Technomic: Gen Z & Millennials Prefer Marijuana over Alcoholic Beverages

 

There is no doubt that living in a state (WA) that has legalized the use of marijuana our views on the use of cannabis have evolved.  There seems to be a cannabis store on every block, some look like over priced jewelry stores others like an exclusive boutique.  On the other hand, there are those that look and feel like you would have wanted them too when ‘we’ were in college back in the late 60’s and early 70’s.

Somehow the team at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® believes that our own Grocerant Guru® at times would, could, and should visit one of those that look like that bygone era. All kidding aside the fact is in the State of Washington the tax revenue from cannabis now exceeds that from alcohol. Yes, times they are changing.

Let’s look at some of the findings in Technomic’s survey of 2,000 consumers aged 21-plus, half of them Gen Z, and half millennials. So, where we go:

In 2021, 35 million Gen Zers are currently of legal drinking age (21 to 28), and ten years from now, that number will rise 85 million. But cannabis is as much a draw as beer, wine and cocktails.

In states where recreational cannabis products are legal, 65% of Gen Z survey respondents smoke marijuana and 51% consume cannabis-infused beverages, Technomic reported in its Adult Beverage Planning Program.

Most of this consumption takes place at home, but 38% of Gen Zers would visit a marijuana lounge or club to partake of the products. Visiting a bar or restaurant for a drink and/or food edges out that number at 41%, but the margin is thin.

In a Battle for Share of Stomach

What are you Selling?

The majority of millennials (65%), the next generation up, is more likely to patronize bars and restaurants, as these establishments are an important part of how they socialize, according to the survey. But that socialization benefit drops to 58% for the younger crowd.

Even as the rest of Gen Z reaches legal drinking age, they may be looking for different experiences when they go out. At casual-dining restaurants, a relaxed atmosphere and the price of the drinks are top considerations, with sanitation standards coming in third. And they are more likely to choose beer, cocktails and mixed drinks over wine.

Younger consumers also seem to be more spontaneous, meeting friends or family for informal get-togethers, Technomic found. Drink specials and promotions can be a competitive advantage—giving Gen Z a reason to leave the couch and gather in a bar or restaurant.

Now here is our take.  It’s time that restaurants embrace partnerships with cannabis retail manufactures.  That includes food manufactures, beverage manufactures, and cannabis non-consumable gift manufactures.  After all, grocerant niche mix & match meal component bundling is inclusive not exclusive.

 For more from on this Technomic Report or other Technomic reports visit: www.Technomic.com

Foodservice Solutions® team is here to help you drive top line sales and bottom-line profits. Are you looking a customer ahead? Visit GrocerantGuru.com for more information or contact: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us Remember success does leave clues and we just may the clue you need to propel your continued success.

Vending Machines Advancing Technology and Cannabis

 

At the intersection of food technology, consumer trends, retail sales of cannabis, and vending machine technology; one company has what just might become a bit hit on their hands according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.

Regualr readers of this blog know that automated "salad robots popped up at retail across the country in the last year, a new plant-based contactless vending machine has just come to market. Now, Cultiva Wellness of Miami has launched its new Wellness Pantry, which dispenses a variety of CBD and hemp products.

Cultiva Wellness call it, "the most technologically advanced automated dispensing unit on the market today," Cultiva Wellness said the Wellness Pantry is not your typical chips and soda vending machine.

Are you ready, the Wellness Pantry features remote monitoring and operation, touchless payments and the use of blockchain technology to verify customers’ age.  With the automated machines, Cultiva Wellness seeks to make hemp-derived/CBD products accessible and available to a mainstream market. If they can do all of that, it is quite something, and pretty cool.

Why cannabis, why now?  In a new report from Brightfield Group details most popular CBD sweet edibles as well as consumers’ need to either take the edge off or charge through their day. Brightfield’s  U.S. Cannabis Distribution Report: Cannabis Candy report revealed that, while cannabis candies are not to be consumed like candy, the industries share some similarities. Flavor innovation is thriving in both as well as the desire for both to either take a break or recharge with something sweet.

So, of Brightfield’s list of top eight cannabis candies by share of shelf feature, three edibles are made by Smokiez in the flavor’s blackberry, sour blue raspberry and sour watermelon. Wana Wellness’ assorted hybrid sour gummies make the list, as are Kiva Confections wild berry Camino gummies, Kushy Punch hybrid raspberry gummies and Kanha blue raspberry gummies. Wyld CBD’s pomegranate 1:1 THC:CBD gummies also made the list.

Ok, Brightfield narrows cannabis candy positioning down to two types. Products that help folks unwind, according to Brightfield, are the most common – helping consumers with relaxation, sleep and stress relief, and claiming 68% of retail display space.

