Tag Archives: inventory

8 Mistakes Businesses Make When Managing Product Labels: Part 1

By Rob Freeman
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Editor’s Note: This article contains the first four common labeling mistakes that businesses can make. Click here to view the next four common labeling mistakes. 

Whether you’re a small business owner or a production manager of a large manufacturer, if you’ve ever experienced problems with your product labels you know it can quickly turn into a serious issue until that problem is resolved. From the time it’s applied to your product all the way to the POS (Point of Sale), labels always seem to be the least significant part of the production process- until something goes wrong. And when it does go wrong, it can create major branding issues and cost your company tens of thousands of dollars due to hefty supply chain late penalties and/or even government fines.

This article aims to provide insight as to how a company like Label Solutions Inc. helps businesses and manufacturers create new labels for their products as well as what to look for should you experience label failure at your retail locations. Topics discussed in this article do not cover all possible issues, but these common mistakes will hopefully help you better understand how creating a product label works, and how to possibly prevent your own problems in the future.

Mistake #1: Not Understanding the Importance Between the “Construction” Versus the “Artwork & Compliance” of the Label

This may seem like common sense, but it is often overlooked. Especially when dealing with fast-track projects.

Construction of the Label is the material selected and production process to produce the label. When creating a new label from the ground up, it is important to factor in how your product will be produced, necessary shipping and supply chain needs, how it is stored in inventory and how it will be presented at the POS. Understanding what environments your product will be exposed to throughout its life cycle will give you an advantage when approving substrate material, inks, and the strength of adhesive that might be necessary for your application.

The Artwork & Compliance of the Label refers to the overall design of the label, artwork, customer messaging, bar codes and regulatory requirements you need to follow in order to avoid serious government fines that might relate to your industry (Referring to agencies such as OSHA, DOT, and the FDA).In most cases the construction of the label does not apply to the compliance of the label.

Most label providers do not have the in-house expertise to offer compliance assistance. Although it is still the manufacturer who is liable for all final artwork approvals on their product, label providers that do offer advisory services can help update label content when regulatory changes are enacted. This “safety net” can save your company from extra production costs and, potentially, excessive legal time and material costs. In short, you should always review final label artwork approvals with your compliance team and/or legal expert, but it never hurts to have a “safety net” to help eliminate unnecessary orders or production delays.

In most cases the construction of the label does not apply to the compliance of the label. An exception to this statement would be industries such as the electronics industry that use UL (Underwriter Laboratories) labels that must meet UL specifications and be produced under recognized UL files. In other words, the compliance of a UL label is the construction of the label.

Best Method Approach: An excellent example of companies that understand the difference between the Construction vs. Artwork & Compliance of the label would be the compressed gas industry. Gas suppliers and distributors require long term regulatory compliant labels on their cylinders and micro-bulk tanks. These gas tanks are used in a wide variety of industries such as for manufacturing, welding, medical procedures, and specialty gas mixes for the micro-electronics industry.

The compressed gas industry requires that their labels follow strict, up-to-date OHSA and DOT compliance requirements. As for the construction of the label, it is common practice that the label remains legible on the cylinder for an average of five years. The 5-year duration is due to the millions of tanks that are in circulation throughout the US and Canada. What’s more, each label is produced to adhere to the cylinder’s metal surface during extreme outdoor weather conditions such as fluctuating temperatures, freezing rain, high winds, and direct sunlight year-round.

Mistake #2: Applying Labels Incorrectly to Your Products

Whether the label is applied to the product surface by hand or automatically with a label applicator, the label itself may not be applied level or evenly. Besides this being a major branding issue, this could also affect how the bar codes are scanned and could eventually impact your delivery times while trying to correct a batch.

Best Method Approach: There are construction alternatives that you can choose from to potentially reduce the impact of incorrect label application. For example, products with certain label adhesives allow your production team to reposition the label within a few minutes before the tack completely sets to the surface. The type of surface (cardboard, metal, plastic, glass, etc.) and the type of adhesive will determine how much time your production team will have before the tack sets.

