CBD-forward iced tea will be available in Ontario in the coming days, with a THC-infused option to follow.

More than two months after cannabis-infused beverages became legal for sale in Canada, consumers in Ontario are getting a greater choice to see what all the fuss is about.

Valens GroWorks Corp., a producer of cannabis extracts, noted the white label products it has produced in collaboration with A1 Cannabis Company, a subsidiary of Iconic Brewing, will be the first to market in the province (not all agree on this) in the coming days. Additional Canadian markets are expected to follow.

BASECAMP, what the company calls “a CBD-forward iced tea,” will be available first in select stores, with SUMMIT, “a THC-forward citrus water,” expected to follow over the next few weeks.

The new THC- and CBD-infused offerings were produced using Valens’ SōRSE emulsion technology, which the company noted converts cannabis oil into water-soluble forms for a wide-range of products while removing the taste, colour and smell of cannabis.

The technology provides numerous benefits, the company claimed, including a faster observed onset time than other infused beverages and edibles, a reduced offset time and a consistency that has the potential to provide more than a year of shelf life for products.

“Our agreement with A1 demonstrates the strategic value of partnering with leading companies that share our vision and reinforces our commitment to launching the Cannabis 2.0 products that consumers are looking for,” Valens CEO Tyler Robson said in a statement.

“This is the next step in the execution of our strategy to introduce innovative, high-quality products that deliver safe and customized user experiences,” Robson said.

Everie CBD-infused teas, created by Fluent Beverages, have been on shelves in Ontario since mid-January and in other provinces since mid-December, noted a company spokesperson. Additionally, its CBD-infused sparkling beverages also shipped to the OCS on Feb. 28, shipped to Ontario retailers on March 3 and have been in market in other provinces since late-February, the spokesperson added.

Still, Canadian consumers were expecting to have a wealth of options to choose from by now when it comes to cannabis-infused beverages, but the production process has proven more difficult than anticipated.

Canopy Growth, for example, planned to have more than a dozen infused drinks on store shelves in January. But the company has delayed their release, citing issues converting from lab to commercial scale.

With the market for cannabis-infused drinks was expected to reach over $500 million annually in Canada, according to Deloitte, the stakes for A1 Cannabis and its competitors could not be higher.

The company is “fully confident that they (the new drinks) will meet the taste and quality expectations of Canadian consumers who have been waiting eagerly for cannabis-infused beverages,” said Cole Miller, CEO and founder of A1 Cannabis.

The white label deal between the two companies calls for the production of at least 2.5 million cannabis-infused drinks over five years with options to expand the partnership with new products.

The story has been updated to include comments about Fluent Beverages.

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