Bee Happy, Bee High, Bee Well. These aren’t just words of wisdom in cannabis culture, but the motto for CannAppleSauce, a business with a mission to soothe palates and pain.
Tried and Tested
CannAppleSauce’s owner and Santa Cruz resident, Lizzi Westwood, is creating buzz in the industry with her high dosage honey and applesauce products. Her THC-infused recipes comply with all state and county laws, and are tested by Santa Cruz Labs, one of the first independent cannabis research institutions dedicated to regulating quality control standards in the industry.
Testing allows Westwood and her customers to be confident in her products, as it ensures consistency and control. This, in turn, “allows people to more accurately dose themselves.” In other words, her edibles are anything but unpredictable. Each bottle is precisely dosed for a precise effect.
For this reason and more, Bee High Honey and CannAppleSauce fill a much-needed void in the cannabis industry. “There is a whole different edible world out there other than cookies and brownies,” said Westwood. “There are so many different options apart from the traditional.”
Westwood officially established her own line of THC-infused honey in November 2013. After attending cannabis cooking classes, she learned how to infuse the honey herself and eventually developed her own recipe. “I originally created the honey to help me sleep,” she says. From there, her Bee High Honey brand grew, mostly by word of mouth. Her friends tried it, liked it and requested it. So, Westwood launched her business, and soon after, her CannApplesauce product followed.
CannAppleSauce’s Inspiration
The idea to create CannApplesauce came after a close friend of Westwood’s underwent surgery. The procedure required an operation through the throat, leaving him in agony when eating or swallowing, she explains. To make it through the first few days of recovery, Westwood made him applesauce from a 100 year-old family recipe; both describe it as “apple pie in a jar.” And they agreed that adding Bee High Honey (instead of sugar) could enhance its soothing properties. And so, CannAppleSauce was created with compassion in mind, “It wasn’t made to earn a profit, it was created to help care for people.”
Westwood and her customers are among the 41 percent of Americans who recognize medicinal properties in cannabis, according to a 2015 PEW Research survey. Many people recovering from surgery, fighting cancer or living with chronic conditions like Crohn’s Diseases or Fibromyalgia face similar struggles. “You can’t imagine the look on someone’s face when they’ve just had surgery, [can’t eat and try the applesauce.] It brings tears to people’s eyes!” This inspired her to develop the ultimate elixir – CannAppleSauce – with four simple ingredients: apples, cinnamon, water, Bee High Honey. “It is the best of both worlds,” she adds, “It is not your traditional applesauce.”
Tree to Table
Simplicity is key to Westwood. Her goods are farm to table, as all ingredients are sourced locally, are organic, and of the highest quality – something she won’t sacrifice. “I pick my own apples,” she adds, she even jars it herself. This also allows her to support and get to know the community, farmers, beekeepers and patients.
The final product is smooth and bold. It leaves no aftertaste, but packs a punch!
“It is mouth love,” says Westwood. The honey adds an extra pleasing (and a slightly more liquid) consistency – which goes down easily. CannAppleSauce comes in two sizes: a four-ounce jar with 636 milligrams of THC or a one-ounce jar with 140 milligrams.
By itself, Bee High Honey has more of a cannabis taste. It is made with the highest quality OG (heavy Indica) concentrate, “the heavy hitter,” as Westwood describes. However, undertones of vanilla perfectly compliment the thick, unfiltered wildflower honey. Each jar has a shelf life of three years, and comes in a one-ounce jar with 250 milligrams of THC or a four-ounce jar with 535 milligrams.
Strain-Specific
Though she has a passion for cannabis and cooking, Westwood’s motivation is to help people alleviate pain. Her products are intended for compassion patients interested in the products’ medicinal effects (versus, well…getting stoned). She uses particular strains for specific effects.
Westwood doesn’t necessarily discourage customers from enjoying her products in whatever way they want. Indeed, her products will get you high. She cautions however about their concentrated strength. These effects are intense, and ultimately, intended to ease pain and aid sleep. That intensity can be too much for recreational use. Though strong, Westwood finds they have met her patients’ needs.
Larry Allen, 67, of Boulder Creek can attest to this. “The applesauce is my favorite way to medicate,” he says. Allen suffers from high blood pressure, which requires him to take medication. “I tried [CannAppleSauce] and I found it lowered my blood pressure better than my prescription,” he adds, “I really like the taste too. It tastes like Christmas.” This sweet medicine is so much more than a tasty treat, “It is medical marijuana at its finest.”
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