The best practice is to apply labels prior to filling the bottles and cans as opposed to filling first and then applying the label in your production line.A good example of this best practice can be seen in the beverage market. Whether the client produces a uniquely crafted beer, or a rare ingredient infused into a new health drink, labels that are auto-applied to bottles and cans will sometimes experience equipment tension issues that need to be recalibrated. Once labels are applied off-alignment, a delayed tack setting can allow the label to be quickly repositioned by hand when needed. The best practice is to apply labels prior to filling the bottles and cans as opposed to filling first and then applying the label in your production line. The reason, excess spillage from filling can interfere with most adhesives.

This same repositionable adhesive is excellent to keep in mind for large equipment production assembly lines that apply prime (branding) labels and warning labels by hand. Even with large wide-format labels, the adhesive tack can be formulated so your employees have a few minutes to adjust, straighten, and smooth away trapped air bubbles once it has been placed on the surface. Knowing you have this option can help reduce label inventory waste, additional production material wastes and avoid delaying production time. More importantly, this option keeps your brand and your warning/instructional labels looking fresh.

Mistake #3: Not Sharing Your Production Run Schedules with Your Label ProviderSupply chain management (SCM) models are excellent examples of the best approach.

Some of Label Solutions’ largest accounts have the most efficient real-time tracking supply chain models in North America, but even they cannot avoid sudden increased orders for their products stemming from high customer demand or similar issues. It is a good problem to have, but it is a problem, nonetheless. Manufacturers utilize supply chain management tools to notify their suppliers of their monthly order forecasts, which in turn helps suppliers manage their materials and deliveries more efficiently.

On the other side of the spectrum, when small businesses share their production schedules with a supplier it means that both parties (the manufacturer and label provider) understand when to expect higher or lower order quantities each month. Label providers should back date their label production schedules, so they have the materials available to handle your busier months while ensuring on-time deliveries.

Best Method Approach: Supply chain management (SCM) models are excellent examples of the best approach. Although SCM’s are designed for scalability and real-time tracking, the benefit to you also helps your label supplier. For example, our large retail and industrial manufacturing clients notify the Label Solutions team to produce their labels according to their Supply Chain portal demand schedules. This, in turn, allows label suppliers to allocate production time and materials more efficiently for your last-minute rush orders.

Smaller companies can take a much more simplified approach (without the SCM tracking) to help their suppliers manage their orders – even if they do not use supply chain management. A simple Excel report of production runs over a 12-month time frame is ideal. If your label provider does not already practice this or similar methodology, it might be time to start looking for a more proactive label provider. If you’re unsure you want to share your information, then you might consider requiring your label provider to sign an NDA (Non-disclosure Agreement).

Mistake #4: Not Accepting Alternative Sizes of the Label to Allow for Better Pricing

If your product needs a label with, for example, a dimension of 5.25 X 6.75 inches, there might be a much better price point offered to you if you’re open to switching to a slightly different dimension label of, say, 5 X 7 inches.  Obviously, you need to make sure the new dimension would fit your product(s) and work with your production line. But, if alternate dimensions are within the scope of the project, a modified SKU could potentially cut down on cost and production time.

Best Method Approach: You might not have the time or ability to change your label if you already market that product in retail stores. But, if you are changing your branding, creating a new style of label, or releasing a completely new product, this is the ideal time to consider implementing better continuity between your products. This could include elements such as matching colors and label/packaging design.

In addition to updating your SKU’s, this might also be an opportunity for your company to consolidate multiple products onto a universal label size. By applying the same sized labels to multiple SKU’s, you can increase efficiency regarding repeated label orders, especially for label printers that use digital printers. Combine this approach with your expected annual quantity estimates and you’ll be positioned for very efficient ordering options as your company grows.

Editor’s Note: We’ll cover the next four most common labeling mistakes in Part Two coming next week. Stay tuned for more!

