The UK’s medical cannabis market is continuing to develop at pace, and a major reason behind this growth has been its ongoing focus on professionalisation.
Many ancillary businesses, such as retailers selling smoking devices and accessories, are yet to successfully distance themselves from the legacy market, and continue to be tarred with the same brush as high-street ‘head shops’.
Crystallized Nectar, a retail business launched in 2021 by a husband-and-wife team, wants to change this for good.
This unique business was born out of a desire to provide premium products to medical cannabis patients and offer a level of customer service they hope will change the way customers think about the industry.
Crystallized Nectar
Crystallized Nectar was established in October 2021 after its founders discovered a distinct gap in the market for premium glass pieces in the UK.
“We noticed it was heavily dominated by acrylic bongs and standard rigs; there wasn’t really anything sexy we could find easily available in the UK,” its founders told Business of Cannabis.
“Looking further afield, we noticed that actually, in the US, there’s some really beautiful and well-designed glass pieces. So that gave birth to Crystallized Nectar to bring in those premium US brands to the UK.”
However, the motivation behind the growing business became personal following a tragic accident that led to them becoming medical cannabis patients themselves.
“That’s where the injection of energy really came to drive the business forward, not just with quality products but also in our service levels and wanting to be there for patients when they need advice and someone to take them through the experience.”
The ethos behind the business became about providing customers with both the highest quality smoking pieces ‘you would be proud to place on a table’ and a ‘reliable resource’ of impartial information.
Each product Crystallized Nectar sells has been through rigorous testing to ensure it meets the standards for dropping, overutilisation, overcharging, and a raft of other common issues.
If a product breaks or is faulty, the company not only ensures it stocks all the repair or maintenance parts available for its products, but will also handle the warranty and work with the customer to replace the product if they have simply changed their mind.
“We want you to make an informed decision. I want individuals with any issue to come to us and have an open discussion about what they need so we can fully help them, and if they have a problem, find out how we can work with them to solve that problem.
“We started this company not to make money. We are here to provide a service for an industry that is struggling. We want to start setting the framework for retailers with a very strict code of conduct.”
The pair are so committed to the idea of professionalising the industry, and ensuring customers aren’t dealing with ‘another dingy head shop’, that they want to introduce a code of conduct for businesses to adhere to to ensure a certain level of service is met.
This is critical not only for patients and customers, but also for the industry to move ahead in the eyes of the government and regulators.
Beyond Glass
Not content to revolutionise the way people view the industry, the pair of entrepreneurs have launched a string of other ventures.
Firstly, the pair has launched Hashies, a range of ‘medically endorsed’ anti-anxiety soft toys that are now available to purchase on a dedicated retail website.
Hashies are now officially being used in medical consultations as an anti-anxiety tool in a clinic in Scotland, and are available alongside an anti-anxiety terpene spray that can be sprayed on them, helping patients ‘open up more when talking about their anxiety’.
Elsewhere, as a natural progression from their retail business, they are now offering white label production.
The company is able to manufacture up to 1,000 grinders of aircraft-grade aluminium complete with anodised ceramic coatings and laser UV printing, and is already reportedly working with the medical cannabis industry to provide these.
However, the goal is to help support start-up brands by providing ‘high quality equipment at a really affordable price’.
Also in the works is a smart-jar which they hope will ‘open the door to freedom of travel’ for UK medical cannabis patients.
The product, for which they are currently seeking investors, is effectively a ‘vacuum-sealed smart jar that we want clinics to issue patients’.
Crystallized Nectar exemplifies the transformative potential of entrepreneurial vision and social responsibility within the UK cannabis industry.
As they continue to pave the way for professionalism, quality, and innovation, their efforts are poised to shape the future landscape of the ancillary medical cannabis industry in the UK, offering hope and opportunity for patients and consumers alike.
