Company: Kozy House Snacks
Owner: Vivian Lee
Location: Portland, Oregon

Vivian Lee has always loved cooking and baking – so much so that she left a long-standing law practice so she could focus on it in early 2015.

Lee founded her own snack food and granola company, Lucky Rabbit Granola and Snacks, in May 2015 – and it has already expanded with a strong devoted following in the Pacific Northwest.

But that was just the start.

Looking out at Oregon’s evolving cannabis market, Lee realized there was a huge untapped market for healthy medicated edibles and savory products that span far beyond the typical hard candy or chocolate stocked by most stores. “In both areas, I want to make superfoods that are delicious, mostly organic, with no sugar, for vegan, gluten free, paleo and other diets,” Lee said. “I really want to present and create wholesome snack foods, without refined sugars or sugary sweetness.”

And so, Kozy House Snacks: Insanely Delicious Edibles, was born.

The new company, founded in late 2015, is focused on a healthy line of sweet and savory cannabis-infused edibles like Big Korean BBQ, Curry Miso Matcha and the PALEO Deep Chocolate Nibbler, along with a line of granola and other snacks.

Lee said she hopes to get her first products into Oregon medical marijuana dispensaries starting in December.

Oregon medical dispensaries can only sell flower and plants to recreational customers as part of the state’s early start program. Its full recreational marijuana system isn’t expected to launch until late 2016, but at that time Lee said she hopes to also bring her products to the state’s recreational consumers.

“The recreational industry landscape is dynamic and changing rapidly right now and while the profiles of medical and recreational users are a bit different, I still see a really big need in both markets for wholesome and insanely delicious edibles,” Lee said. “The biggest difference is probably dosage – medical products tend to have higher THC levels. But otherwise the products will be fairly similar.”

One thing she’d like to do is to make doses more comparable to serving sizes – so people can actually enjoy eating the food rather than only tasting a small amount. For instance, she hopes to make a 4 ounce bag of granola with 15 to 20 milligrams of THC – or about one or two standard edible doses on the recreational market.

“I’d like to package snack bags according to the realistic amount people eat a snack and not just be allocated one bite that leaves you wanting more,” Lee said.

Lee also hopes to expand the edibles line to Washington in coming months. She plans to apply for a state license through the state Liquor and Cannabis Board.

“We’ve had a great response from dispensaries we’ve talked to so far,” Lee said. “It’s a great feeling and it’s really exciting. I have so many friends that love cannabis, and I hope they really enjoy our food.”