Of these, relaxation rules the roost, controlling nearly half of all cannabis candy space with a whopping 40% shelf share. Sleep is next at 19%.

Another 22% of the cannabis candy real estate is taken by products geared to activate energy, focus, exercise or creativity. The researchers allot the final 10% to a hodgepodge simply labeled “other.”

In its “Cannabis Candy” report, Brightfield noted the top growing cannabis candy flavors from March through May. Those flavors are Yuzu (176%), Lychee (110%), Elderberry (48%), Cinnamon (21%) and Grape (20%).

So, if all the innovation seems familiar, it may be because the same creativity is driving ahead in the mainstream confection space. The industry is meeting this week in Indianapolis after the pandemic scuttled last year’s National Confectioners Association’s Sweets & Snacks Expo.

Cultiva Wellness was founded in 2019 by cannabis attorney Daniel Torres.  Cultiva Wellness claims its mission is to make hemp, CBD and wellness products easily available to as many people as possible using technology-driven solutions and they seem to be on the right track.

Torres, stated, "We want to do our part to help people and grow the industry," “With the launch of the Wellness Pantry, we're giving whole communities access to quality products in a fun, interactive, safe and simple experience."

So, the first Wellness Pantry was recently installed in the Miami suburb of Doral in partnership with NFC Amenity Management. While Torres said Cultiva Wellness wanted the first Wellness Pantry to launch in its hometown of Miami, the company plans to roll out the concept nationwide.

Torres continued, "We love working with developers, property and amenity managers who are looking to innovate and give their residents and communities world-class experiences.”

The Cultiva team also recently released a new version of the Cultiva app, which features a newly designed shopping experience, among other updates.

Cultiva Wellness positions itself as a technology-driven solutions company. In addition to the Cultiva app and the Wellness Pantry concept, Cultiva has a footprint in hemp wholesale/distribution, retail and e-commerce, as well as product placement in local stores and exclusive points of sale. Its curated portfolio of proprietary and third-party brands includes the recently introduced Caribbean Buds hemp line.

Foodservice Solutions® specializes in outsourced business development. We can help you identify, quantify and qualify additional food retail segment opportunities or a new menu product segment and brand and menu integration strategy.  Foodservice Solutions® of Tacoma WA is the global leader in the Grocerant niche visit us on our social media sites by clicking one of the following links: Facebook,  LinkedIn, or Twitter

Get Ready CBD-Infused Menu for 4/20 at Wings Over

 

Yes, 4/20 is the unofficial holiday for the ‘cannabis culture’.  Some say ‘420’ was a code for police officers back in the day when people were smoking ‘pot’ in public. Now that 19 states have ‘legalized marijuana 4/20 has come to mark the day that many restaurants introduce a new menu item infused with CBD according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.

Better act fast for one day only, Wings Over is infusing its signature Garlic Parm with CBD. The new flavor will be served on its famous wings, tenders, and tots.

Wings Over is serving up a special lineup on 4/20 with CBD-Infused Garlic Parm! Wings Over will be serving CBD Garlic Parm on its crispy wings, tenders, and tots! The limited-edition CBD Lineup will only be available while supplies last on Tuesday, April 20th!

Wings Over Chief Wing Officer, Dan Leyva, stated, “In 2019, guests loved our CBD Garlic Parm Tots so much that we decided to not only bring them back this year but also expand the lineup to include crispy wings and hand-breaded tenders.”

So, the CBD Lineup consists of three items: Tots, 4 Tenders, or 6 Wings tossed in a CBD-infused version of Wings Over’s signature Garlic Parm dry rub. Guests can order the CBD Lineup online via order.wingsover.com or on the Wings Over app at participating locations. Local age restrictions and ID verification apply when receiving these orders.

Foodservice Solutions® specializes in outsourced business development. We can help you identify, quantify and qualify additional food retail segment opportunities or a new menu product segment and brand and menu integration strategy.  Foodservice Solutions® of Tacoma WA is the global leader in the Grocerant niche visit us on our social media sites by clicking one of the following links: Facebook,  LinkedIn, or Twitter

Get this, Is Hemp What’s on the Menu Next

Our world is evolving fast.  It is at the intersection of food, alcohol, and marijuana that customer migration, attention can be found. So, if you live in a state that sells Marijuana with or without a prescription (‘legalized’) you no doubt have heard of Marijuana Edibles, Cannabis Edibles which are ‘THC’ infused.

Chef’s and food scientist have successfully created new products that are flavorful for home consumption and that trend will continue to grow according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.