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ERP’s Role in Ensuring Traceability & Compliance in the Cannabis Market

By Daniel Erickson
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Recent trends in the cannabis space and media headlines reveal the challenges and complexities of the evolving cannabis industry with regard to traceability and compliance. Keeping abreast of the evolving state of legislative requirements is complex and requires effective procedures to ensure your business will flourish. At the forefront is the need to provide complete seed-to-sale traceability from the cannabis plant to the consumer, increasing the demand for effective tracking and reporting technologies to assure cultivators, manufacturers, processors and dispensaries are able to meet regulatory compliance requirements. An enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution offers a business management solution designed to integrate all aspects from the greenhouse and growing to inventory, recipe/formulation, production, quality and sales, providing complete traceability to meet compliance regulations.

The main force driving cannabusinesses’ adoption of strict traceability and secure systems to monitor the growth, production and distribution of cannabis is the Cole Memorandum of 2013 issued by former US Deputy Attorney General James Cole. The document was designed to prevent the distribution of cannabis to minors, as well as prevent marijuana revenue from being used for criminal enterprises. Due to the non-legal status of cannabis on the federal level, the memo provides guidance for states whose voters have passed legislation permitting recreational or medical cannabis use. If states institute procedures for transparent inventory control and tracking documentation, the memo indicates that the federal government will refrain from interference and/or prosecution. Despite the Trump administration rescinding the memo in early 2018, companies have largely continued to follow its guidelines in an attempt to avoid targeted enforcement of federal law. Local government reporting is a primary reason for strict inventory control, necessitating reliable traceability documentation of the chain-of-custody. 

Process metrics within an ERP solution are essential in providing the accountability necessary to meet required cannabis compliance initiatives. With a centralized, streamlined and secure system, each process becomes documented and repeatable – enabling best practices to provide an audit trail for accountability in all cannabis activities. Whether cultivating, extracting, manufacturing or dispensing cannabis, an ERP’s functionality assists with compliance demands to manage and support traceability and other state-level requirements.

An ERP solution solves the traceability and compliance issues faced by the industry by providing inventory control management and best practices that automates track and trace record keeping from seed to consumer. Growers are also implementing cultivation management solutions within their ERP and highly secure plant identification methods to mobilize greenhouse and inventory to support real-time tracking. Monitoring the loss of inventory due to damage, shrinkage, accidentally or purposeful destruction is efficiently documented to assure that inventory is accounted for. Similar to other process manufacturing industries, it is possible to produce tainted or unsafe products, therefore an ERP solution that supports product recall capabilities is fundamental. With a centralized framework for forward and backward lot, serial and plant ID tracking, the solution streamlines supply chain and inventory transactions to further ensure compliance-driven track and trace record keeping is met.

Local government reporting is a primary reason for strict inventory control, necessitating reliable traceability documentation of the chain-of-custody. Data regarding inventory audit and inspection details, complete with any discrepancies, must be reported to a states’ seed-to-sale tracking system to conform with legal requirements. An ERP utilizes cGMP best practices and reporting as safeguards to keep your company from violating compliance regulations. Failure to complete audits and meet reporting guidelines can be detrimental to your bottom line and lead to criminal penalties or a loss of license from a variety of entities including state regulators, auditors and law enforcement agencies. A comprehensive ERP solution integrates with the state-administered traceability systems more easily and reliably as compared to manual or stand-alone systems – saving time, money and detriment resulting from non-compliance.

Similar to other food and beverage manufacturers, the growing market for cannabis edibles can benefit from employing an ERP system to handle compliance with food safety initiatives – encompassing current and future requirements. Producers of cannabis-infused products for recreational and medicinal use are pursuing Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) certification, employing food safety professionals and implementing comprehensive food safety practices–taking advantage of ERP functionality and processes currently in place in similarly FDA regulated industries.

As legalization continues and reporting regulations standardize, dynamic cannabis ERP solutions for growers, processors and dispensaries will evolve to meet the demands and allow for operations to grow profitably.In addition to lot, serial and plant ID tracking, tracing a product back to the strain is equally important. An ERP can efficiently trace a cannabis strain from seedling through the final product, monitoring its genealogy, ongoing clone potency, CBD and THC content ratios and other attributes. The health, weight and required growing conditions of each individual plant or group of plants in the growing stages may be recorded throughout the plant’s lifecycle. In addition, unique plant identification regarding the performance of a particular strain or variety, how it was received by the market and other critical elements are tracked within ERP system. This tracking of particular strains assists with compliance-focused labeling and determining the specific market for selling and distribution of cannabis products.

