ButACake products by Cannpowerment, the 1st exclusively adult use independent New Jersey cannabis edibles manufacturer, will debut in dispensaries on Wednesday.
They are the first locally owned, underground legacy to legal, Black, and woman-owned exclusively adult use New Jersey licensed cannabis manufacturer to enter the market.
White men from elsewhere who often dislike the legacy market owned the majority of cannabis companies operating in New Jersey for years. Thus, the debut of the ButACake product line in the legal market is noteworthy.
On Thursday, December 14th, the products will be in several adult use New Jersey cannabis dispensaries.
They will be in several dispensaries, including:
- Columbia Care Vineland.
- Columbia Care Deptford.
- Noire in Maplewood.
- Holistic Solutions in Atco.
- Valley Wellness in Raritan Twp.
- A21 in Scotch Plains.
- Queen City in Plainfield.
- Molly Ann Farms in Haledon.
- Kind Kush in Rockaway.
“We’re really excited, truly legacy to legal, first product out here in the market in New Jersey. I think I might cry a little,” ButACake/CannaPowerment Co-founder and CEO Matha Figaro declared to great applause at a launch party held last week.
“Thank you for supporting me. I feel the energy,” she added. “Let’s talk about how we’re going to show New Jersey how to do this the right way.”
“I knew when I started ButACake, there was no turning back. I’m still willing to do whatever it takes. We’re just getting started,” Figaro declared.
She has been featured on panels at other New Jersey cannabis conferences and forums.
Launching Cannapowerment and ButACake
Figaro grew up in Morristown and has lived in Jersey City. Her parents are from Haiti. She explained she started the business in 2015. Figaro began selling regular butter cakes at farmers’ markets in Jersey City. She met a unique customer while doing so.
“Oh my God, I love your butter cake! Can you turn it into an edible? Bang,” Figaro exclaimed.
“I was selling my stuff out of a zip-lock bag. It wasn’t nothing special. I was just worried what was going into the bag,” she noted.
But when her assistant couldn’t make a delivery, she stepped and happened to run into her old friend Jimmy Barrett from the third grade.
“He’s been a customer of ButACake for a minute. But he didn’t realize it was me,” Figaro noted.
“Matha, the edibles are fire (great). Your packaging is fuckin’ trash,” she recounted Barrett saying.
He encouraged her to upgrade her packaging and think about going legal. So Barrett became the Cannpowerment co-founder and Chief Revenue Officer.
“We decided to turn my little legacy operation into something crazy,” Figaro explained.
“I had to stop trapping (underground sales) to go legal she added.
Infused Ginger Peach Strip Cannabis Products
ButACake’s first product in the New Jersey cannabis market will be infused Ginger Peach dissolvable strips. They are like Listerine strips. They will sell two 10 mg strips in a package for $15.
“Making this the cheapest product on the market available for consumers,” Figaro declared.
The high prices for low-quality legal cannabis products has enraged New Jersey medical cannabis patients and adult use consumers for years.
She said the strip takes 30 minutes to kick in and lasts two hours. Figaro said it gives someone a body high with no paranoia. The strips are gluten, salt, and sugar-free and vegan-friendly. She noted many of her underground legacy consumers had gluten allergies and asked for tailored products.
Many edibles for New Jersey medical cannabis patients have a lot of sugar, which can worsen health problems.
ButACake and Cannpowerment will be debuting baked goods edibles, including pot brownies, in the New Jersey adult use/recreational cannabis market next year.
“That’s something we’re looking forward to bringing to the Jersey market,” Figaro noted.
She had previously sold Delta hemp mint chocolate strips.
Working With Columbia Care
ButACake has been working with the Multi-State Operator (MSO) cannabis corporation Columbia Care to produce cannabis products for their Delaware medical cannabis dispensaries.
They’re also distributing her products in New Jersey since there are no independent Distributors yet in New Jersey.
“Columbia Care just helps us distribute the product to the rest of the state,” Figaro explained regarding their relationship in New Jersey.
Columbia Care nearly lost its ability to operate in the New Jersey cannabis market last week at the NJ Cannabis Regulatory Commission’s (NJ-CRC) December meeting. It was only approved with conditions that they bargain with the UFCW labor union their workers voted for. It remains to be seen if they will comply.
Legal New Jersey Cannabis Product Launch Party
CannaPowerment held a ButACake product launch party last Friday at a co-working space in Jersey City across from City Hall. Many new and prospective adult use New Jersey cannabis dispensary owners attended
While non-infused samples were placed throughout, no smoking occurred at the event. Instead, red and sparking white wine and beer were available at the open bar, along with non-infused “mocktails.”
Unfortunately, the inability to consume cannabis is prevalent at too many legal cannabis events due to venue restrictions.
Figaro said there were heat lamps at a restaurant downstairs called Frankie’s. She implied they were cool with people smoking weed while dining outside.
