Not all medical marijuana edibles are made the same, but Carol Draeger thinks the ones available on the Central Coast seem to be.
Because so many of the edibles on the market retain the acrid taste of marijuana, Draeger decided to put her baking expertise to use. She started her company Shuggies to make edibles that are delicious.
Draeger bakes cookies, Rice Krispies treats, and other baked goods infused with cannabis oil rather than plant material. When she first started experimenting with baking brownies, she’d grind the marijuana buds into a fine powder and mix it into the batter. But this turned out to be a mistake, as the brownies would come out tasting too strong.
That’s when she decided to do a little research and discovered that it’s better to use oil. The oil she uses is tested from a lab so she knows how much tetrahydrocannabinol (or THC—the chemical in marijuana that makes you high) is in each of her baked goods. Her recipes are standardized, and the oil she uses is at least 75 percent THC, Draeger said.
Once finished, Draeger sends a sample for testing, which allows her to properly label products with an accurate THC milligram count.
“That was my ultimate goal,” Draeger said, “getting a product that doesn’t have the weed taste. Oil has virtually no cannabis taste.”
Draeger is a newcomer to the cannabis industry. She got into it with her husband two years ago. While marijuana may be new to Draeger, baking isn’t. She’s been doing it since the age of 9 after being taught by her mother.
She eventually started baking wedding cakes, which she did every weekend for a solid five years. Draeger’s sister-in-law encouraged her to start a business. Draeger named her business Shuggies, which is what she calls her granddaughter.
California’s cottage food operation law allows residents to start food businesses from their homes. Under the law, Draeger can sell her home-baked goods directly to consumers, which she does through her medical marijuana delivery service, Mi-Care Meds. She also plans to bake edibles infused with CBD, or cannabidiol, the non-psychoactive chemical in marijuana said to have several health benefits.
But cannabis-infused baked goods aren’t the only things Draeger wants to sell; she also plans to sell non-marijuana items to the public, like cupcakes, cakes, pies, brownies, cookies, and various other confections. She’s also learning how to make gluten-free products.
Will Draeger get back into the business of wedding cakes and infuse them too? Not yet, although she has thought about it, she said.
Now that Proposition 64—or the ballot measure that legalized recreational marijuana in California—has passed, the possibility exists for Draeger to make non-medicinal edibles, although she and her husband haven’t made any plans to do so yet.
So far, she’s had positive feedback on her products from her customers. Now, it’s all a matter of getting the company’s name out there.
“We just try to do a legal service and give people a great product,” Draeger said.
Shuggies are available through Draeger’s medical marijuana delivery service, Mi-Care Meds. To register as a patient, call 668-7586. A Proposition 215 medical marijuana recommendation is required.
Highlights
Keys2thecoast.com—a travel resource designed to help people pick the best places to wine, dine, and explore on the Central Coast—has expanded its media footprint to Los Angeles. The company partnered with Beacon Media News to effectively expand its profile by more than 200 percent, said CEO Donna Polizzi.
“This new relationship with Beacon satisfies a major objective of the business, which is to promote Central Coast destinations to a thriving, lucrative, and geographically desirable travel market,” Polizzi said.
For more information, visit the company’s website at keys2thecoast.com.
Staff Writer David Minsky wrote this week’s Biz Spotlight. Information should be sent to the Sun via fax, mail, or at dminsky@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Mar 23-30, 2017.