Collecting, maintaining and accessing traceability and compliance data in a centralized ERP system is significant, but ensuring that information is safe from theft or corruption is imperative as well. An ERP solution with a secure platform that employs automated backups and redundancy plans is essential as it uses best practices to ensure proper procedures are followed within the company. User-based role permissions provide secure accessibility restricted to those with proper authorization. This level of security allows for monitoring and recording of processes and transactions throughout the growing stages, production and distribution; ensuring accountability and proper procedures are being followed. Investing in an ERP solution that implements this level of security aids companies in their data assurance measures and provides proper audit trails to meet regulations.

In this ever-changing industry, regulatory compliance is being met by cannabusinesses through the implementation of an ERP solution designed for the cannabis industry. Industry-specific ERP provides functionality to manage critical business metrics, inventory control, local and state reporting and record keeping, and data security ensuring complete seed-to-sale traceability while offering an integrated business management solution that supports growth and competitive advantage in the marketplace. As legalization continues and reporting regulations standardize, dynamic cannabis ERP solutions for growers, processors and dispensaries will evolve to meet the demands and allow for operations to grow profitably.

Logistics and Supply Chain Management in California

By Aaron G. Biros
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Just a couple weeks away, the California Cannabis Business Conference, taking place in Anaheim, CA October 22-23, will host a series of panel discussions where attendees can expect to learn from industry leaders on a variety of topics. As businesses in the state adjust to new regulations and the market matures, one particular topic seems to highlight a challenging new space: distribution.

Track 1 at the CA Cannabis Business Conference, Distribution, Retail and Delivery, will begin early afternoon on Monday at the show, where a panel discussion titled State of Cannabis Distribution: Scaling Cannabis Distribution and Expectations of a Distributor, will tackle a range of issues involving logistics and supply chain management in California’s cannabis industry.

Michael Wheeler, vice president of Policy Initiatives at Flow Kana, will host the panel, joined by Chris Coulombe, CEO of Pacific Expeditors, Jesse Parenti, programs director of Nine Point Strategies and Brian Roth, vice president of sales at KUDU Technologies. According to the agenda, the session will cover inventory management, shipping and transport, managing product data, order fulfillment, manifest creation and reporting on it all. Michael Wheeler says regulatory compliance is one issue they plan on discussing. “Currently the biggest pressure on compliance is the desire by some operators to live under the proposed regulations, instead of the current emergency regulations,” says Wheeler. “Add to this recently signed legislation and we have lots of opportunistic actions each with their own perception of compliance.”

Another important topic they plan on discussing is driver training and hiring practices. According to Chris Coulombe, drivers are one of the top two most important customer-facing teams in the organization. “Between the sales team and the fleet operation, drivers represent half of the face of your company,” says Coulombe. “Much like the sales team, they interface with your retail partners directly, and subsequently provide a sizable portion of the foundation that retailers will use to judge your company’s competency and efficiency.”

Chris Coulombe, CEO of Pacific Expeditors
Chris Coulombe, CEO of Pacific Expeditors

When hiring new drivers, Coulombe recommends the standard background and driver record checks, but urges looking for experience in sales and driving as well. “Find those that have leadership experience and are comfortable operating in quasi-structured environments,” says Coulombe. “To that end, we seek solution oriented candidates that are personable, experienced in troubleshooting on their feet, and understand how to operate inside the structure of an organization.”

Coulombe also emphasizes the importance of driver training in any distribution company. “We built our driver training from scratch based on collective experiences from the military,” says Coulombe. “However, creating this from scratch is not necessary at this point, some insurance companies, such as our broker, Vantreo, provide in house driver training and certification solutions as a risk mitigation measure for companies that they represent. We recommend speaking with your insurance company to find what packages they have available.” Proper training for your drivers can help increase efficiency in operations, decrease maintenance and insurance costs and provide for better employee engagement. Coulombe also says many insurance companies have standard operating procedures for drivers to help supplement your company’s protocols.

