Canadian CBD Beverage Makers Adapt to Market Realities
Canadian health authorities initiated a review of the availability of cannabinoid products , studying the mechanism for transferring rights to their sale , both for grocery stores and pharmacy chains. Redistribution of this segment of products to retail points of sale will significantly increase their availability and profitability of this field of activity .
In 2018, Canada legalized the use of hemp not only for producers , but also for an increasing number of consumers , which ultimately expanded the potential of the hemp industry , both in the country itself and beyond . At the same time, at the legislative level, the sale of such products as drinks containing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) was artificially restrained until the end of 2019. Only in December 2019 , the first samples of goods were released to the market - alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks containing hemp extracts. LiberalizationHemp legislation in Canada came at a time when alcohol sales in the United States were declining significantly, which was reflected in the development strategy of the largest beer and alcohol companies that were looking for new ideas and products to increase their presence in the market . In 2019, the Canadian beer market experienced the largest decline in decades, as competition increased significantly , including the hemp segment .
Against the backdrop of this situation, the largest beer companies have developed a series of new drinks containing cannabinoids, which they planned to start selling in the fourth quarter of 2019. In fact, at the moment, only one Canadian company has brought the planned launch of new hemp products to the market to its logical conclusion and has offered a number of drinks made using cannabinoids to the retail network .
The cooperation between Anheuser-Busch InBev and the Canadian hemp company Tilray was implemented in the creation of new lines of drinks , which include cannabidiol and trace amounts of THC (up to 0.05 mg).
Meanwhile, a joint venture between Molson Coors and hemp company Truss Beverage Co. only plans to introduce to the Canadian market a line of drinks containing CBD under the brand name “Flow Glow”.
Traditionally, alcoholic and carbonated drinks are often packaged in aluminum cans, which was considered quite acceptable and appropriate until recently for similar products containing cannabinoids. Recent studies have shown that when a manufacturer is dealing with drinks that include extracts of hemp ratenei (CBD or THC), aluminum negatively affects cannabinoid compounds and reduces (and sometimes completely destroys) their healing properties , which in turn eliminates " hemp effect " on the human body and distorts the taste of the drink. The problem was underestimated from the very beginning, so companies have to make a lot of efforts in order to re-adjust production and eliminate unforeseen “failures”. At the same time, as it turned out, “changing” the packaging of a drink is not so simple, but for this additional financial resources and a substantial upgrade of production lines are needed .
An interesting fact is that many companies in the North American market are interested in the production and sale of TGC products , as they already know how to work with it, and have formed a customer network loyal to such products . The profile of many cannabis producers in Canada is precisely related to the production of THC, and therefore they simply did not have other products - food products or cosmetic preparations for sale.
Commentary experts of the Association "Ukrainian industrial hemp"
Today, products related to the presence of cannabinoids in their composition can only be sold in special stores in Canada . That is, in ordinary supermarkets or retail stores that are usual for any Canadian consumer, you cannot find CBD products . Naturally, this state of affairs significantly limits the availability of cannabinoid products to a significant number of potential consumers . Therefore, the Anadic health authorities initiated the consideration of the availability of cannabinoid products , studying the mechanism of transfer of rights to their sale , both for grocery stores and pharmacy chains. Redistribution of this segment of products to retail points of sale will significantly increase their availability and profitability of this field of activity .
The Canadian market for hemp products does not stand still, producers are constantly looking for new mechanisms to implement their strategies and ideas , which qualitatively affects the filling of the market and the satisfaction of the end user . Against this background, the “stagnation” of the Ukrainian hemp market looks rather depressing, which becomes one of the main factors for the outflow of potential hemp investors from this segment of the economy , including from the sphere of activity related to the production of new types of food products .