KANHA edibles remain a fan favorite in the cannabis industry, and a tour of their facility tells you exactly why.
If you’re someone who enjoys edibles, then you’re probably a fan of KANHA.
Not only are they a fan favorite amongst the cannabis community, but many would consider them the best tasting THC gummies on the market. All KANHA edibles are created with utmost care and precision, using only the highest quality ingredients and cannabis oils.
Their purpose? To bring a smile to your day. Whether you’re taking their gummies to medicate or relieve pain, cure your insomnia, spark your creative juices, or simply enjoy the high, KANHA has you covered across all boards. Their wide variety of products are designed to address the needs of their customers, standing on inclusion, diversity, and harmony.
I had the pleasure of visiting the KANHA’s production facility, for an exclusive, behind-the-scenes tour on exactly how their edibles are made. KANHA’s Southern California facility houses over 70 employees, all working towards one common goal: providing the best, most tasty THC gummies you can find.
What’s interesting is the first tour ever started this year, sort of by improv. The idea was to connect with budtenders and give the people on the frontlines selling products to customers a chance to see what KANHA is really about. Not only did it prove to be educational, but it highlighted how much time and effort is put into the quality and consistency of KANHA gummies.
Upon walking in, the smell of candy immediately filled my nostrils. To me, this was the THC version of Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory… and I’m here for it!
I was greeted by Brianna Chacon, who was so kind to greet me with open arms and smiles. One thing that KANHA prides themselves in is their team members, which was a pleasure to witness in a corporate setting. Chacon came into Sunderstorm (parent company) as an office admin two years ago at their old facility. Now, she’s an SSD coordinator for the Sunderstorm Scientific Department.
Chacon states, “That department tests all the new flavors, test out our scalability. We can do everything from small batches to live. We have fun in there. We’re little scientists just wrestling around colors and flavors.”
The KANHA facility is built on three pillars: quality of product, quality of life, and community. Each one leads to the next: if the products are healthy and safe, then you have a high quality of life. If you have a quality of life, then you can participate and thrive in community.
Zach Michelson, COO of KANHA, gives the origin story: “We started in 2015 in Los Angeles. It took us a really, really long time to get our license in LA once recreation happened in 2018. It took us a really long time to get a building and in a licensed zone, so we ended up finding a building in the Bay Area. That was our first licensed facility.”
The crazy thing about KANHA’s transition to recreational was they were one of the only gummy brands at that time to have passing testing results, all thanks to the fact they put so much time and effort into indoor consistency and their science. When rec first started, there was something called homogeneity testing, which is testing individual gummies and making sure each gummy tests between + or – 10% of 10 milligrams.
“We were one of the only brands to have passed homogeneity testing,” Michelson continues. “That’s why we were able to get the COA’s that we needed, the certificates from the laboratories, and the test results we needed. So we can have compliant product to sell. I remember we were selling strawberry gummies, and we’re on the news in the Bay Area. They were showing us on the shelves. We captured tons of market share in 2018 because we were compliant, because we had passing test results.”
Because KANHA was able to capture a lot of market share early on, that benefited them tremendously building our brand. KANHA boasts super high customer loyalty across brands, something they’re well-known for. Part of that is due to them being one of the first gummy brands to market when California went rec in 2018.
Getting their start in Emeryville with a micro business license, they were able to both make gummies and do distribution in one place. KANHA eventually got their license in Los Angeles, relocating production, manufacturing, and distribution back to the city they originated in.
At the end of 2022, KANHA moved into this new facility, taking over 12,500 square feet of production and distro space under one roof. Another 10,000 square feet takes place outside for parking, storage, and… “parties!” — chimes in Dasha, Digital Marketing Manager for KANHA.
To date, KANHA produces over 400,000 units a month, all thanks to their automation. Automating things like depositing, a machine that deposits gummies into the molds, and the packaging, a machine that inserts 10 gummies into each bag, has allowed KANHA to scale tremendously. This aligns directly with their wide variety of flavors, boasting 28 different gummy SKU’s (with that number increasing this year with their new launches).
Last but not least, the distro side of the facility. KANHA prides themselves in being fully integrated, from the making of the product into the shipment of the gummies to different dispensaries. In fact, a television screen up top showcased tracking of all their vans out for shipment, controlled all the way down to see if the driver has their seatbelt on. All vans are climate controlled as well, to make sure the gummies are kept at the correct temperature. This is next level!
Before my tour concluded, I was gifted a bag of vegan edibles to take home. The love and kindness I was shown from all team members made for an unforgettable experience, and knowing this is what goes behind the gummies makes me adore the brand even further.
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