Chris Coulombe and the other panelists will dive much deeper into this issue and other supply chain topics at the upcoming California Cannabis Business Conference, taking place in Anaheim, CA October 22-23.

California Manufacturing Regulations: What You Need To Know

By Aaron G. Biros
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In late November, California released their proposed emergency regulations for the cannabis industry, ahead of the full 2018 medical and adult use legalization for the state. We highlighted some of the key takeaways from the California Bureau of Cannabis Control’s regulations for the entire industry earlier. Now, we are going to take a look at the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) cannabis manufacturing regulations.

According to the summary published by the CDPH, business can have an A-type license (for products sold on the adult use market) and an M-type license (products sold on the medical market). The four license types in extraction are as follows:

  • Type 7: Extraction using volatile solvents (butane, hexane, pentane)
  • Type 6: Extraction using a non-volatile solvent or mechanical method
    (food-grade butter, oil, water, ethanol, or carbon dioxide)
  • Type N: Infusions (using pre-extracted oils to create edibles, beverages,
  • capsules, vape cartridges, tinctures or topicals)
  • Type P: Packaging and labeling only

As we discussed in out initial breakdown of the overall rules, California’s dual licensing system means applicants must get local approval before getting a state license to operate.

The rules dictate a close-loop system certified by a California-licensed engineer when using carbon dioxide or a volatile solvent in extraction. They require 99% purity for hydrocarbon solvents. Local fire code officials must certify all extraction facilities.

In the realm of edibles, much like the rule that Colorado recently implemented, infused products cannot be shaped like a human, animal, insect, or fruit. No more than 10mg of THC per serving and 100mg of THC per package is allowed in infused products, with the exception of tinctures, capsules or topicals that are limited to 1,000 mg of THC for the adult use market and 2,000 mg in the medical market. This is a rule very similar to what we have seen Washington, Oregon and Colorado implement.

On a somewhat interesting note, no cannabis infused products can contain nicotine, caffeine or alcohol. California already has brewers and winemakers using cannabis in beer and wine, so it will be interesting to see how this rule might change, if at all.

CA Universal Symbol (JPG)

The rules for packaging and labeling are indicative of a major push for product safety, disclosure and differentiating cannabis products from other foods. Packaging must be opaque, cannot resemble other foods packaged, not attractive to children, tamper-evident, re-sealable if it has multiple servings and child-resistant. The label has to include nutrition facts, a full ingredient list and the universal symbol, demonstrating that it contains cannabis in it. “Statute requires that labels not be attractive to individuals under age 21 and include mandated warning statements and the amount of THC content,” reads the summary. Also, manufacturers cannot call their product a candy.

Foods that require refrigeration and any potentially hazardous food, like meat and seafood, cannot be used in cannabis product manufacturing. They do allow juice and dried meat and perishable ingredients like milk and eggs as long as the final product is up to standards. This will seemingly allow for baked goods to be sold, as long as they are packaged prior to distribution.

Perhaps the most interesting of the proposed rules are requiring written standard operating procedures (SOPs) and following good manufacturing practices (GMPs). Per the new rules, the state will require manufacturers to have written SOPs for waste disposal, inventory and quality control, transportation and security.

Donavan Bennett, co-founder and CEO of the Cannabis Quality Group

According to Donavan Bennett, co-founder and chief executive officer of the Cannabis Quality Group, California is taking a page from the manufacturing and life science industry by requiring SOPs. “The purpose of an SOP is straightforward: to ensure that essential job tasks are performed correctly, consistently, and in conformance with internally approved procedures,” says Bennett. “Without having robust SOPs, how can department managers ensure their employees are trained effectively? Or, how will these department managers know their harvest is consistently being grown? No matter the employee or location.” California requiring written SOPs can potentially help a large number of cannabis businesses improve their operations. “SOPs set the tempo and standard for your organization,” says Bennett. “Without effective training and continuous improvement of SOPs, operators are losing efficiency and their likelihood of having a recall is greater.”

