Kiva Confections, based in Oakland, California, creates cannabis infused artisan chocolates that serve patients looking for alternative ways of consuming their medicinal cannabis. Their dedication to efficiency, safety, and quality make them the leader in a progressive, burgeoning market.

In 2010, Founders Scott Palmer and Kristi Knoblich set out to become pioneers in the medicinal cannabis market by meticulously crafting some of California’s most highly regarded edibles. Their market requires a high degree of accuracy, consistency, and definition - a perfect challenge for the precision and craft of Micelli's polycarbonate injection molds. 
The fine ingredients and skillful craft to making their chocolates mirrors the integrity of Kiva Confections– to produce quality products that promote quality treatment.

Recently, we reached out to our friends at Kiva Confections to understand how they have found their sweet-spot in a budding industry. 

In developing your confections, what are the main factors that go into your product?

Our team thinks about the user experience at every step of the development process – from the quality of the raw materials and ingredients, to the product format and dosage, down to the taste and enjoyment of the experience they provide. Kiva is dedicated to innovation and endeavor to continue leading the way in creating delicious, consistent, and safe edibles. We are always looking for ways to help solve people's problems around consuming cannabis-infused products- so elements like consistency, clear breakpoints, and even cannabis leaf interrupters are very important when it comes to our chocolate bars.

What about the chocolate and confection-making process appealed to you as you started to break into the edibles industry?

The company was born out of a need for an edible product that was potent, consistent, and enjoyable to consume. In early 2010 the cannabis edible market was desperately underserved; the products available were untested, unlabeled, and inconsistent in potency. 

To solve this problem, founders Scott Palmer and Kristi Knoblich began exploring novel approaches to medicating through food. After visiting a local chocolatier, the lightbulb went off. Cannabis and chocolate are an incredible match - their flavor profiles work very well together, and cannabis is fat-soluble, so the richness of the chocolate is an excellent delivery system for cannabis. Chocolate also has mood-boosting properties that are very similar to THC's activities in the brain. They really are a perfect match!

What goes into choosing the best ingredients for making your chocolate?

We are always thinking of our consumers. Some of Kiva's users are dealing with very serious medical conditions. It's crucial to source clean cannabis and premium ingredients to ensure they're getting the very best medicine available. Plus, consumers today are very sophisticated when it comes to what they are putting in their bodies. They are making responsible choices for themselves, and we feel that we should be doing the same for them.

How does Micelli Molds help you in the confection-making process?

Consistency is incredibly important to the cannabis industry. In order for edibles to be taken seriously as a medicine, they need to create a repeatable and reliable experience for patients. Micelli molds not only allow us to have an even cannabinoid-distribution throughout our chocolate, they allow us to put a beautiful product into patient's hands.

Do you have any personal favorite products in your line?

Petra is our first non-chocolate product- it's a sugar-free, microdose mint, and it's been really popular with our low dose patients who are more interested in the subtle, relaxing effects of cannabis. As far as our bars go, I am partial to the Blackberry Dark Chocolate bar. It's a 180MG product (our 'triple strength' as we like to call it), so I can't have very much- but it does allow me to savor every bite :) 

What do you hope to achieve in the future of your brand?

Kiva is excited to continue leading the way in product innovation, education, and responsible industry practices. This is why we are in the process of adapting our molds to make dosing even easier for consumers. We believe that cannabis is a safe, natural, and effective medicine, and that we are just at the dawn of understanding all of the ways it can be integrated into our lives for health and well-being. We are incredibly excited to help more adults discover cannabis and consume it wisely for their own greatest benefit. 

For The Love of Making Chocolate,

The Micelli Team