It's time to welcome award-winning, cannabis-infused, dealcoholized wine.
Do you like wine but hate hangovers? Do you want a social drink without the effects of alcohol? Are you nervous to try marijuana and want a way to ease into it?
If so, you’re in luck. Carbidex LLC — a holding company — is welcoming to The Lansing Botancial Co., an award-winning, alcohol-removed, cannabis-infused wine from the California-based beverage company House of Saka.
The Botanical Co. plans to launch one of three flavors called Saka Spark Mimosa this summer.
“Right as it’s getting hot and you’re wanting something refreshing for the end of your very long day… spark really should be like that refreshing product,” said Cass Coleman, director of processing and quality at Una Laboratories (the processing division of Carbidex).
Lansing Dispensary
adds a Spark to the Cannabis Industry
Share:
VISIT HOMEPAGE
Aurora Rae | Michigan Green State
Last February, Coleman was enjoying a bottle of the flavor Pink with her friend — a House of Saka board member — when she said, “I really wish I could have this in Michigan.”
Her friend then introduced her to House of Saka co-founder Cynthia Salarizadeh, and President and CEO Tracey Mason.
“(I) went out and met them in Sonoma, (Cynthia and Tracy) really liked us and the rest has been history,” Coleman said. “Our brands really mesh and they’re ready to come to Michigan.”
The woman-led company, launched in October 2019, offers a premium, non-alcoholic sparking Chardonnay with a Mimosa strain-specific live resin emulsion and natural essence of orange blossom and tangerine.
“Sourced from California’s cool, coastal vineyards, Saka Spark is unlike any infused beverage available today — an elegant and refreshing twist on a classic,” House of Saka’s website said.
Coleman said she is excited for the feminine energy the product will bring to the state.
“I am looking forward to bringing this female powered, incredibly enjoyable experience to Michiganders,” she said. “It’s fabulous and I wish that other people could have that.”
Share:
“We’re excited about this product because it is a whole new market, that I feel that the rest of the drinks that are coming out aren’t necessarily going after,” he said. “I think it’s going to drive a lot of activity to our stores… a lot of excitement about the product because the product is so well done.”
Coleman said they are releasing the one-dose sizes first, due to the Marijuana Regulatory Agency’s rules being stricter for a multi-dose container, like a wine bottle.
With wine made in Napa Valley, Saka Spark will be produced in-house at Una Labs. The extracts that are normally made for cartridges, dabs and edibles will be emulsified — to make it more bioavailable — and then mixed with the dealcoholized Chardonnay before going through carbonation and then put into containers to be sold.
The emulsification process makes the THC fast-acting so the user can usually feel the effects within 10-20 minutes of consumption according to Sorse Technology, a leader in water-soluble emulsion technology.
Adding a spark to the Michigan market
Uniting wine and marijuana users
Saka Spark is sold in single use containers with a 10-milligram dose of THC. Coleman said it is a drink that will appeal to wine lovers and cannabis connoisseurs alike.
“This will be a beverage that those people can have that will be similar to their palate without a hangover and casually dose,” Coleman said. “It’s a social drinking occasion beverage.”
Chief Operating Officer Brian Gruber said it is also a good way for new consumers to ease into marijuana.
“The wine is a good option for a lot of people to get introduced to THC and not feel intimidated by it; do it in social settings where people feel more comfortable to share it and enjoy the experience,” he said.
Gruber said he thinks the drink will target a niche audience.
Bringing a feminine twist to Michigan
Other House of Saka offerings
The first ever flavor called Saka White is handcrafted from white varietal grapes and offers “mouth-watering aromas of ripe peach, apricot and toasty oak combined with rich, buttery vanilla and tropical fruit flavors balanced with mild acidity and a long, pleasing finish,” according to its website.
Saka Pink, that came second, offers “subtle aromas of red fruit, honeysuckle and spring flora”, “pleasing flavors of fresh strawberry and elderflower” and “a bright, citrus finish.”
Plans at the Botanical Co.
The House of Saka wine is not the only drink the Lansing dispensary is introducing to their menu. They plan to release four flavors of a sparkling water product called Fix.
Each eight-ounce serving has 2.5 milligrams of THC and 2.5 milligrams of CBD.
“Think refreshing drink while you’re watching sports,” she said. “It’s designed so you can actually drink more than one and it’s also designed to be incredibly discreet. You could probably drink it anywhere and everyone will just think that you’re drinking some really expensive water.”
Like House of Saka, Coleman said it has an onset of about 10 minutes.
Carbidex will soon release several other products including tinctures. Coleman said they recently started a partnership with Peaceful Potions from the east coast.
“That includes bath bombs as well as a body rub and this will be the first rub in Michigan that has an applicator,” she said. “So, you don’t have to get it on your hands to wipe it on your body.”
Carbidex is also in the race to establish Michigan’s first social lounge. They are finishing up the construction and licensing and hope to open its doors in March.
“We might get lucky and be one of the first in the state to open,” founder and CEO Russ Chambers said.
In addition to the aforementioned businesses, Carbidex LLC owns a cultivating division called Franklin Fields and three storefronts in Lansing, East Tawas and Kalkaska. It is planning to open a fourth storefront, too, in Middleville.
VISIT HOMEPAGE
Saka Spark is sold in single use containers with a 10-milligram dose of THC. Coleman said it is a drink that will appeal to wine lovers and cannabis connoisseurs alike.
“This will be a beverage that those people can have that will be similar to their palate without a hangover and casually dose,” Coleman said. “It’s a social drinking occasion beverage.”
Chief Operating Officer Brian Gruber said it is also a good way for new consumers to ease into marijuana.
“The wine is a good option for a lot of people to get introduced to THC and not feel intimidated by it; do it in social settings where people feel more comfortable to share it and enjoy the experience,” he said.
Gruber said he thinks the drink will target a niche audience.