Most of you have visited fresh&co, a healthy fast-casual restaurant by now.   Did you know that they have announced that they will introduce hemp and CBD-infused menu that will launch exclusively on the fresh&co app back in 2019?  Could Hemp be just a ‘buzz’ word or a consumer trend is it a brands new electricity?

How is your brand building new electricity? According to Johnson, “Brand relevance is in part driven with innovation in new menu related products in combination with new avenues of distribution all of which are the platform for the new electricity.”

Johnson stated “that in my minds-eye the new electricity must be very efficient for the supply and includes such things as fresh foods, Hemp, developing brands, unique urban hemp clothing, grocerant positioning, Fresh food messaging, autonomous delivery, cashier-less retail, plates, glasses, cash-less payments, digital hand-held marketing.

All retailers to survive the next generation of retail must embrace the artificial intelligence revolution while simultaneously embracing fresh food that is portable, fresh, with differentiation that is familiar not different in Atlanta its all about ‘local’.  That is a very smart and good move on the part of Whole Foods.  

fresh&co executive chef at the time Craig Rispoli curated the menu in collaboration with Jeepney’s chef Miguel Trinidad. Together, Chef Rispoli and Chef Trinidad created an innovative and colorful menu that consist of the Half-Baked Salad (hemp cakes, mixed hemp greens, sea beans, red onion, carrots, beets, crispy onions, jalapeno s’chug, and CBD- infused ginger cashew aioli, 15mg cannabidiol); Blazed Beet Sandwich (hemp cakes, mixed hemp greens, sea beans, red onion, radish, jalapeno s’chug, and CBD-infused ginger cashew aioli served on beet bread, 15mg cannabidiol); and CBD Pink Honey Ginger’ade Lemonade (filtered water, lemon, wildflower honey, ginger, hibiscus, 10mg cannabidiol).

“fresh&co always strives to stay ahead of the food trends and invent new menus that are healthy, sustainable and nutritional that can’t be found anywhere else,” says George Tenedios, CEO of fresh&co. “By collaborating with Chef Trinidad, we have developed a creative way to incorporate CBD and Hemp, which has gained mainstream popularity because of its health benefits, into our newest menu items.” 

Chef Miguel Trinidad is the executive chef and co- owner of New York City restaurants Jeepney Filipino Gastropub and Maharlika.  He is also at the helm of 99th Floor, gourmet cannabis edibles brand renowned for its upscale private dinner events.  He is also a judge on the upcoming season of Vice’s show Bong Appetit, a competition where high-end cuisine meets high-end cannabis. 

“fresh&co was privileged to join forces with the distinguished Chef Trinidad to create an original, authentic, and inventive Cannabis menu that we believe our customers will enjoy,” says executive chef Craig Rispoli.  “By using wholesome ingredients for which fresh&co is known, we infused the finest CBD and Hemp into each dish. We are excited for our customers to try this special new menu.” Can hemp add relevance to your menu?

Invite Foodservice Solutions® to complete a Grocerant Program Assessment, Grocerant ScoreCard, or for product positioning or placement assistance, or call our Grocerant Guru®.  Since 1991 www.FoodserviceSolutions.us  of Tacoma, WA has been the global leader in the Grocerant niche. Contact: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us or 253-759-7869

Edible Plans to Sell Fresh Food Fast

When Edible named Scott Wakeman Executive Vice President of Marketing the food industry took notice as Wakeman the former VP of Marketing at Checkers Restaurants understood how to marketing, sell, and package fresh food fast according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.

So, when Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, Inc. and Edible Arrangements, LLC entered into a long-term strategic alliance whereby Rocky Mountain will become the exclusive provider of certain branded chocolate products to Edible, its affiliates and its franchisees industry insiders were not surprised as Wakeman also understands how to work with franchisees.

Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory branded products will be available for purchase both on Edible’s website as well as through over 1,000 franchised Edible Arrangement locations nationwide. In addition, due to Edible’s significant e-commerce expertise and scale, Edible and Rocky Mountain have also executed a letter of intent for Edible to be responsible for all e-commerce sales from the Rocky Mountain corporate website and the broader Rocky Mountain e-commerce eco-system

Wakeman, will lead global marketing strategy and execution for Edible Brands. He will be responsible for managing and building a team that will develop a strategic marketing plan that integrates strong vertical marketing programs as well as generation strategies. Edifying the franchise base with the inclusion of Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory branded products elevates consumer choice and Wakeman understands that is a key driver when selling grocerant niche Ready-2-Eat or Heat-N-Eat fresh food.

