CEDR: Steph, you own an edibles company and wrote a cannabis cookbook. We’re eager to learn. Can you please tell us about both Mellows and your book, Edibles.
Stephanie Hua: Mellows are low-dose, gourmet marshmallows, handcrafted in San Francisco. Our goal is to create the most delightful and elevated edibles experience possible for our consumers. We take a lot of pride in the details so that our Mellows look, taste, and make you feel wonderful.
I started Mellows in 2015 after graduating from culinary school. I found myself in this position where I had this new set of skills in addition to my background in food media, advertising, and marketing. I was really open to what my future could be. Around the same time, my husband was actually starting his cannabis software company, Meadow. We were visiting a lot of dispensaries at the time for R&D and I found that a lot of the products on the market were just way too strong for me. I wanted something that I wasn’t scared to consume and I wanted something that tasted delicious. I saw that there was a real need for an edible that was approachable and low-dose, beautifully and professionally packaged, and that just tasted delightful. So, I decided to make that product for myself, and the company was born.
From the very beginning, the underlying mission for Mellows was to truly destigmatize cannabis and who the cannabis user is. A large number of our customers are women. There’s still such a huge stigma attached to cannabis consumption as a woman and as a mom. We really wanted to be able to have a product that people would feel excited about buying for their mother or their grandmother, or to bring to a dinner party.
CEDR: I noticed in the cannabis cookbook that you spend time sharing some of the basics on how to consume and what to look for and what to think about.
Stephanie Hua: The first part of the cookbook is educational. We walk you through Cannabis 101. There are so many questions that people have, especially when you’re looking at edibles, as it’s so different from smoking cannabis.
Before you even step into the kitchen, you have to understand the ingredients that you’re working with, and how to present it to the people that you’re going to be serving it to, especially if they are new to consuming cannabis. There’s still so much research to be done, but it’s a good introduction.
CEDR: You share in the book what strains you use and their potency. Can you please elaborate.
Stephanie Hua: Yes. We formulated the infusions in the cannabis cookbook using a Sour Diesel that measured 1.39% THC and 21.74% THCA. One of the perks of the regulated market (in California) that we’re in now is that everything has to be lab tested, so when you are buying your flower, you are able to see exactly how potent it is, and what its cannabinoid breakdown is. When you obtain your cannabis, look at what the THC and THCA percentages are. If you’re working with a strain that is approximately 23% combined THC + THCA, your infusions should be about the same potency as our dosage guide in the book.
CEDR: Switching back to Mellows, is there anything more that you would like to share?
Stephanie Hua: We really put a flag in the ground for low-dose and approachability for Mellows. One of the most gratifying parts of the business has been to really see our customers fall in love with Mellows, to see who these customers are and to hear their stories.
A lot of our customers are first time users of cannabis. I love that we’re creating this beautiful product that provides a really delightful first experience with edibles for them. A bad initial experience with cannabis is something that can really scare you off for a very long time, if not forever.
For us, it’s been very gratifying to be able to open up this world of possibility for people, to introduce them cannabis and show them how it can elevate their life.
CEDR: Thanks so much Steph!
