Cannabis in Confections & Snacks Series
Introduction to Series
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PMCA Research Chair Eric Schmoyer, Barry Callebaut introduces a series of interviews conducted on the topic of Cannabis in Confections & Snacks.
Perceptions of Cannabis in Confections
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Brian Sterling is founding partner and President of SCS Consulting, an international management consulting company specializing in strategic issues concerning the food industry, including cannabis-infused products. Until 2021 he was acting Vice President of GS1’s cannabis value chain optimization program aimed at creating a globally scalable traceability infrastructure for cannabis products in Canada. He was previously first President and Chief Executive Officer Safe Food Canada, an organization dedicated to strengthening the quality and consistency of food safety education. For almost three years prior to that, he was Managing Director of the Global Food Traceability Center located in Washington, DC. From 2006 to 2012, he was the first Chief Executive Officer of Ontario’s food traceability company, OnTrace. He has held senior management roles in several larger consulting firms, including IBM Canada and Fujitsu Consulting. He began his career with the DuPont Company.
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Cannabis as an Ingredient & the Future of Hyper-Focused Cannabis Products
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Carolina Vazquez Mitchell is Chief Scientific Officer for Ciencia Labs and the creator of dreamt, LUCHADOR and QUELL. Prior to founding Ciencia Labs, Carolina was the Lab Director for a cannabis testing facility, the Chief Scientific Officer for KushyPunch, and the Head of Research for Power Brands, America’s leading beverage consultancy firm. She led several projects for companies like Taco Bell, Pepsi, Quaker, and Gatorade during her tenure.
In 2017 Carolina founded the consultancy firm KitChem to support companies in the formulation and process development of cannabis edibles, cosmetics, supplements, foods, and beverages. Carolina assisted various cannabis companies with product formulation, quality control, testing, and manufacturing processes. In 2019, KitChem became part of Ciencia Labs, a Los Angeles-based powerhouse of innovative cannabis brands and products. She is also a founding chair of the Legalization of Cannabis & Hemp Edibles division of the Institute of Food Technologists.
To date, she has developed more than 200 cannabis products with special emphasis on medicated and supplemented snacks and confectionery. A gifted academic with deep experience in developing regulatory standards of the cannabis industry, Carolina’s areas of specialty include organic chemistry and biochemistry research, laboratory testing and operations, good manufacturing practices, good laboratory practices, quality assurance, and R&D for cannabis products, pharmaceuticals, foods, emulsions, and beverages. She has over 20 years of experience with organic synthesis and product development of pharmacologically active molecules.
Originally from Guadalajara, Carolina received her BS in Chemistry Pharmaco-biology and a degree in Industrial Chemistry from the University of Guadalajara. After completing the Chemistry Ph.D. classwork at the University of Southern California, Carolina decided to start her consulting firm. She left the Ph.D. program early with a Masters degree in Chemistry. While researching at USC, Carolina published for three consecutive years. She managed projects funded by the National Science Foundation, obtained awards for over $1,000,000, trained laboratory instructors, and taught organic chemistry, biochemistry, and neurosciences.
Carolina has been featured in Rolling Stone, ABC News, Mitu, and Dope Magazine, where she was named one of the “Outstanding Women in Cannabis”. Carolina is the Science Editor of mg magazine, where she has contributed several stories which debunk widely held myths about cannabinoids.
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Chocolate in Cannabis
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Joel has over 30 years of innovation in the chocolate industry. As founder of Fantasy Candies Chocolate Factory in 1990, he began developing a wide range of chocolate products; many of which revolved around healthy inclusions. In 2007, Joel took his research on the health benefits of dark chocolate to the Cleveland Clinic Wellness department where they teamed up to develop a line of chocolates created to meet their healthy eating guidelines. Joel soon began working with probiotics as an inclusion, which required him to develop a system to homogenize ingredients, while keeping the chocolate perfect in taste and texture. After joining a research team in 2017 to develop an all-natural chocolate to help children with autism, Joel discovered CBD had been used successfully in improving autistic behavior. He dedicated the next year to understanding CBD and how to work with it safely and effectively. Joel, a member of IFT, (International Food Technologists) and RCI, (Retail Confectioners International) is a consultant to the medical marijuana industry in the state of Ohio. Working with several vertically integrated cannabis facilities, he produced the first certified cannabis edible chocolate for the Medical Marijuana program. Joel started Chocolate Inclusion Solutions in 2018 to develop and produce cannabis-infused chocolates, sustainably grown, traceable and tested for compliance. He teaches a class called “CBD 101: Truth vs. Myth” to encourage public education in the area of cannabis along with educational seminars to the industry.
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Emulsion Technology: A Method for Introducing Cannabinoids & Functional Ingredients to Confectionery Products
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Hilary Brown brings over 20 years of experience in the culinary industry, with extensive knowledge in product development and the cannabis industry. Her unique background in developing safe, consistent, and scalable products makes her a valuable resource for SōRSE customers. Hilary specializes in the application of our emulsion into products to ensure stability and designs studies to increase a product’s success. Prior to SōRSE, she was the Head of Research and Development at Botanica Seattle where she focused on flavor palatability and supported the development of multiple award-winning products. Hilary also owned a chocolate company, Restless Chocolates.
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Cannabis Infused Products – Infusion Options & Manufacturing Challenges
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Peggy Moore is the majority owner and Chief Executive Officer of Love’s Oven, LLC, a medical and retail marijuana-infused products manufacturer located in Denver, CO with distribution to 400+ locations throughout the state. She also serves as the Board Chair for the Colorado Cannabis Manufacturers Association and participates in various State and Local industry workgroups. Love’s Oven was founded in 2009 and Peggy joined the team as an investor/advisor in 2011. In May of 2014, Peggy retired after 33 years from an illustrious career in the highly regulated health insurance industry with United Health Group where she held two primary positions – one as Director of Operations where she led post-merger/acquisition operational integration projects for the past 15 years and also managed claim and customer service operations for the first 17 years of her career. One accomplishment in the cannabis industry that Peggy is most proud of is being one of the first manufacturers in the industry to build the Love’s Oven infused products manufacturing facility in Colorado to full FDA compliance ahead of Federal regulation.
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The Future of Cannabis – So. Many. Possibilities
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Millie Montana’s passion for Cannabis was the driving force that got her an early foot into the industry working in all areas from cultivation to retail- she’s had her hands in cannabis for over 10 years.
While living in Miami, she quickly realized that Cannabis was a fast growing industry and the time to get in was now. After living around the country, from east to west coast, Millie took what she learned navigating each state’s constantly changing cannabis laws and returned to her home state, Michigan, to run her own business in Detroit.
In 2015, Guilty Pleasures by Millie was born. What began as a one woman show quickly became one of the most sought after brands in Michigan. She has built a portfolio of brands and products across the entire spectrum of Cannabis.
As founder and CEO of Millie Montana Industries, primarily focused on outdoor cultivation, Millie was able to achieve her goal of vertical integration. She currently has 100,000+ plants under her canopy. Millie’s expertise extends beyond her own ventures, as she consults on various aspects of cannabis manufacturing.
Dedicated to providing thoughtful products with a purpose, Millie believes in the profound healing potential of cannabis. She prides herself in her grassroots history with experience built in the trenches of the fast growing and changing industry. She is the epitome of self-made.
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