MJBizMag May-June 2023 - 39

the bakery doesn't use or need but was
required to install under restaurant
regulations.
Expenses going forward include a
bump of about $50 in MedPharm's
electric bill, as well as the cost of
goods, testing and personnel.
First-year Lessons
After getting the required approvals,
Mink converted her dispensary office
into a kitchen. The office, which was
moved upstairs, was the only place in
the facility that could accommodate
the idea, which was to have a small
kitchen where customers could see
infused edibles being made through a
glass window.
Mink hired a registered nurse and
a certified herbalist, Sarah O'Brien, as
well as a certified pharmacy technician,
Laci Frazier, to serve as chefs.
" The first year was a huge learning
curve, " Mink said.
" We made a lot of things because ...
we thought, 'We have a kitchen, we're
going to be unique, we're going to
be different.' But we learned quickly
that we couldn't do everything we
wanted because of testing costs and
practicality. "
Infused biscuits and gravy, for
example, were a popular menu item
that was ultimately retired. " People
loved it, but the margins were low and
we didn't make any money from that, "
Mink said.Product testing, especially,
ate into the bakery's margins.
" Frequent testing made many
products like the biscuits and gravy
not practical, " Mink said, noting
that employees would test both the
distillate that goes into the products
and individual batches.
" The first year, there was a lot more
money spent than needed to be spent
because we were learning and we
threw money at testing on items that
we shouldn't have. "
Other items that were popular but
not economically feasible included
caramels, gum and slushies.
Cannabis-infused cookies are baked fresh with 25 milligrams of THC distillate.
Photo courtesy MedPharm
Kitchen Hits
The bakery is inside the dispensary
building and behind glass so that
patients can watch Frazier and O'Brien
make the edibles. The chefs can slide
open a window to talk with customers.
The Oreo Balls, brownies, cookies,
cheesecake and other products
are baked fresh daily. The chefs
can't sell their products directly to
consumers; rather, the products
have to be packaged per state
cannabis regulations, logged into the
dispensary inventory system and sold
from there.
Pharmer's Market can, however,
show unpackaged products in a
bakery display case, and patients can
select items from there that they want
to take home.
One of the most successful products
created by MedPharm chefs are Dope
Drops, a flavorless, infused liquid
with fast-acting nanotechnology that
can be added to smoothies, slushies,
soda, teas or any other liquid. It
can also go through a feeding tube,
which is important for some medical
marijuana patients.
" It's our No. 1 product, " Mink said.
" The Dope Drops allow people to
medicate anything they want, and that
has been game changing for us. "
After dialing in the Dope Drops
formula during the first year,
Pharmer's Market started selling it
wholesale to other retailers about
one year ago.
" That's another thing that the
kitchen is giving back; this wholesale
component is 100% because of this
kitchen, " Mink said.
Besides Dope Drops, the Pharmer's
Market is best known for its cookies,
which come in three flavors-peanut
butter, brownie and chocolate
chip-and are infused with
25 milligrams of THC distillate.
mjbizdaily.com | May-June 2023 37
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