Grower Stories #92: Cristina De Sousa

Incredible Edibles: An Interview With Cannabis-Infused Treats Brand IncrediMeds

When it comes to legal cannabis, it’s no secret that California is king. The Golden State is possibly the most developed and mature legal cannabis market in the U.S., maybe even the world. With the development of that market comes cool products like cannabis-infused snack foods and treats. That’s where IncrediMeds comes in. AskGrowers sits down with Cristina De Sousa, operations manager of edibles brand IncrediMeds, about the origins of the brand, their top-notch products, and the future of the industry. #growerstories

---

I am a pastry chef and have worked in the food industry for over 20 years. I started infusing sweets with cannabis back in 2005, then went door-to-door to all dispensaries in SF – at the time, there were about 40 – and eventually knocked at The Green Cross’ doors, where I’ve been working since. I’m currently the Operations Manager of our beautiful facility located in the Bayview District of SF, which we opened in 2018.

---

Tia (AskGrowers) : Tell us how you started IncrediMeds? What’s your origin story?

Cristina De Sousa : IncrediMeds was started in 2004, as the in-house brand of edibles for The Green Cross, one of the true “OG” cannabis dispensaries in San Francisco. At the time, edibles companies labeled their products as 1x, 2x, 3x for potency, however, no one knew what “x” meant. You could call that the “Wild West” of the Green Rush. So we decided to make our own edibles, to ensure quality and consistency.

Kevin Reed, the company owner, has always been a visionary and we used to carry an even wider range of products than we do now. We used to have teas, honey, agave syrup, olive oil, rice krispies treats, granola bars… you name it. Once recreational legalization happened, we decided to narrow down our offerings.

---

---

Tia : How does your brand differ from others similar to yours?

Cristina : IncrediMeds offers a wide selection of products from which our customers can choose: gummies, chocolates (bars, bonbons, and dragées), cookies, brownies, and topicals, all made with premium quality cannabis and natural ingredients. Our products have a clean ingredients list, without anything artificial or synthetic chemicals, and our end goal is to give our customers a really nice high from a delicious edible that does not taste like weed.

---

Tia : Tell us more about your products. Why have you decided to go with chocolates?

Cristina : While we manufacture other items, chocolates represent the majority of our line. Cannabis and chocolate are the perfect chemical pair (I will spare the details), and combining them enhances the mood-boosting, euphoric effects of both. Furthermore, almost everyone loves chocolate, me included. I’m particularly happy with our line of chocolate bonbons and our Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Caramels are a must-try.

---

Tia : Out of gummies, baked goods, topicals, and chocolates, what’s your best-selling product? Why does that product stand out from the rest?

Cristina : Our gummies, by far. We started making them back in 2009 (we were one of the pioneers!) and currently offer ten different flavors, available as Sativa, Indica, CBD 1:1, and CBD 18:1.

Gummies are a popular item because consumers like the fact that it’s a small edible, with fewer calories than other items, and it’s comfort food that takes them back to their childhood.

---

Tia : Are your products non-allergic and 100 percent organic?

Cristina : While we use some organic ingredients in our products, they are not 100 percent organic. Unfortunately, we are unable to even label those ingredients as organic in our packaging, due to the strict regulations. As for allergens, each product contains different allergens, except for our gummies, dark chocolate bar, and dark chocolate bar with raspberries, which contain none.

---

---

Tia : Where and how long should customers keep their edibles?

Cristina : All our edibles and topicals should be kept in a cool, dry place, away from direct sunlight. Ultimately, edibles are food items without any preservatives and will eventually go bad.

---

Tia : What’s your favorite product of IncrediMeds? Why?

Cristina : We recently launched three new cookie flavors – Chocolate Chip, Double Chocolate, and Peanut Butter. While I’m a personal fan of the Chocolate Chip, the Peanut Butter, which is 100 percent vegan, has a quite unique and delicious flavor.

---

Tia : What advice would you give to the upstart entrepreneur looking to start a cannabis confectionery business of their own?

Cristina : As you know, it has become quite a competitive market. Some companies have invested a lot of money and are able to invest a lot in marketing to promote their brands and expand into other states. So unless you are that fortunate and have access to capital, you need to create a really unique product that stands out from the competition and get really creative with how you promote it.

---

Tia : Are there any brands in your state you appreciate and follow? And in the U.S. in general?

Cristina : I recently tried Wyld gummies and was pleasantly surprised. Not only is the packaging beautiful, but the gummies have a very pleasant flavor. Dixie, in Colorado, has a beautiful line of products and has been a pioneer in the industry, so I like to keep up with what they launch. There are so many new brands out there, it’s really hard to keep up!

---

Tia : What is your personal cannabis consumption routine? Does it affect your work/life?

Cristina : I like to smoke flower when I get home, which helps me to decompress and keeps me going to do the house chores. During the day, I will often try whichever product we are making at the kitchen, for testing purposes – the perks of the job!

---

---

Tia : Can you name some of your top strains to smoke? Why?

Cristina : I remember the first time I tried Girl Scout Cookies and it was the best strain I had ever tried. I tend to smoke whichever sativas The Green Cross carries, and right now it’s Blue Dream and Super Sour Diesel.

---

Tia : What are some of the biggest trends you’ve seen in the cannabis industry in 2021?

Cristina : The main trends that I see in the industry right now:

• products that promote specific health benefits, made with minor cannabinoids such as CBN, CBG, THCV, ∆8THC, some of which are non-psychoactive
• products with faster onset, using nanoemulsion technology
• solventless extraction methods

---

Tia : If you had a chance to smoke with anyone on this planet, who would that be and why?

Cristina : [tooltip title="David Robert Jones" content="Popular and influential singer-songwriter and actor."]David Bowie[/tooltip], but I guess that’s no longer possible. Among the living, Annie Lennox. I don’t know if she consumes, but I’d love to light up a joint while she played the piano and sang for me.

---

Tia : Do you plan to expand your brand with time? If yes, what do you plan to add to your product line? What’s the next big move you for guys?

Cristina : As consumers move towards plant-based diets, we will be launching a line of vegan gummies – made with real fruit - within the next couple of months.

---

Tia : What are your predictions on the cannabis industry for the next five to ten years?

Cristina : A lot of the current major players will be bought out by mainstream corporations and, hopefully, it will become legal at the Federal level.

---

You can follow IncrediMeds at:

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

Thank you so much, IncrediMeds team, for taking the time to do the interview. To learn more about them, head on over to their website.