As more products in the cannabis space become available in Canada, undoubtedly some of the most popular will be drinkables and edibles. Making these ingestible goodies however, is more of an art than a business due to the balance one needs to achieve between flavour and potency.

One company that has achieved such a balance is EP infusions. They have several flavours of delicious fine chocolate and a cannabis soda pop that’s so good it could change the way you look at marijuana.

Herbal Dispatch sat down with the owner of EP Infusions (who shall remain nameless), to discuss their current offerings and also what’s next for the company.

EP Infusions is clearly designed and marketed to be a well-made, high-quality product. Was your intent to elevate the experience when you first decided to create cannabis products?
I don’t know if the intention was to elevate it, exactly. Cannabis, for me, has always been a way to experience a deeper appreciation of visual beauty and exceptional flavours, so it just made sense to create a product that engages the eyes and the palette on that same level. If it wasn’t going to be beautiful, and it wasn’t going to be made with the best ingredients, I don’t think it would have done justice to the experience.

I also think that there’s a certain imagery associated with edibles that, right or wrong, can be alienating to a lot of people. We’re fighting against a century of negative cultural baggage. I wanted to take things in a new direction, and challenge preconceived notions of what an edible should look like.

What was the catalyst for the creation of EP Infusions?
I suppose it was two things.

My background is in craft brewing, and as much as I love a fine brew, cannabis has always been my first love. We’ve created all of these social rituals around alcohol – we bring a bottle of wine to dinner, or a case of beer to a party; we celebrate important moments with champagne or a fine scotch – and I was intrigued by the idea of offering people a way to experience cannabis in a form that was familiar to them.

“We’re at this amazing point in history where the stigma around weed is finally starting to crumble, and it’s beginning to take its place in mainstream culture. I started working on the beverage line as a way to encourage that transition.”

The second thing was simply timing. I had been keeping a close watch as the first US states began to legalize. It’s strange to think back now, but at the time, I believe most people assumed cannabis would still be illegal for decades to come. When that suddenly started to change, I knew the culture was going to be entering a completely new era.

I wanted to play a part in that transformation, even if in Canada it meant that we would have to stay underground. I never expected the Liberals to win a majority in the last federal election. But the moment they did, there was no question that I was going to try and take this project all the way.

What was your first product and the ones that came afterwards?
Everything started with the soda. I’m happy that there are only a few people out there who tasted my first attempts – the results weren’t always pleasant. But it’s been a focus from the very beginning, and I’m proud to see how far we’ve come.

The chocolate came soon after. I had some prior experience in chocolate-making, and starting an infused line gave me the chance to take a deep dive into that craft. Our dark chocolate truffles were probably our first big hit. Lately we’ve been focusing more on our bars; our fans seem to really appreciate having something that’s easy to share. But there’s a good chance the truffles will be making a return in the near future.

Infused drinks are a great way to medicate on the sly. Just make sure you keep count.

Your soda pop is delicious and the best part about it is the manageable level of THC. You can drink a whole bottle and not be wrecked. Was that a conscious effort on behalf of the company?
Absolutely. One of our main goals has always been to engage people who are new to cannabis, or haven’t experienced it in many years. I wanted to offer something that could be enjoyed the way you would a bottle of beer or cider, even if you didn’t have a tolerance.

Honestly, I would ideally want to make something with 5mg or 10mg, but it just isn’t practical right now with the kind of scale we’re operating at.

Your pop used to have 20 mg in each bottle but a few months ago the Green Market had one that was at 50 mg. What was the reason for changing the dose?
That was a one-off. In a sense we’re lucky to be operating at a relatively small scale, as it gives us a lot of opportunities to experiment.

There have always been folks asking if we can make higher-dose products, and it’s something we’ll try from time to time. But we always return to our commitment to create products for new or casual consumers. You can’t be everything to everyone.

Is EP Infusions making an effort to be part of the legal cannabis industry moving forward? If so, can you outline some of your business plans?
Our dream has always been to participate in the legal market, and we’re more committed to that goal than ever. For better or worse, because of the way the Canadian situation has evolved, it seems clear that a few very large companies are going to have an enormous amount of control over the legal market.

All we want to do at the end of the day is reach as many people as we can with our products. Whether we do that by forging ahead on our own, or through a partnership of some kind, only time will tell.

Any new products on the horizon?
Without giving too much away, I really think that the savory side of the edibles market is deeply under-served. I love to cook, and I would love to create a line of products to help home cooks create meals with an infused component to offer their guests.
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Thankfully, EP Infusions products are easy to get. They are a click away at HerbalDispatch.com.

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Madison Cole

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