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When New York’s adult-use cannabis program launched, there was a fear of California brands would flood the market. But homegrown New York Brands, like Soft Power Sweets, have stepped up to take the state by storm.

Soft Power Sweets, an infused chocolate company out of New Paltz, is already in 140 dispensaries and quickly becoming a favorite of many consumers. Co-founder Lagusta Yearwood was already making ethically sourced and vegan chocolates when she was asked if she had considered making infused chocolates. With her partner, Mike McGregor, she obtained a Type 2 license and entered the market just as the program was launching. The early market entry and unique product has helped them become a winner with consumers.

The company takes its name from the philosophy of “soft power,” which is being able to influence the behavior of others and get the outcome you want by shaping the preferences of others through appeal and attraction. Yearwood wanted her customers to know their values and hopes they will share them.

“Chocolate has been a site of oppression, racism, environmental degradation and colonialist mentalities for hundreds of years,” she said. “By using only Republica del Cacao chocolate, we’re proud to be buying Latin American chocolate with the highest ethical and quality standards.” she said.

Yearwood has traveled the globe, visiting farms to see for herself whether the workers are treated well. She also applies the same approach to picking the cannabis farmers she wants to work with and to ensuring that the company’s employees are paid a fair wage.

Flower power

Soft Power Sweets does produce one rectangular bar, but it’s most recognized for the flower petal-shaped chocolates that come in the same style tin that many cannabis consumers likely associate with gummy products. The flower shape is a tribute to the cannabis flower.

McGregor noted that the company had a few problems to solve when it came to creating a scalable chocolate product, particularly packaging the product in a way that it wouldn’t be damaged during distribution and creating a shape that is easy for the consumer to break apart.

The company use specially created molds that feature an indention in the petal shape to give the product a pleasing snap when breaking off a segment. That means less time for warm hands to melt the chocolate as the consumer breaks off a piece. McGregor said the company is in the process of patenting the mold design.

Pressing forward

The company’s success certainly hasn’t been as seamless as it sounds. McGregor noted that it designed a live rosin product that was very popular – only to then have problems sourcing the rosin. So the company has applied for a Type 1 license to create its own rosin extraction. However, McGregor said the process is not set in stone yet.

“We’re working with the OCM to figure it out. But just giving people the flexibility to do what they do well and giving the public the kind of product that they deserve is really what we’re after,” he said. It was not in their initial plan, but it is the only way to be sure the company can consistently deliver the products that dispensaries want to buy.

Another snag has been the recent base price of cocoa. Yearwood said the crate of chocolate they normally buy was already at a premium price of $300. That price has now doubled to $600, a number they’re still trying to wrap their heads around. It’s almost impossible to absorb a price hike that substantial without it affecting the product.

“We’re in the business to make ethical chocolate, and there’s tons of ethical issues with chocolate production. Sometimes there are literal human slaves harvesting the chocolates in some regions. The tides are turning, but lower-priced chocolate comes with lots of undesirables baked into that supply chain,” Yearwood said. “Because it’s baked into our mandate, it’s not an option for us to use a cheaper chocolate if we know there are children harvesting this chocolate.”

Challenge accepted

Despite the challenges of working in cannabis – and in particular, in cannabis in New York – the team loves what they do. They live in a wonderful town in the Hudson Valley and while their cannabis team is small, they manage to make and distribute ethically sourced infused chocolates.

Yearwood continues to operate Lagusta Luscious, a coffee shop with vegan-crafted chocolates in New Paltz.

“I think that’s been a really cool part about learning about the cannabis world. There are so many people really reverent towards the plant as someone whose vegan, ‘I’m like this is so beautiful. Having respect for plants,’” Yearwood said. “We’re trying to bring that same respect to all the ingredients in our edibles.”