Since Alaska’s legalization of recreational marijuana use eight years ago, one local cannabis product has risen to the top of the state’s edibles market.
Hashade, a cannabis-infused lemonade, is the most popular cannabis product in Alaska, according to Red Run Cannabis Company President Marc Theiler. The company makes Hashade and other cannabis products from a facility in Kenai, right off the Kenai Spur Highway.
On Tuesday, Theiler and his staff of around 15 were busy ahead of the 420 holiday. But he said business never really slows down.
“It’s no small endeavor, making this thing go,” Theiler said.
The company has retail locations in Kenai, Soldotna and Anchorage. Theiler, who was involved early in Alaska marijuana legalization, said Red Run was just the third dispensary to open in the state.
He started making Hashade in 2015 with employee Ryan Walker. And he said it was immediately popular. Today, Red Run sells Hashade all over the state, in five different flavors. Theiler said he’s pursuing a patent for Hashade, now.
He said he thinks the drink is popular, in part, because it’s made with what he said are health-centered ingredients. He said a lot of people who buy Hashade are older customers who use it to fall asleep or ease joint pain.
“Our Hashade has no sugar, no chemicals, no added stuff, made with the finest ingredients,” Theiler said. “So we take that very seriously about making a wholesome quality product.”
Theiler said they spend a lot of money on packaging, including the small, red-capped bottles that carry the Hashade and the custom boxes they come in.
In the facility, techs work at lab tables, preparing batches of Hashade and the company’s pre-rolled joints.
“Just to make the Hashade line each month is roughly maybe 400, 500 pounds of material that we have to get just for that product,” he said. “And now with the infused pre-rolls, which is even dwarfing the amount we needed for the Hashade, we’re needing hundreds of thousands of pounds. And keeping up with that is a huge endeavor.”
Those pre-rolls are infused with THC diamonds and are now one of Red Run’s biggest sellers. Theiler said they’ve been making those for about six months.
Alaska’s recreational cannabis industry is still settling in. Businesses in Alaska, for example, have to do all their business in cash, which sellers and cultivators say is really hard.
But Theiler said they’ve come a long way since 2015.
“We’ve had a lot of learning curves,” Theiler said. “None of us have a manufacturing background, none of us have a retail or production background. So we’ve had to learn all of this from scratch.”
He said he and his staff are still learning, all the time. And with new products growing in popularity, he said he’s excited to see what comes next.
