The legal cannabis industry is growing so fast, which is great news for emerging cannabis edibles businesses. It can also be bad news, though, because that means competition is intense when it comes to marketing, branding, and packaging your cannabis edibles. You may be thinking of typical candy or snack packaging, but it’s okay to think outside the box–literally! To stand out from all the other medical marijuana products, you really gotta come up with some creative cannabis edible packaging. There are a ton of different options that will keep your cannabis edibles safe, potent, and fresh. Which one will help you stand out?
Don’t worry. Our packaging experts have put together a list of 10 of the most creative and interesting ways to package your edible cannabis products.
- Clear Window Bags – Alright, so bags with a clear window may seem like a typical way to package regular snacks or candies, but you can use that to your advantage with cannabis edibles. With a new or unfamiliar product, people are reassured by packaging that is similar to what they’ve seen before, so as long as your branding is on point, a clear window bag can be a creative way to showcase and protect your cannabis edibles.
- Printed Mylar Bags – You can also get Mylar bags that have locking mechanisms and tamper-evident features so that your edibles are protected. Sounds boring and simple, right? Not necessarily. If you print a pattern or a logo all over your bag, you can really stand out from the crowd. Upscale cannabis brands from celebrities like Snoop Dog have packaging printed with designer patterns, and you can do the same to make your cannabis edible packaging unique.
- Kraft Paper Bags – Kraft paper is that dark brown paper that’s used in grocery bags and plain mailing paper. Though it might remind you of the brown bags you used to put your school lunch in as a kid, it gives commercial packaging a really cool, DIY, small business, eco-friendly look. Kraft paper brings to mind simplicity, recycling, and nature. This makes it perfect for a natural herbal product like cannabis edibles, and your customers will be drawn to that sort of hippie look. Kraft paper also looks really good with simple green logos and text!
- Coin Envelopes – So small paper envelopes may seem like a weird choice for cannabis edibles, but we’re thinking outside the box, right? Coin envelopes can be perfect edible packaging because they’re simple, allow for labeling and printing, and familiar to consumers. A paper envelope is great for small, dry edibles that aren’t too waxy or oily. Candies like lozenges or hard chocolates would be great in these envelopes. Though they may seem small, that just means you can control the dosage in each package, since many states require that cannabis edibles are individually packaged according to THC dosage.
- Glass Jars – Now, glass jars are a classic in packaging for a reason, and they can call up all sorts of good associations for consumers. Glass jars make people think of medicine and also candies, and they have a kind of old-fashioned elegance that will make your cannabis edibles look appealing. You also don’t have to worry about freshness or chemical leaching with glass edible containers.
- Polystyrene Jars – These small clear plastic jars are usually used for cosmetics or cannabis concentrates like wax or shatter. However, they can make small edibles look really upscale. Clear polystyrene jars are perfect for small hard candies infused with THC or CBD.
- Pop Top Bottles – What do we mean by pop top? Just that. You squeeze the sides of these plastic containers, and the top pops open for easy access but stays closed otherwise. While they are usually used for pre-rolled cannabis cigarettes, their long, slender shape makes them great for stick candies, gummies, hard candies, or other small, dry cannabis edibles.
- Prescription Style Bottles – One of the hottest branding trends for new cannabis products is playing up the medical aspect of “medical marijuana.” You can do this easily by using plastic bottles with prescription style caps as your cannabis edible packaging. There are even bottles with reversible caps that let your customers use the “push and turn” prescription closure or a simple screw top.
- Boxes – Now I know I said earlier to think outside the box, but sometimes you have to think inside the box. A lot of cannabis edible companies are using plastic bags and bottles, but you can set your brand apart by using a box. Seal your edibles in plastic or wrap them in parchment paper, and then you can use a box (of any shape, not just square!) as the outer packaging.
- Parchment Paper – It seems old-fashioned, doesn’t it? Using parchment paper as part of your edible packaging? Wax paper inner packaging makes you think of classic handmade candies or fancy chocolates. And hey, if you’re making classic candies or fancy chocolates with a cannabis twist, then old-fashioned is good! Coated paper can also be a more eco-friendly option than plastic, which a lot
No matter how exactly you package your cannabis edibles, you need to make sure your branding is on point too. This is another way to make your products unique, no matter what kind of edible packaging you choose. Take some to think about your labels, the materials you want to use, and the colors that represent your brand. Remember that many packaging companies will print labels that fit your packaging or even print your text and logos directly onto your edible packaging. Now that’s thinking outside the box!
