The Extraction Issue
Extracts are quietly taking over the cannabis industry. While flower remains the top-selling product category at retail, products made from extracts — including edibles, vapes, concentrates and topicals — now account for almost 60% of legal cannabis sales in the United States. It’s a sector of the market that is only getting bigger, particularly as the scientific understanding of cannabis and extraction grows.
From the various methods of extraction and refinement to the latest innovations in products, Marijuana Venture takes an in-depth look at the market trends, best practices, equipment manufacturers, leading minds and scientific process of extraction.
Coda Signature
Coda Signature launched its line of high-end edibles and concentrates in Colorado before expanding into California in 2019. From the elegant packaging to the world-class recipes, the company’s chocolates, truffles and fruit chews are befitting of a luxury candy shop. But David Hand, the company’s director of extraction, David Hand says Coda prides itself on making a quality product that anyone can enjoy.
“It’s not going to break the bank,” he says.
Hand says each Coda Signature product is the result of years’ worth due to years of intense research and development to fine-tune its extraction and formulation processes.
Claim to Fame: Coda Signature is easily one of the most award-winning concentrate and edibles brands in cannabis, dating back to a 2016 High Times Cannabis Cup for best new edible. In 2020, the company has already won five first-place awards at the THC Championships and the Best Indulgence Product at the World Food Innovation Awards and was named to the Forbes list of the 500 best startup employers.
“It’s fun to be a part of history in this industry, and it’s really fun to work with such talented and devoted people,” Hand says.
Methodology: Coda employs a highly automated CO2 extraction system from MRX Extractors. Because the company does not grow its own cannabis, Hand works closely with the company’s cultivation partners to ensure the quality of the biomass being extracted.
Each batch is subjected to multiple rounds of testing throughout the manufacturing process.
“We don’t let any oil leave our lab that is not 0.0 parts per million residual solvents,” Hand says. “If we use any ethanol for removing lipids or fats, we make sure to hit 0.0 PPM and that’s something we pride ourselves in.”
Philosophy: “I think any good extraction starts with quality flowers. Our director of edibles and I like to say, ‘We don’t cook with wine we don’t want to drink.’ Extraction is kind of the same thing.”