Best Buds Bakery

Classy, Clean, Precisely-Dosed Edibles

Jonathan started making cannabis-infused cookies in 2013 for his wife, Meghan, a longtime medical patient who treats chronic anxiety with cannabis. After being pushed towards pharmaceuticals by her therapist as a teenager, Meghan sought healthy alternatives that were actually effective. When the couple moved north for Jonathan’s education at Humboldt State University, they were surprised at the limited availability of high-quality edibles at local dispensaries. Meghan started volunteering at the Humboldt Patient Resource Center (HPRC), the North Coast’s beloved medical dispensary.

HPRC supported Jonathan in the kitchen by providing trim to make his own cannabis butter, free of charge. Jonathan and Meghan often shared their ample batches of cookies with friends, who encouraged them to keep baking. Once legalization started to become more of a reality, the couple’s dream of operating an infused bakery came alive. Jonathan started printing labels off their home printer and Best Buds Bakery was born.

Three years later, Best Bud’s multiple varieties of chocolate chip cookies and s’mores bars have a solid reputation for delicious and dependable edibles in Northern California. Today, Jonathan and Meghan use top-quality Humboldt grown, organic flower to make their own ice water hash, infusing each cookie with 45-60 mg THC. For experienced consumers and high-needs patients, the cookies are a solid low-dose option for treating pain, anxiety, nausea, insomnia and a range of modern illnesses. The couple believes that cannabis plays a crucial role in keeping chemicals out of our bodies. Though Jonathan and Meghan have always operated Best Buds in the medical cannabis community, they’re looking forward to sharing their cookies with a wider audience, as the 2018 recreational market launches. To offer safe products for new cannabis consumers, Jonathan plans on baking more mini-cookies, baked with smaller doses (10mg) of THC per cookie.

“We want a good product that’s affordable,” says Jonathan, explaining the challenge of marketing low-dose edibles in a market where value is directly placed on THC content. But as the cannabis industry moves forward at a rapid pace, Jonathan and Meghan’s priority remains on safe and clean edibles. They send both their concentrate and cookies into certified labs for testing, ensuring that there’s no trace of herbicides, pesticides or mold, which are common in the unregulated market and a serious health risk to cannabis consumers.

Both still work their full-time day jobs; Jonathan as a forester, and Meghan at a local veterinary practise, and at night, the couple bakes. In addition to their heavy workload, they are personally navigating the mountain of red tape that regulates the production and sale of edibles. But, they aren’t intimidated by the changing market. In fact, Jonathan and Meghan are excited for 2018, quickly adapting to the provisions put forth by the Bureau of Cannabis Control and the Department of Food and Agriculture — such as re-labeling products to show THC/serving limits. Their passion for exposing more minds and bodies to the positive benefits of healthy edibles is what keeps Best Buds Bakery alive. Look for their classic flavors of chocolate chip cookies, baked with loved in Humboldt County, at your local dispensary.