FIRSt hosts informative event for entrepreneurs interested in the cannabis edibles business

As recreational cannabis comes into play in Canada, so does talk around how to get cooking with the substance.

In response, the Food Innovation & Research Studio (FIRSt) of George Brown College (GBC) hosted an event to enlighten interested entrepreneurs on the development of products with the use of cannabis edibles.

Cannabis edibles are not included in the recreational products that have been legalized this month. They are a form of cannabis that can be taken orally and are expected to be legalized in 2019 following the enforcement of The Cannabis Act.

“Some of the research shows that it is actually not just the Millennials and Gen X. In fact, a lot of baby boomers have an interest in cannabis and in particular edibles”, said Tricia Ryan, Director of FIRSt.

Ryan noted that some prefer to ingest the substance rather than smoke it.

FIRSt is a research facility where food scientists, culinary students, and chefs gather to develop products and so much more.

Both FIRSt and Food Starter, a space where small businesses can produce products, have received countless requests for cannabis edibles from entrepreneurs who are ready to jump into this new market.

In August, the Infused Innovations Initiative was born when the director of FIRSt, Tricia Ryan met with Food Starter to discuss how they can address this persisting interest.

They decided to get ahead and prepare the entrepreneurs on how to approach this unknown territory with the educational event, Cooking with Cannabis.

Cooking with Cannabis was staged on Oct. 15. and aimed at providing a breakdown of the operations of producing a product with cannabis edibles and taking the next steps as a business going forward. This initiative also addressed questions on legal, financial and other matters of importance.

“What is the duty of care involved with cannabis? Are you going to have a facility of your own? What is the difference? Can you serve alcoholic beverages with this?” Ryan said are many questions entrepreneurs may have.

A representative from the local brewery, PROVINCE BRANDS, was present and shared their experience in making cannabis beer using the entire marijuana plant.

Herbal Chef, Chris Sayegh who led the event, is “considered the number one cannabis chef in the world,” according to Ryan.

“We will be also doing a webinar series following the event so we can do a deep dive once a month,” Ryan said. This way, they can provide further guidance for those interested in producing infused products with cannabis edibles.

FIRSt continues to welcome culinary students at the college to apply to work in the renowned research facility on similar initiatives.