HILLSTRONG makes cannabis packaging a focal point

Humboldt County, CA firm works with supplier partners to offer packaging that addresses changing regulations, barrier requirements and consumer appeal.

HILLSTRONG pouches contain cannabis vapes, which are shown here along with the pouch.
HILLSTRONG pouches contain cannabis vapes, which are shown here along with the pouch.

Packaging is an established function within traditional industries such as food, beverage, and pharmaceutical, but in the world of cannabis, that’s not always the case. Humboldt County, CA-based HILLSTRONG Collective is looking to change that.

Formed in 2016, the company wants its packaging to lend consumer appeal and meet performance requirements—all while maintaining the flexibility to adapt to the ever-changing regulatory environments, which requires the flexibility to make ongoing package printing and labeling changes as necessary.

HILLSTRONG is taking on these challenges by working with its supplier partners to provide packaging that meets barrier and performance needs and provide convenience for its recreational cannabis products, which are sold in California dispensaries. It sells several cannabis varieties (strain, types and flavors) in the following package types:

• Premium Flower in a 1/8 oz (3.5 gram) size—this is 100% cannabis flower/bud alone in a pouch, which allows the consumer to use it in the delivery method they prefer (i.e. inhalation, cooking, tinctures, etc.)

• Single Pre-roll (0 .7 gram)—a ready-for-use cigarette prepared using a paper cone with paperboard tip/mouthpiece. The premium flower inside is finely ground and packed evenly into this paper casing the way tobacco is packed into a regular cigarette. (Trimming/byproducts of the premium flower production are processed into pharmaceutical-grade, CO2-extracted distillate oil and sold in a 0.5-gram vaping cartridge in this same packaging.)

• Triple Pre-roll (3 x 0.7 gr = 2.1 gram)—three single pre-rolls.

Josh Gatlin, HILLSTRONG’s Owner & CEO, explains that the company partners with Budpack, a packaging supplier that “combines internal manufacturing and expertise with partners to provide brand owners with custom packaging for their unique challenges.” This includes Dymapak, provider of child-resistant (CR) zipper and CR reclosable pre-cut pouches.

During its first year of operation in 2016, HILLSTRONG learned of Budpack online. “We were in the research-and-development phase,” Gatlin explains, “which I imagine we’ll continue to do throughout the life of our company. We sought a supplier that aligned with our brand vision. And like many in our industry, we were simply trying to keep up with the moving target that continuously changing labeling regulations created – while simultaneously finding solutions that would protect/preserve our products and be attractive to the consumer.”

Before July 2018, he notes, “the cannabis industry was still in the ‘wild west’ mindset and packaging wasn't scrutinized by regulatory agencies like it is now. It seemed many packaging suppliers offered products that covered some—or even all—of the regulatory bases but did not give us ample dimensional space/surface area to allow for good branding/design. Nor did they allow for easy opening, resealing, and sufficient odor suppression. In addition to these problems, many products were lacking a singular required component or feature (i.e. child-proof, tamper-evident, smell-proof, opacity), which would disqualify that product as a viable option.”

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