Olio Launches New Line of Rosin Edibles

Olio has jumped into the rosin edibles game.

The Colorado marijuana extraction lab has been a popular concentrate provider since launching in 2017, building off its line of live resin and rosin extractions. The brand has recently expanded into edibles, as well, with two new jars of rosin-infused gummies set for a statewide release in September.

Most commercial edibles are made with cannabis oil and distillates that are extracted with butane, ethanol and other chemical solvents and then refined. Rosin is a solventless extract created through a process of pressure and temperature fluctuation, leaving a more thorough mix of cannabinoids and terpenes — and potentially a fuller-bodied high, according to users.

Although rosin is traditionally inhaled through vaporization, edibles manufacturers have recently been flocking to rosin as a new product category. Olio isn't the first rosin gummy to hit dispensaries, but the company believes it will be the best, thanks to new production technology, according to brand and product manager Steve Morigi.

"Traditionally when you eat edibles, it goes into your stomach and fat storage side. Then it goes to the liver," Morigi says, explaining that this process converts Delta-9 THC, the active cannabinoid we smoke in marijuana, into 11-hydroxy-THC. Although 11-hydroxy-THC produces a similar effect to Delta-9 THC, it's still a different high, Morigi notes.

"That's why you get a lethargic, couch-lock high. Part of that is because of how long it takes your body to process the THC," he adds. "So we're protecting the Delta-9 THC and minor cannabinoids and terpenes in our process, and it's a much different high than what most people are used to."

Olio partnered with Day Three Labs, a Denver-based cannabis science firm with a licensed research facility in Israel, to come up with the infusion process. According to Morigi, Olio's rosin bypasses the stomach without absorption because of a protective protein developed by Day Three Labs. This allows the intestines to instead become the vessel for edibles highs, with a truer form of cannabis extract as well.

Although the company is still collecting feedback, Morigi claims that Olio on is on the brink of something "brand-new" to the edibles space, taking advantage of Day Three's research in Israel, where nationally approved cannabis studies don't face as many roadblocks as they do in the United States.

"We wanted to make this so people could see that edibles and extracts aren't scary. So far, we are seeing things more similar to a smoking high with [the gummies]. This is not as much of a lethargic high. It's almost like a DayQuil versus Nyquil," he says.

The groggy "hangover" associated with the day after eating edibles, a common side effect, is also a non-factor, Morigi reports. Each container of the new gummies features a QR code for consumers to scan and learn more about the technology behind the gummies, and leave feedback about their respective experiences.

The new gummies come in two packages, each with two different flavors of natural gummies, with 10 milligrams of THC infused in each piece. Blueberry and strawberry flavors are in one package, with green apple and watermelon gummies in the other. Ingredients include fruit and vegetable extracts for coloring, apple juice concentrate, cane sugar and tapioca syrup for sweeteners, and pectin for texture.

About fifteen stores sprinkled across Colorado are currently carrying Olio's rosin gummies, but the company plans to heavily expand by next month. If shoppers approve of the gummies, Morigi says, Olio could eventually release a line of rosin-infused beverages and other forms of edibles.