Tariq Farid, Founder and CEO of Edible stated “Edible is evolving, and we knew finding the right leader to fill this role was critical as we continue molding the Edible brand for the future,”. “Scott joins us as an accomplished executive with the kind of talent and expertise we need to continue pushing forward as we begin introducing innovative programs designed to drive new business for the brand.”

In his most recent position, Wakeman served as Vice President of Marketing for Checkers & Rally’s Restaurants. For this organization, Wakeman led the 900-restaurant chain’s advertising, field marketing and media strategy. Prior to his time with Checkers & Rally’s, Wakeman held various marketing and management positions with esteemed brands including the Houston Astros, Barcardi, L’Oréal and Colgate-Palmolive Co.

Wakeman graduated from Emory University in Atlanta with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and later went on to earn a Master of Business Administration degree from Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. Wakeman is helping Edible look a customer ahead.  What are you doing to look ahead?

Foodservice Solutions® specializes in outsourced business development. We can help you identify, quantify and qualify additional food retail segment opportunities or a new menu product segment and brand and menu integration strategy.  Foodservice Solutions® of Tacoma WA is the global leader in the Grocerant niche visit Facebook.com/Steven Johnson, www.Linkedin.com/in/grocerant/ or www.twitter.com/grocerant/

Hemp is What’s on the Menu

If you live in a state that sells Marijuana with or within a prescription (‘legalized’) you no doubt have heard of Marijuana Edibles, Cannabis Edibles which are ‘THC’ infused. Chef’s and food scientist have successfully created new products that are flavorful for home consumption and that trend will continue to grow according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.

Most of you have visited fresh&co, a healthy fast-casual restaurant.   Did you know that they have announced that they will introduce a special 4/20 hemp and CBD-infused menu that will launch exclusively on the fresh&co app?  Could Hemp be just a ‘buzz’ word or a consumer trend is it a brands new electricity?

How is your brand building new electricity? According to Johnson, “Brand relevance is in part driven with innovation in new menu related products in combination with new avenues of distribution all of which are the platform for the new electricity.”

Johnson stated “that in my minds-eye the new electricity must be very efficient for the supply and includes such things as fresh foods, Hemp, developing brands, unique urban hemp clothing, grocerant positioning, Fresh food messaging, autonomous delivery, cashier-less retail, plates, glasses, cash-less payments, digital hand-held marketing.

All retailers to survive the next generation of retail must embrace the artificial intelligence revolution while simultaneously embracing fresh food that is portable, fresh, with differentiation that is familiar not different in Atlanta its all about ‘local’.  That is a very smart and good move on the part of Whole Foods.  

fresh&co executive chef Craig Rispoli curated the menu in collaboration with Jeepney’s chef Miguel Trinidad. Together, Chef Rispoli and Chef Trinidad created an innovative and colorful menu that consist of the Half-Baked Salad (hemp cakes, mixed hemp greens, sea beans, red onion, carrots, beets, crispy onions, jalapeno s’chug, and CBD- infused ginger cashew aioli, 15mg cannabidiol); Blazed Beet Sandwich (hemp cakes, mixed hemp greens, sea beans, red onion, radish, jalapeno s’chug, and CBD-infused ginger cashew aioli served on beet bread, 15mg cannabidiol); and CBD Pink Honey Ginger’ade Lemonade (filtered water, lemon, wildflower honey, ginger, hibiscus, 10mg cannabidiol).

“fresh&co always strives to stay ahead of the food trends and invent new menus that are healthy, sustainable and nutritional that can’t be found anywhere else,” says George Tenedios, CEO of fresh&co. “By collaborating with Chef Trinidad, we have developed a creative way to incorporate CBD and Hemp, which has gained mainstream popularity because of its health benefits, into our newest menu items.” 

Chef Miguel Trinidad is the executive chef and co- owner of New York City restaurants Jeepney Filipino Gastropub and Maharlika.  He is also at the helm of 99th Floor, gourmet cannabis edibles brand renowned for its upscale private dinner events.  He is also a judge on the upcoming season of Vice’s show Bong Appetit, a competition where high-end cuisine meets high-end cannabis. 

“fresh&co was privileged to join forces with the distinguished Chef Trinidad to create an original, authentic, and inventive Cannabis menu that we believe our customers will enjoy,” says executive chef Craig Rispoli.  “By using wholesome ingredients for which fresh&co is known, we infused the finest CBD and Hemp into each dish. We are excited for our customers to try this special new menu.” 

Invite Foodservice Solutions® to complete a Grocerant Program Assessment, Grocerant ScoreCard, or for product positioning or placement assistance, or call our Grocerant Guru®.  Since 1991 www.FoodserviceSolutions.us  of Tacoma, WA has been the global leader in the Grocerant niche. Contact: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us or 253-759-7869