Cannabis is disrupting most major FMCG industries from alcohol to beauty, and pet care to pharma. But what about the confectionery industry? Facing stalling growth and a sugar rush of health trends curtailing sales, diversification and value-added opportunities are essential. Could the seemingly unlikely bedfellows be sharing drivers, positioning and branding attributes that are synergistic? Could confectionery provide a key format for the next stages of cannabis’ evolution?
This report comes in PPT.
With volume growth in confectionery stalling on the back of saturation and health trends, value growth opportunities will be provided by embracing premiumisation, incorporating functional inputs and ingredients, and developing synergies with cannabis.
Origin, provenance, natural credentials and craftmanship are relevant to both confectionery innovation and the latest cannabis trends. At the same time, confectionery being an ideal format for precise dose control has the potential to be instrumental in facilitating the targeting of specific mood states – an approach that will increasingly steal the limelight from cultivars.
It could be argued that adult use of cannabis-infused confectionery is a niche concept without the potential for significant sales; however, both sugar and chocolate confectionery have had a historic association with cannabis during the twilight years of black market sales, and that association has already been utilised by pioneers building niche but rapidly growing brands spanning the spectrum of confectionery.
While the mainstream and trade press appears still to be focusing mostly on the false dichotomy between THC and CBD, hundreds of lesser known cannabinoids and a belated focus on terpenes will radically change the key offerings and landscape of innovation in the medium to long term.
Legalisation has yet to pass the federal threshold in the US, but it is making strides on a state level. The process has, however, been anything but plain sailing and many challenges remain. Nevertheless the importance of high and still rising cross-demographic support for cannabis, and its acceptance as a valid lifestyle choice and inclusion in mainstream politic and social discourse will pave the way for Cannabis 2.0.
Alcoholic drinks is the aggregation of beer, wine, spirits, cider/perry and RTDs.
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