Ben Kaplan: Your award was chosen by Canada's budtenders from around the country. What does that mean to you and what role do the budtenders play in our industry?
Chaman Sandhu: It means a lot to the Little Victory team to be recognized by Canadian budtenders, who are highly regarded within the industry. As both credible experts and educators, we know that consumers look to them for product recommendations and to help navigate various formats as the Canadian cannabis market continues to evolve.
We’re thrilled to have the industry’s support and look forward to receiving future input as we continue to build out the Little Victory portfolio!
BK: You won best beverage, and that’s such a huge, huge category, and we know other companies have made gigantic beverage investments. What’s behind the Little Victory win?
CS: When we began to build our brands, we started with the consumer first. We wanted to understand how cannabis beverages could fit into their lives and conducted focus groups with experienced users and those who had never tried cannabis, to pinpoint different occasions and need states. As a result, our portfolio offers something to fit occasions across the board, and our different brands resonate with a variety of legal age consumers.
It’s also been important to consistently obtain feedback from consumers and ensure that we’re having a two-way dialogue with our community. Our social channels have been a great platform for this, while also allowing us to educate consumers in a more approachable way.
BK: I know, but beverages are so competitive. How do you differentiate?
CS: As beverage specialists first and foremost, we know that consumers look for their beverages to be delicious and consistent. Our strategy has been to remain focused on crafting unique and flavourful cannabis beverages that offer a consistent cannabis experience.
We also have one of the widest cannabis beverage portfolios available in Canada, with five different brands that were built to appeal to a variety of consumers of legal age.
BK: The legal industry was originally best by complaints about quality, but clearly informed voters are resonating with your drinks. How important is quality to your brand?
CS: To us, high-quality cannabis beverages mean that they are both delicious and consistent. Our cannabis beverages offer a controlled dosage, as we know that consistency is important when it comes to the consumer’s cannabis experience.
BK: We've seen the Cannabis Act pass and we've seen Cannabis 2.0 products introduced in our legal marketplace. What's new on your horizon for 2021?
CS: We will continue to listen to our consumer feedback and innovate based on evolving tastes and needs, so Canadians can expect to see more innovation to our wide portfolio of beverages through 2021!
