The reason why the toilet paper and pasta aisles in my neighbourhood Walmart display only empty shelving is the same reason why it’s a good time to be into CBD brands. Panic and anxiety rule, and the news cycle isn’t exactly doing much to ease the situation.
According to a survey from the Brightfield Group, up to 40% of consumers plan to use CBD far more frequently because of COVID-19, with 15% planning to use a higher dose, as highlighted by Food Navigator USA.
Towards that end, Yield Growth’s (BOSS.C) subsidiary Jack n Jane Essentials recent Canadian manufacturing and distribution agreement with Argentia Gold seems aptly timed to fill a niche.
“There is no question that with much of the country recommending to shelter at home and a pandemic sweeping the globe, anxiety levels are skyrocketing. Anxiety is the #1 ailment of CBD users – 53% of them report it. Depression and insomnia, which likely to spike over the coming months, are #3 & 4. For those that truly need CBD and are relying on it for their health and wellbeing, consumption is expected to continue or increase,” according to Brightfield Group’s managing director Bethany Gomez.
The agreement includes 35 products launched over a two-year term, including products that have been previously launched in Oregon by Yield’s subsidiary Wright & Well. Yield has developed the Jack n Jane brand especially for the Canadian market with plenty of cannabis 2.0 offerings planned using formulas from the company’s extensive catalogue.
The agreement has the parties working toward an initial summer 2020 launch with THC-infused topical balms, gels, massage oils and THC and CBD tinctures, originally seen with the Wright & Well collection. For late 2020, the company has THC prerolls, live resin, mints, chocolates and gummies on the launching platform, and CBD skin care products for 2021, with cannabis-infused beverages, teas, capsules and intimacy products to follow.
“Argentia Gold has the cannabis cultivation and processing licences to enable us to launch our Jack n Jane products in Canada. The execution of this agreement marks the culmination of years of work by our product development, branding, legal and marketing teams. After launching 20 cannabis and personal care products in the past 16 months, while developing a diverse range of brands, we have gained the expertise to launch a range of cannabis 2.0 products into the Canadian market over the next two years,” said Penny White, Yield Growth co-founder and chief executive officer.
Jack n Jane will provide non-cannabis raw materials, bulk product, product formulation information, including development, marketing, packaging and labels, as well as sales support. Argentia’s obligations include providing cannabis ingredients, manufacturing, and acquiring and maintaining regulatory compliance so they distribute the products throughout Canada. The deal is for two years, and an equitable two-way split for the profits after costs. Yield naturally retains all their intellectual property in its Jack n Jane brand and formulations.
“Our partnership with Yield Growth delivers a line of products that greatly expands our offerings and further positions Argentia Gold as a leader in this newly emerging market of beverages, edibles and topicals. Argentia Gold’s expertise in the cannabis and consumer packaged goods sectors will allow Yield Growth to successfully enter the infused market and paves the way for the two companies to potentially become major players in cannabis 2.0 in Canada.” said Dave Thomson, president of Argentia Gold.
Yield’s formulas are all natural, plant-based and developed using Ayurvedic principles. Their topicals contain Yield’s hemp root oil made using their patent-pending extraction technology. Argentia Gold expects to acquire the necessary licenses to sell cannabis products in three provinces next month and has plans to get sales licenses for seven more this year.
The company is already to go, having acquired the required child-resistant packaging and bulk product ready for cannabis infusion for the initial product launch. Products must be registered and approved by Health Canada before manufacturing begins, and then the products need to be registered in each province for on-line sales and sales through dispensary retail stores throughout Canada prior to sale.
According to estimates by Deloitte, Canadian cannabis topicals and edibles (cannabis 2.0) could be worth $2.7-billion annually while globally, the legal marijuana market size is expected to reach USD$73.6-billion by 2027, according to Grand View Research.
—Joseph Morton
Full Disclosure: Yield Growth is an equity.guru marketing client.