Bennett also says GMPs, now required by the state, can help companies keep track of their sanitation and cleanliness overall. “GMPs address a wide range of production activities, including raw material, sanitation and cleanliness of the premises, and facility design,” says Bennett. “Auditing internal and supplier GMPs should be conducted to ensure any deficiencies are identified and addressed. The company is responsible for the whole process and products, even for the used and unused products which are produced by others.” Bennett recommends auditing your suppliers at least twice annually, checking their GMPs and quality of raw materials, such as cannabis flower or trim prior to extraction.

“These regulations are only the beginning,” says Bennett. “As the consumer becomes more educated on quality cannabis and as more states come online who derives a significant amount of their revenue from the manufacturing and/or life science industries (e.g. New Jersey), regulations like these will become the norm.” Bennett’s Cannabis Quality Group is a provider of cloud quality management software for the cannabis industry.

“Think about it this way: Anything you eat today or any medicine you should take today, is following set and stringent SOPs and GMPs to ensure you are safe and consuming the highest quality product. Why should the cannabis industry be any different?”

MJ Freeway Hardships Linger

By Aaron G. Biros
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MJ Freeway, a seed-to-sale traceability software company with a number of government contracts, has been making headlines this year for all the wrong reasons. A series of security breaches, website crashes and implementation delays have beleaguered the software company throughout 2017.

Just this morning, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported the company’s services crashed Saturday night and Monday afternoon. That article also mentions an anonymous hacker tried to sell sensitive information from the Washington and Nevada hacks in September. Back in April, when Pennsylvania awarded the state’s contract to MJ Freeway for its tracking system, Amy Poinsett, co-founder and chief executive officer of MJ Freeway told reporters “I think I can confidently say we are the most secure cannabis company in this particular industry.” It is safe to say this is now being called into question.

Earlier this week, New Cannabis Venture’s Alan Brochstein reported that MJ Freeway is unable to meet Washington’s October 31st deadline to integrate their software with the state, forcing customers to manually report data.

Roughly a month ago, Nevada suddenly cancelled their contract with MJ Freeway, just two years into their five-year deal. Back in June, the company’s source code was stolen and published online. And back in January of this year, the company’s sales and inventory system was the target of a cyber attack.

According to an email we obtained, all of MJFreeway’s clients in Spain experienced an online outage, but that services were restored within 24 hours. In an email sent to clients in Spain, the company told customers that the problems were the result of a system failure. “Our initial analysis indicates that this was a system failure and unfortunately none of the data was able to be successfully retrieved from the backup archive due to an error but we can assure you that none of your data was extracted or viewed at any moment,” reads the email. “We are extremely distressed regarding the event that occurred with the system and the service interruption that occurred yesterday. We recognize that this is a situation that is very serious and negatively impacts your club.” The email says that MJ Freeway is addressing those problems in a few ways, one of which being ongoing audits of their data backups. “The event has led us to reconstruct our “hosting environment” in Europe to use the latest technology from Amazon Web Services with the best redundancy, flexibility and security, using the highest stability measures in the AWS environment,” reads the email. While the site will be restored fully, according the email, historical data is lost. The company is working with their clients to help them get data back into the system. 

BioTrackTHC Awarded Delaware’s Tracking Software Contract

By Aaron G. Biros
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According to a press release, the State of Delaware has chosen BioTrackTHC as their partner in seed-to-sale tracking software. Delaware’s Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) signed a contract with BioTrackTHC for the tracking and patient registry software.

In 2016, Delaware issued a request for proposals for “the Delaware Enterprise Consolidated Cannabis Control System,” which encompasses the statewide patient registry and seed-to-sale traceability systems. “Our sincerest thanks to DHSS for choosing Team BioTrack,” says Patrick Vo, CEO of BioTrackTHC. “DHSS has been wonderful to work with throughout the contracting process, and we look forward to partnering with them to provide the tools and data they need to continue overseeing the industry and protecting their patients.” BioTrack’s software was selected as the winner of a number of government contracts in other states previously for the same role.

