Legalization has been incongruent, inconsistent, and improperly implemented in a lot of regions in the country, and one of the biggest drawbacks is a lack of procedure for the storage of concentrates and other cannabis-derived products.
Compared to flowers or edibles, cannabis concentrates are more susceptible to deterioration. They disintegrate quite quickly when exposed to heat or light. Concentrates lose strength, taste, and turn brown or black when they deteriorate. This can cause problems for both retailers and consumers alike.
The Importance Of Proper Storage For The Bottom Line
The legal market has become a complicated economic endeavor for many retailers and cannabis workers. The low price of wholesale weed has forced owners to work with razor-thin margins, and competition in cities like Portland has driven numerous small businesses out of the scene, making it a cutthroat industry where only the strongest survive.
Concentrates have created a bit of a sticky situation for shop owners, as their volatility has leads to financial issues.
“Once (cannabis products) hit that expiration date, or you see that you’re within a few weeks to a month of the expiration date, you’ve got to make a decision on what you’re going to do: Either contact the company to get a refund, or you try to sell it at cost,” said Duke Barclay, owner of The Fireplace marijuana store in Arcata, California. “It would be best if you could keep all of your concentrate that you would consider any sort of high end in the freezer until you are going to sell it and/or smoke it,” he adds.
While spending extra cash on a freezer may put shop owners in the red temporarily, these losses will be recoverable. Neglecting to properly store product, though, could result in huge revenue losses due to a number of factors, not the least of which is expired or compromised product.
Brennan Burke-Martin, sales manager for 710 Labs claims that in the past, his business has been forced to offer merchandise at steep discounts of up to 40%, for instance, when a freezer malfunction changed the composition of the concentrate.
Protecting products from degradation is crucial to the bottom line of any business, so retailers should be aware of the proper storage to limit merchandise damage.
How To Retain Product Quality
Not all concentrates were created equal and therefore cannot be stored in the same way. There are two distinct types of concentrate: solventless extraction and ethanol and butane-hash oil extraction.
Water hash, commonly known as bubble hash, is the main starting material for solventless concentrates. Rosin can also be made from water hash and flower, or live rosin if the plants were fresh-frozen when they were harvested. The majority of solvent-free items should be kept in the freezer, ideally at or below -10 degrees Fahrenheit. Ethanol or butane extracted products should be stored in an air-conditioned room that is kept below 68 degrees Fahrenheit.
“Anything that’s a living extract you want to keep it at cool temperatures so that it remains stable throughout its lifetime,” said Harry Ballance, an owner of Humboldt County, California-based Errl Hill Extracts.
As more states legalize cannabis for recreational use, the competition for shelf space in dispensaries is fierce. Storing your cannabis concentrates properly is important not only for your customers’ safety and satisfaction, but for the bottom line as well. The cannabis industry is becoming more cutthroat and retailers need to be aware of their margins in order to stay afloat.
Enjoyed that first hit? Come chill with us every week at the Friday Sesh for a freshly packed bowl of the week’s best cannabis news!
