CBD is the second most common active component in cannabis. CBD is extracted directly from the hemp plant, which is a relative of the cannabis plant and is an important component of medicinal marijuana. Despite the fact that CBD is a component of marijuana, it has no hallucinogenic effects on the human mind. “In people, CBD displays no effects suggestive of any misuse or dependency potential,” according to a World Health Organization report. To date, there has been no evidence of public health issues linked to the use of pure CBD and its derivatives. Water is injected with CBD particles to create CBD-infused beverages. The end product is a canned, usually sparkling beverage that tastes like flavored sparkling water or spiked seltzer. CBD beverages are becoming more popular as cannabis-infused goods, such as medicinal and recreational marijuana, become legalized across the United States and around the world. CBD’s appeal has been fueled by its expanding availability combined with a growing health trend, with more and more people opting for “better-for-you” alternatives to sugary drinks. CBD-infused drinks of various types provide a great alternative, with health advantages to boot, because CBD beverages are sourced from a natural source.
A report from Facts & Factors projected that the global CBD Infused Beverages market, which was valued at around USD 3,400 million in 2020, is expected to make over USD 14,600 million by the end of 2026, with a CAGR of approximately 27.5% between 2021 and 2026. The report said: “The market for CBD-infused drinks is largely driven by the rising authorization and certification for recreational cannabis in countries, such as the United States and Canada. Furthermore, because of the increasing incidence of numerous respiratory disorders, there is a growing movement away from smoking cannabis and adopting healthier edible options, which is pushing the market growth.
Furthermore, the common accessibility of CBD-infused drinks such as coffee, fruit punch, cannabis cola tea, and other CBD-infused beverages across various legal marijuana outlets further augments the global industry. Several key players manufacturing CBD-infused beverages also prefer investing in developing newly flavored beverages… the rising usage of CBD-infused drinks in cancer patients to treat nausea, weight loss, and poor appetite is fueling market expansion. Furthermore, its growing popularity as a functional drink among athletes and sportspeople has resulted in increased product demand in the sports nutrition industry. Numerous advancements in cannabis microdosing have resulted in the creation of alcohol-free beer produced from CBD, which is likely to fuel market expansion…”
Pressure BioSciences, a leader in the development and sale of broadly enabling, pressure-based instruments, consumables, and innovative services to the worldwide biotechnology, biotherapeutics, cosmetics, nutraceuticals, agrochemical, and food & beverage industries, today announced that processing hemp-derived cannabidiol (“CBD”) with its Ultra Shear Technology™ (“UST™”) platform produces high quality water-soluble nanoemulsions of CBD oil in water with the critically important benefit of scientifically proven long-term stability. Specifically, the Company reported breakthrough results in which its UST processing platform produced the consistent and extremely fine nano-dispersions of CBD oil in water that are required to achieve product stability in excess of twelve months, under both cold and room temperature storage conditions, even with multiple freeze-thaw cycles, without any visible or measurable deterioration of the nanoemulsified product.
CBD is a non-psychoactive, oil-soluble compound extracted from the cannabis plant, and is typically marketed in a plant oil solution. CBD has been widely reported to offer numerous health benefits from stress and anxiety relief, to Schizophrenia, decreased seizures, muscle, joint, cancer and other pain, and reduced inflammation. Because CBD is oil-based, its ingestion or topical application typically results in poor absorption in water-based living systems, like humans. For example, the World Health Organization estimated CBD bioavailability from oral delivery of oil-based formulations was just 6%. That means most ingested CBD is wasted, passing through the body without being absorbed. Consequently, there is enormous interest in the development of truly water-soluble CBD, to achieve efficient dosing delivery, absorption, and bioavailability from foods and beverages.
ProVerde Laboratories is one of the most advanced analytical testing service laboratories in the country offering testing of cannabis-derived materials, including cannabinoid profiling and particle size characterization. Dr. Christopher Hudalla, President and Chief Scientific Officer of ProVerde Labs provided powerful perspective: “We test hundreds of cannabis products on a regular basis, and the overwhelming diversity of so-called water-soluble products that we test consistently suffer from poor particle uniformity and a lack of long-term stability. This often results in cannabinoid degradation, phase separation, coalescence and or sediment formation. The introduction of a new technology platform that can consistently produce the necessary ultra-low droplet size nanoemulsions required to deliver reliable shelf life of over one year, including resistance to freeze-thaw challenges, will be a pivotal inflection point and an explosive growth opportunity in the CBD and cannabis-derived products industry.”