Their software is currently used in government traceability systems in Washington, New Mexico, Illinois, Hawaii, New York and the city of Arcata, California. The press release states regulators will have the ability to view the retail data “including plant counts and usable inventory, lab results, transportation, and point-of-sale data—to perform periodic audits and ensure compliance.” The patient registry will also provide better patient accessibility through the new software with a faster turn around time and automated application processing.

BioTrackTHC provides technology solutions for businesses and governments to tracking products throughout the supply chain to the point of sale. The software systems help businesses remain compliant with regulations and monitor data for things like inventory management.

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Dispensary Best Practices: A Q&A with Stephen Spinosa

By Aaron G. Biros
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Stephen Spinosa, vice president of retail operations at Good Chemistry, has over seven years of experience working in the cannabis industry in the operation and management of licensed dispensaries.

stephenspinosa1
Stephen Spinosa, VP of retail operations at Good Chemistry, delivering the keynote at Dispensary Next

He was previously an inventory manager in a 7,000-square-foot medical marijuana cultivation in Colorado. Spinosa is currently part of the team at Good Chemistry dispensaries, which has locations in Aurora and Denver, Colorado. He oversees staff training, state and local regulatory compliance and seed-to-sale inventory tracking.

Spinosa recently delivered a keynote presentation at the Dispensary Next Conference in Portland, Oregon titled “From Waiting Room to High-End Retail Experience: How Dispensary Culture Has Changed from 2009 to Now.” He discussed the rise of high-end experience and gave tools for dispensaries to improve retail operations.

In the presentation, he covered supplier quality, security, tiered pricing, inventory tracking and safety issues. Much of what he discussed revolved around the consumer experience and how important the culture at a dispensary is for the buying experience. After his keynote presentation, I sat down with Spinosa to discuss the customer experience, consumer education and safety and sales trends.

Cannabis Industry Journal: What are some of the key areas where dispensaries can improve the quality of customer experience?

Stephen Spinosa: Ultimately, the dispensary experience is like any retail experience. Good Chemistry’s staff is always friendly, smiling, welcoming and helpful to all customers that walk through our doors. Having employees who are experts at providing advice to any user level, and who are extremely knowledgeable on each strain and edible effect is extremely important to us. It is all about making the customer feel comfortable in their experience, especially for novice users who may feel timid when entering a dispensary for the first time.

goodchem lobby
Smiling employees greet customers in a clean environment

Good Chemistry’s high-end retail experience includes our up-to-date LED menu screens that present our daily flower menu. That may seem like common sense, however, you would be surprised how many dispensaries do not have a flower menu for their customers to peruse.  It helps the customer navigate through all the strains that we offer, and adds to the overall retail experience. We offer twenty or more strains every day.

Additionally we do not have an armed guard hovering at the entrance, making our guests feel uncomfortable. We have highly sophisticated security, like every dispensary, but we’ve left out this intimidating and unnecessary aspect.

CIJ: Can you discuss what you and your employees do for consumer education and safety?

Spinosa: When introducing cannabis to consumers, it is our mission to educate our customers on the correct dosage based on experience level. Our bud tenders are trained to ask a lot of questions before recommending anything. If a customer is a first timer, the bud tenders will have certain recommendations based on their experience level, such as high-CBD [cannabidiol] flower, a low THC percentage vaporizer pen, or a 1-5mg edible serving.

goodchem.exter
The exterior of a Good Chemistry dispensary

That said, strains of cannabis often cannot be neatly compartmentalized into sativa vs. indica, so our bud tenders also educate customers about the entourage effect, the interaction of the various compounds in marijuana to produce each strain’s unique feeling.

We have developed a pioneering category system to help our customers, whether novice or connoisseur. The system is broken down into four main categories to help consumers decide what sensation they would like to experience: stimulation, relaxation, sleep or relief. We use the four categories to guide our customers through our daily flower menu by labeling each strain with a category.

goodchemwall
This wall display shows customers the Good Chemistry categories of strains

If a customer is purchasing edibles, we provide an Edibles Education brochure from the Cannabis Business Alliance that stresses the Start Low, Go Slow motto. We also educate consumers on the difference between edibles made with butter vs. oil. Additionally, all of our third party vendor edible products for adult-use are packaged safely in 100% child resistant packaging.

