Edibles make up a substantial portion of legal cannabis sales. (With ~15% of dollar sales, edibles are the third-largest cannabis product category in 2021.*) In order to earn repeat customers in an increasingly competitive market, THC edibles brands are working harder to formulate products that taste special.
When looking at the edible category as a whole, it’s not surprising to see that the top flavors come from the most dominant edibles brands in the market. After all, these big edibles brands tend to be the most widely available. However, an analysis of BDSA’s granular subcategory data shows that need-state targeted edibles also have common flavors rising to the top of product sales rankings. Let’s take a closer look at four flavor trends.
Mixed-Fruit and watermelon flavors win big in the gummy subcategory
Mixed fruit edibles make up 12% of gummy dollar sales in Colorado and 8% of gummy dollar sales in Illinois. Edibles giant Wana drives this, as they are the number one Colorado edibles brand and number five ranked Illinois edibles brand (according to BDSA’s retail sales tracking). Beyond CO and IL, watermelon is the most popular gummy flavor in CA (6% of dollar sales), AZ (15% of dollar sales), and MA (7% of dollar sales).
Berry flavors are popular across cannabis markets, and BDSA sees particularly strong sales when berry flavors are tied to sleep benefits.
With flavors ranging from strawberry to “midnight blueberry” taking the number 2-6 spots of most popular California edibles, it’s clear that cannabis consumers like berry flavors. In particular, high-performing sleep-aid edibles are often connected to a berry flavor. For example, Wyld’s Elderberry Indica THC/CBN gummies are the #1 gummy product in Oregon, while Kiva’s Midnight Blueberry-flavored THC/CBD Camino Gummies, are the #2 bestselling California edibles.
Citrus is the top cannabis beverage flavor choice across markets.
It’s no wonder that lemonade and other refreshing citrus flavors are prominent in cannabis soda and other beverages, which perfectly fit the need-state for consumption during outdoor and social activities. Specifically, citrus flavors make up four of the top five cannabis beverages in California and three of the top five cannabis beverages in Illinois in 2021 TYD.
New markets show unexpected winners for edible flavors, demonstrating that both independent medical market brands and large MSOs can drive trends in edible flavor sales.
For example, ginger mango (17%) and raspberry limeade (7%) are this year’s most popular flavors for Maryland edibles, driven by the top edibles brands Curio Wellness and Wana.
*BDSA tracks legal cannabis retail sales in AZ, CA, CO, FL, IL, MA, MD, MI, MO, NV, OR, PA.
