Future of Cannabis: Hippo Treats
Continuing on the micro-dosing trend this week as we cover a new brand in the marketplace, Hippo Treats. Founder and CEO, Malcolm Hood has over 10 years of experience as a professional chef and created Hippo Treats in 2016 out of his own necessity. In an effort to live a healthier lifestyle Malcolm quit smoking, but still enjoyed the effects and benefits of cannabis so he turned to edibles. He quickly learned that the majority of what was on the market did not meet his needs as a physically and socially active man. So he set out to develop what eventually became their first three product offerings; The FatBurners Superfood Energy Bar, Dark Chocolate Drizzle Buddies, and their Double Chocolate Flourless Cookies. Hippo Treats are formulated and dosed with only 5mg (or 20mg for more experienced patients) of THC to be “just like a beautiful glass so you can have one, two or even three depending on your size, tolerance, and what you’re getting into at that particular moment.” After nine months in business Hippo Treats has established the foundation to build their business on and they are focused on the serving the new inexperienced consumers and professional’s who simply can’t afford to lose a day to “couch lock”. We asked Malcolm to share some insight into their first year of operations, and views on the future of the cannabis-infused landscape:
What was 2016 like for you guys?
2016 was full of ups and downs, but overall it was an amazing, exciting year. We launched the company to a pretty lukewarm reception in May. Many dispensaries didn’t see the value in lower dosed edibles, and still many others are pretty slow to trust new companies with all the start ups out there. By the end of the year, however, we made it into over 20 stores in Orange Co, LA, Riverside, SF, Marin, and Vallejo, as well as developed a very respectable direct clientele, all while expanding our product offerings from three products to over 20. We’ve also just entered into some pretty amazing partnerships which we are projecting will help us grow at a minimum of 4x in 2017, and our team has grown from a one man show to six regular contributors. Most importantly, though, the people are responding super positively to our products. Building our business one thrilled customer at a time is what we’re all about, and 2017, man, we couldn’t be more excited to keep it going!
Does the passage of prop 64 in California have an impact on your business? If so, how?
Prop 64 hasn’t had a immediate impact on our business, but we are built expressly on the idea that Prob 64 would pass. We’re a recreational brand targeting inexperienced newbies and professional types with too many things to do to “melt their face off” on couch lock. We’re laser focused on having our products enhance people’s experience, whether at work or play, not BE the main event. In 2018, we believe the majority of marijuana customers in California will be more aligned with our philosophy of less is more, compared to the current “how high can you get” culture you see at many of the conventions today.
We believe the majority of marijuana customers in California will be more aligned with our philosophy of less is more, compared to the current “how high can you get” culture.
What KPI’s are you tracking?
First and foremost we’re measuring consistency in our dosages. For a first time user, the difference between say 5mg and 7.5 is pretty substantial, so having a trustworthy brand where people know exactly what they’re getting every time is so so crucial. We’ve developed some extraordinary partnerships with oil extractors so the medicine is actually identical time after time as well. The other main thing we’re measuring is customer satisfaction, both our dispensary partners and our patients. After those two, obviously cash flow, efficiency and other business related metrics, but consistency and customer satisfaction are everything for us.
What do you think the cannabis-infused landscape is missing that you’d like to see more of today?
The cannabis infused landscape is pretty wild right now. People are innovating all kinds of new products from coffee to pizza to mustard to marshmallows, you name it. As far as products that should be on the market that aren’t, well that’s what our R&D team is up to every day of the week. What you’ve experienced at Medithrive is only a portion of what we have available now, and I think we’re releasing some very cutting edge products. For example, our Health Nuts, Sexy Bars and Money Bars are all utilizing herbs other than cannabis to give patients an entourage effect like no one else in the space.
What are you most excited about in 2017?
2016 was all about getting started, getting our feet under us and figuring out how to survive. We’ve weathered all of those growing pains and have a tremendously solid foundation to build upon now. In 2017 we’re looking to transform the lives of our employees, leverage our partnerships and just grow, grow, grow! As a chef, the passion isn’t about cooking for yourself; it’s all about putting a smile on other people’s faces through your art. 2017 is going to bring crazy, giant gaping hippo smiles to so many more people. It doesn’t get better than that!
