Chicago Cannabis Drinks Expo: An Honest Review
Last Tuesday I was grateful to attend the Chicago Cannabis Drinks Expo in “Northlake”. I use Northlake in quotations because I could’ve swore I was in Melrose Park, but that’s really how little I know of those areas. Still, I made my way over to the conference center-slash-retirement home for a fun day filled with networking. I was particularly excited because it was a way for me to promote the Cannabaddie T Shirt. Even though I didn’t know what the turn out would be on a hot Tuesday. Turns out, I was surprised. The moment I got out of my car, I heard the voices of some familiar faces. That was the beginning of a fun filled day in the West Suburbs.
The website boasts “the place to be in 2022 will be the 3rd annual Chicago Cannabis Drinks Expo”.
Which was interesting as I had already heard from others that it was a smaller event. I figured with a theme like “Growing the Category” they were aiming to usher in a new wave of cannabis entrepreneurs. I was there to learn as much as I could about the process. As someone who loves infused drinks, I am completely ignorant of the actual process. So I hoped to gain some insight on the infusion options and processes out there. It was the right idea, as there were so many companies willing to provide this education in the process. From infusions, to canning, to packaging, we got a good look at the entire process from start to finish.
As I mentioned before, I came upon a few familiar faces.
Walking into the event I bumped into Ray from the 1937 Group, Jason from CGG Law Partners, and Carlos from UpElevated Cocktails. Very grateful to not only have some friends in the space, but for them to be POC like myself. It was reassuring, and I felt very included in the type of event that usually doesn’t include us. The event started looking up. Headed indoors and who but Miss Shay herself handed me my badge! And then, I was off, an entrepreneurial hopeful in a sea of other networking hopefuls.
I am not a fan of trade shows or conferences, usually finding the unending rows of product pushers to be a drag. At least 30 companies were displayed in a row of tables, in an area that was small but bigger than I imagined. Happy chatter, laughs, and the occasional sales pitch filled the room, yet I didn’t smell any weed. It seemed odd, even from the attendees. Suddenly my red eyes and the blunt in my purse felt a little off, but I continued on. I arrived at around 1pm, which was late, yet the energy was very much still there. Every couple of steps I was met with a new face to talk to. In fact, almost immediately I was stopped by a woman who was very interested in my t-shirt. Grateful and thriving, I set out to check out the booths.
Near the front, and the first table with a POC right in the first row was Amoretti. They have a line of natural fruit juices that can be used with sparkling water to create a delicious drink. Their venture into the cannabis industry is to become the medium between cannabis and a drink. I sampled the Mango, which was delicious. I don’t know if it was the smoke break I had returned from, but it was so rich and subtle at the same time. Through conversations I learned that they, like many other booths, were from out of state. It was interesting to learn about their family owned company and about what type of infused drinks we could expect from a product like theirs.
Further on we happened upon Vertosa Inc, a cannabis and hemp infusion technology company. With their technology they are able to provide some of the cleanest tasting infused products on the market. With partners like Cann and Lagunitas, and even Vita Coco, they are the type of service based company that will help you scale your infusion business. At the forefront and with a smile was a Latina, and one who was more than excited to tell us about the brand and their ventures. I was super interested in hearing about their process, and happy for their new ventures with Sky. Like I mentioned before, a lot of these booths were about the actual process of infusing drinks, and Vertosa seems to be a real key player in the process.
There were so many brands and companies. Tonic was of course present with their own line of infused products. It was a very educational event, and very niche as well. If you’re not in the business of infused beverages, you might’ve found yourself overwhelmed by the amount of canning companies present. It’s because the brands are geared to those who infuse beverages or other edibles. If you were looking for a full blown cannabis experience, you would’ve been very let down. And while I did have a great time, there were a few things that dulled the event.
For starters, there were no samples allowed.
While we were able to sample a few products, they were all non infused. Of course this is because of our laws and so not a surprise if you’re familiar with how things are done in our state. Still it was a little bumming the lack of actual cannabis. Sure, I made my way outside for my mandatory smoke break, but still I couldn’t help feeling bored at the complete lack of culture and unity that I would expect from a room full of stoners. Or so I thought. That is until you realize most of the people running these companies are business men and not actual cannabis consumers. It felt good to come across companies where the owners were actual cannabis consumers, but most of the people present were representatives and not necessarily indicative of the CEO or founders of the company.
Another disappointing aspect for me was the lack of Illinois companies.
Sure it was fun to learn about all the great infused products in California and Colorado, yet I couldn’t help feeling like it was irrelevant to us in Illinois, where most of those products won’t even hit the market until next year. Most of the brands, apart from Cann and the CBD infused beverages, aren’t even available for purchase in our state. So we’re merely learning about the potential that is already present in other (lucky) states. It was exciting for sure, but with the way products come and go we will most likely never even get to try some of the drinks present. I’m hoping that next year will be filled with new products from companies launching in Illinois.
I enjoyed the Expo, I had a great time meeting so many new people. People from other states, old friends, new friends. It felt like the type of unity that I know exists in Illinois. The type of unity that brings together people from a variety of industries together to talk about weed. If you are into learning more about infused drinks or the process of infusing and selling drinks, make sure you check out their website and Instagram page to check out a variety of companies that can guide you.