Mr. John Westlake, Founder and President of Canopy CBD Farms, LLC., further confirmed: “Scientific data strongly supports the critical need for hemp-derived CBD oil to be processed into water-soluble nanoemulsions to achieve the highest levels of absorption and bioavailability with optimal dosing safety and overall product cost efficiency for manufacturers and consumers. For commercial success, these CBD nanoemulsions must also be long-term stable, to help ensure that the CBD-containing product has the best opportunity to achieve its promise after months in distribution and shelf storage. In my many years in the cannabis market, this is the first time I have observed such an accomplishment: a high quality nanoemulsion of CBD oil in water with over one year of real time, rock-solid, cold and room temperature stability, even following multiple freeze-thaw cycles. These results are highly impressive.”
Mr. Gary B. Smejkal, Senior Research Scientist at PBI, explained the Company’s breakthrough: “Achieving long-term stability of nanoemulsions requires production processes that attain consistent, extremely low oil droplet sizes in water. Our unique formulations and patented UST processing platform use unprecedentedly high pressures to achieve repeated cycles of extreme shearing forces at controlled temperatures and flow rates, which we believe deliver the highest quality and most long-term stable CBD nanoemulsions available in the world today.”
Mr. John B. Hollister, Director of Sales and Marketing at PBI, expanded on the opportunity: “CBD-containing nanoemulsions created by our innovative and proprietary UST processing platform have the potential to revolutionize the rapidly growing cannabis market, not just in food and beverage, but in multiple other areas as well, including biotherapeutics, nutraceuticals, agrochem, and cosmetics. From truly clear, water-soluble infusions in beverages that are cold and room temperature long-term stable, to predictable dosing with much faster onset of action than other edible forms, we believe the benefits and appeal for consumers will be tremendous. We are excited to have achieved this historic milestone of surpassing one-year of real time cold and room temperature stability and look forward to the impending commercial release of our initial UST-based nanoemulsion system by or before the end of 2021.”
Tilray, Inc. recently announced that its SweetWater Brewing Company has launched a new product collaboration with Canada’s leading craft cannabis brand Broken Coast Cannabis Ltd., a brand under the Tilray portfolio based in British Columbia and geared toward the premium cannabis market. “Broken Coast BC Lager ” is the first cross-brand product developed in partnership with leading craft brands, SweetWater and Broken Coast, and Tilray’s first Canadian cannabis brand introduction into the U.S.
“We’re here to build great brands that deliver products consumers enjoy, and we look forward to having some fun along the way,” said Irwin D. Simon, Tilray’s Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer. “This cross-collaboration between SweetWater and Broken Coast is the first among many milestones in our growth and execution strategy to introduce our great Canadian cannabis brands in the U.S. and connect our consumers to other brands in our portfolio.”
NewAge, Inc. the Colorado-based organic and healthy products company intending to become the world’s leading social selling and distribution company, recently announced that it has formed a manufacturing partnership with and agreed to sell its US manufacturing operations to Taiwan-based TCI Co., Ltd.
Taiwan stock exchange listed TCI was founded in 1980, and has grown to almost $300 million in annual revenue with more than 1,150 employees worldwide. TCI is one of the preeminent manufacturers of functional drinks, skincare, nutritional supplements and other healthy products with manufacturing and biotech operations in Taiwan, PRC, Japan, Netherlands and now the US, with exports to more than 50 countries worldwide. TCI is also a leader in research and development with an extensive bio-diversified portfolio with over 200 patents, and was recently recognized by the Financial Times as one of Asia’s fastest-growing companies.
Canopy Growth Corporation and The Supreme Cannabis Company, Inc. recently announced the completion of the previously announced arrangement (the “Arrangement”) whereby Canopy has acquired all of the issued and outstanding common shares of Supreme (the “Supreme Shares”).
As Canopy continues to focus on the premium flower segment, the addition of 7ACRES and the 7ACRES Craft Collective enhances Canopy’s leading market share position and supplements its production capacity through the acquisition of Supreme’s low-cost, scalable cultivation facility in Kincardine, Ontario. This facility has a proven capability for producing high-quality flower from sought-after strains that have earned Supreme’s brands their loyal consumer followings. Additionally, the acquisition of Supreme further strengthens Canopy’s overall leadership position within the Canadian recreational market and creates a pro forma Q4 FY 2021 market share of 18.1%. Furthermore, the acquisition creates the opportunity for immediate value creation with an estimated $30 million in synergies to be captured within the next two years.
Grove, Inc. recently expanded into the rapidly growing plant-based market for gummy vitamins with their newest product line, Qubes. The brand currently offers customers unique products from Apple Cider Vinegar + Acai, Turmeric Immunity, and an upcoming Algae Oil supplement that will act as a plant-based alternative to fish oil for daily Omega-3 intake.
Qubes gummies are completely free of preservatives, chemicals, corn syrup, allergens, soy, dairy, wheat, salicylates, artificial ingredients, artificial sweeteners, flavors or colors. This newest launch is set to take advantage of the growing demand in the vitamin space. “The global gummy vitamins market size is estimated to be valued at USD 5.9 billion in 2020 and projected to reach USD 10.6 billion by 2025, recording a CAGR of 12.5%”
