With Halloween wrapped up tighter than a mummy, it’s clear that the holiday season is well upon us. For many, this is the time of year when people loosen up their diets (and sometimes belts) to enjoy some well-earned sweet treats. Seeing as it has been a while since we’ve treated you to a list of brands to watch, we thought this week would be the perfect time to give you some of BDSA’s top picks of edible brands to watch this holiday season and beyond!
While the edible category as a whole is dwarfed by inhalable form factors such as flower and concentrates in dollar sales, BDSA Retail Sales Tracking show that edibles still make up a ~15 percent share of total dollar sales across BDSA-tracked markets that do not restrict form factors (AZ, CA, CO, FL, MA, MD, MO, MI, IL, NV, OR, NJ). Also, BDSA Consumer Insights data show that edibles are consistently cited as the products of choice by consumers looking for a sleep aid or pain relief, with ~40 percent of edible consumers citing pain relief as their reason for consuming edibles and ~45 percent citing their qualities as a sleep aid. While some of the brands seeing the fastest growth in 2022 are multi-state brands that have leveraged their brand recognition to see a strong launch in a new market, homegrown brands are still seeing success by staying true to their roots and delivering quality edibles with local flavor.
OGeez!
One of the leading brands by Arizona industry mainstays Copia, OGeez! has seen strong growth even as the market has experienced some growing pains since the move to adult-use sales. With a product portfolio including micro-dosed gummies, full spectrum RSO-infused gummies, and minor cannabinoid infused gummies, OGeez! has seen their share of edible dollar sales in Arizona roughly double since January 2021, with the brand bringing in a ~8 percent share of edible dollar sales in the state during September 2022.
Valhalla
Terrascend-held brand Valhalla is no newcomer to the cannabis edibles space, with the brand’s gummies, chocolates, and beverages already in wide distribution across the Arizona and California markets. Valhalla expanded to the New Jersey cannabis market in late 2021, and has shown strong performance since the launch of adult-use sales in April 2022. While New Jersey’s fledgling market has a limited number of brands, we thought that Valhalla’s particularly strong performance deserved a callout, with the brand growing from holding a ~5 percent share of New Jersey edible dollar sales in April 2022 to a ~15 percent share of edible dollar sales in September 2022. The edible landscape in the Garden State is sure to shake up as more brands get into the game, but we expect Valhalla to be a strong performer for years to come in this rapidly growing market.
Grön
Those familiar with the Oregon cannabis brand landscape will be well-acquainted with Grön, which has long been one of the top-performing edible brands in the Oregon market. Grön has leveraged their success in their home state to launch sales in Canada, Nevada, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Arizona. Since launching sales in the Arizona cannabis market in April 2022, Grön has already grown to take up a ~7 percent share of dollar edible sales as of September 2022, an impressive feat given the number of home-grown brands already established in Arizona’s edible market.
Missouri’s Own Edibles
As much as brands in newly launched adult-use markets have been on our mind lately, we can’t forget to give some love to brands like Missouri’s Own Edibles, which have been making big moves in medical-only states. A subsidiary brand of Missouri-based Vivid Cannabis, Missouri’s Own Edibles has this year seen some of the strongest growth of any Missouri edible brand. This brand boasts a product portfolio of edibles that pay homage to the state’s history and culture, such as their “Pawpaw Fruit Gummies” (don’t worry, I had to look it up too) and “Twice-baked Red Hot Riplets” infused chips, an infused take on a St. Louis classic that was able to bring home a Grand Clio at the 2022 Clio Cannabis Awards. While they may not be the biggest edible brand in the state, Missouri’s Own Edibles have seen their dollar sales grow nearly tenfold between January 2022 and August 2022, making up ~5 percent of monthly edible dollar sales in the state for September 2022.
Camino
Kiva Confections subsidiary brand Camino has been making some big moves since their entry into the Massachusetts adult-use market. Long a top performer in the California edible space, Kiva’s Camino was one of the first brands to lean into the trend of marketing edibles through mood signifiers and minor cannabinoid content, rather than the indica/sativa/hybrid classification that has been the standard in the industry for years. Camino’s share of edible dollar sales in the Massachusetts cannabis market has grown from ~2 percent in January 2022 to ~8 percent in September 2022.
Uncle Arnie’s
Getting your big break in a highly competitive cannabis market like California is always a struggle, especially for brands focusing on form factors that make up a small fraction of total sales. But Uncle Arnie’s has been able to see continued growth with their line of infused iced teas and juices even as the California market has stagnated under pressure from illicit competition and crashing wholesale prices. The brand has seen their share of beverage dollar sales grow from ~2 percent in January 2022 to ~10 percent in September 2022.
