Brewbudz Bringing Pot-Infused, Compostable Coffee Pods to Colorado – but When?

Brewbudz, a line of cannabis-infused singlecup pods in development for over a year, has finally landed in marijuana dispensaries. Unfortunately for wake-and-bakers in Colorado, all of those dispensaries are in Nevada – but not for long.

The edibles brand debuted in Nevada today during that state's first fortnight of recreational sales, but according to one of the company's directors, Brewbudz is in the process of securing a manufacturer in Colorado and should be in dispensaries here a few months after. Will it be worth the wait?

Cannabis-infused coffee is nothing new, and neither are cannabis coffee pods. But Brewbudz believes its infusion process and sustainable packaging set it apart from other drink makers. Instead of infusing its coffees, teas and cocoas with THC and CBD concentrates, which lose cannabinoids and terpenes during extraction, Brewbudz is infusing its K-cups with flower.

"We changed the barrier properties in cannabis, so as the compound is running through your system, it's not breaking down until it reaches your liver," says Kevin Love, strategic accounts director at Cannabiniers, the parent company of Brewbudz. "Most drugs have bioavailability, or how much your body actually receives versus how much you eat. Most edibles are at 5 percent because of how your body absorbs them, but Brewbudz is closer to 40 or 50 percent."

The high won't be as intense because the Brewbudz pods are infused with flower instead of concentrated THC or CBD, but Love says that's what the company wanted. "This is more functional and medicating. It's more or less like a 1-to-1 THC-to-CBD ratio. It doesn't have all the effect, and it's a lot less scary," he explains, which is exactly why his team chose morning drinks as the consumption method.

"Weed chocolate bars account for almost 3 percent of the total purchase market in Colorado," he says. "And an average American eats two candy bars every eight days. That's 24 billion servings a year. Annualizing all the coffee Americans drink came out to over 200 billion servings." The K-cups are available with coffee, tea or cocoa, in 10-, 25- and 50-milligram servings of THC.

And consumers can brew their infused morning drinks with peace of mind, knowing that this product won't be filling landfills. The pod and outer box are 100 percent compostable and can break down in weeks, according to Brewbudz, leaving no toxic residue.

Love says Cannabiniers is currently negotiating a manufacturing deal with the Bronnor Corporation, a Colorado-based marijuana-infused product producer and distributor with a 25,000-foot production facility that opened in 2016. Once an agreement is made, he expects to see Brewbudz on Colorado dispensary shelves within sixty days.

After Brewbudz finds its way into the morning routines of Coloradans and other consumers, Cannabiniers plans to release a line of the same infused coffee for more traditional coffee-makers, including drip machines and French presses.