It is important that our customers have a great experience, which is always possible with good guidance. A happy customer is a repeat customer. We are also well aware of the importance of educated employees. Our employees go through a formal training program, and we have monthly meetings where vendors come in and educate the employees on how to sell and dose various products.

CIJ: Can you tell me about your inventory and some consumer trends you are noticing?

Spinosa: Flower is the biggest seller, and for good reason: we have award-winning strains that are $30 an eighth, every strain, every day. Not many dispensaries offer such incredible pricing. Right now, the purchasing trend tends to lean toward the strains that have the highest THC percentage.

goodchemint
The interior of the dispensary has digital displays and ample lighting.

This may not accurately depict the best strains, because there have been findings that the entourage effect means different strains can have unique lifts, but it is definitely what the industry is seeing as far as sales trends. As far as edibles, gummies are the biggest sellers followed by hard candies, chocolate and baked goods. Lastly, concentrates such as live resin, shatter and wax have increased in popularity. Good Chemistry produces a new product called solvent-less rosin, concentrated THC oil that is produced using just heat and pressure. Rosin is currently picking up a good amount of traction, although not many dispensaries currently offer it.

Wellness Watch

Creating a Balanced Menu: Tips for a Better Dispensary Inventory

By Dr. Emily Earlenbaugh, PhD.
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When it comes to running a well functioning dispensary, one of the biggest challenges can be stocking a balanced menu. Cannabis consumers have a wide range of tastes and preferences when it comes to products and the most successful dispensaries have a wide selection to meet this need. When a dispensary can keep a consistent stock of products that a particular consumer likes, they can quickly become the only dispensary that consumer frequents. For those dispensaries looking to fill out their menu with crowd pleasing products, I recommend the following practices.

 

Diverse Strains
Cannabis comes in many varieties, and each strain has a slightly different effect on the user. One of the biggest mistakes I see in new dispensaries is a menu that is weighted heavily toward one type of cannabis. The grower or manager of the collective may prefer Diesel varieties, or Haze, and choose similar strains repeatedly. This can severely limit your potential client pool to only those cannabis users who enjoy that one variety. When stocking your flower and concentrates, look for a range of genetic varieties, and be careful not to have too much bias in one direction or the other. 
 
Consistent but New
Cannabis consumers want a consistent supply of strains that work well for them. But sometimes using one strain all the time can lead to decreased efficacy of that particular strain. Keeping a rotation of similar strains in one category can help keep your client base intrigued with new strains, without sacrificing consistency. If you have patients who really enjoy the strain Grape Ape. Rather than keeping Grape Ape in stock at all times, you can stock it regularly, but rotate it with similar strains like Lavender or Blackberry Kush, or new strains with similar genetics.
 
Consumer Feedback
Successful dispensaries are responsive to their consumers’ purchasing habits. Tracking the strains and products that your consumers buy can be helpful when deciding what to purchase again. However, this type of tracking does not tell you about the consumers you may have lost by not having the right product in the first place. Giving your consumers an avenue to give you feedback on your products and request ones that you do not have can be a great way to find out what your particular client base is looking for.
 
Edible and Topical Options
The fastest growing demographic of cannabis users are baby boomers, and many of them are less interested in smoking cannabis than using an edible or topical product. Having a wide variety of edible and topical products can help to bring in this growing demographic. When choosing edible products, look for both sugary treats that appeal to the sweet tooths out there, and the more medicinal products like capsules and tinctures for those looking for exact dosing and a more clinical experience.
 
When in Doubt, Ask for Help

For those looking for more in depth information on how to create a balanced dispensary menu, seek out help from people with industry experience. My practice, Mindful Cannabis Consulting offers consulting and dispensary staff trainings on just this topic. Whether you are just starting out or looking to optimize your existing dispensary, a little help can go a long way.