel and food grade plastic.

Packaging for the

CANNABIS

MARKET

Getting Started Guide: Designing Packaging for Cannabis Looking for information on packaging cannabis products? This Packaging World primer will provide an overview of general cannabis market considerations, the different variety of cannabis products and potential packaging options, automation considerations, and a glossary with links to source material. Download this free PDF today at pwgo.to/7469.

ADVERTISER INDEX ADVERTISER WEBSITE

PAGE

American Film and Machinery www.afmsleeves.com Batching Systems Inc. www.batchingsystems.com

Ellsworth Adhesives www.ellsworth.com

Heat and Control, Inc. www.heatandcontrol.com High Tek USA, Inc. www.hightekusa.com

3 IFC

Klöckner Pentaplast, PHD www.kpfilms.com

OBC

Mold-Rite Plastics www.mrpcap.com

IBC

Spee-Dee Packaging Machinery www.spee-dee.com

Batchmaster® IV Counter

Squid Ink Manufacturing www.squidink.com

WIPOTEC-OCS, Inc. www.wipotec-ocs.com

Oiled and Sanded Gummies

Contact us today for a FREE evaluation of your parts!! “Providing packaging solutions for over 30 years” Batching Systems, Inc. www.BatchingSystems.com | package@BatchingSystems.com Phone: 410-414-8111 50 Jibsail Drive | Prince Frederick, MD 20678 USA

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PMMI Media Group 401 North Michigan Ave., Suite 1700, Chicago, IL 60611 Phone: 312/222-1010 • Fax: 312/222-1310 E-Mail: info@packworld.com • Web: www.packworld.com PMMI The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies 12930 Worldgate Dr., Suite 200, Herndon VA, 20170 Phone: 571/612-3200 • Fax: 703/243-8556 • Web: www.pmmi.org Staff at PMMI Media Group can be contacted at info@pmmimediagroup.com

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NEED COMPLIANT PACKAGING

FOR CANNABIS ?

W E’ V E GOT IT

• Child resistant and continuous thread closures, jars and vials • Protocol tested to meet Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) standards • Optimal cannabis storage environment that is airtight, opaque, moisture-resistant and odor proof • Polypropylene, High Density Polyethylene and PCR options available • Premium packaging competitive with PET pricing • Made in the USA

Mold-Rite Packaging | mrpcap.com/markets/cannabis CannabisSupp_2022_QuickHits.indd 13

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