Canna Branding: Défoncé Chocolatiers Raise the Edible Bar (California Love)

Originally for Dope Magazine May 2017 in both print and online. Click to read original link here.

When you think of edibles, what comes to mind? Brownies? Candies? Luxuriously designed chocolate bars that would shut down Willy Wonka? Raising the (chocolate) bar when it comes to cannabis edible branding, packaging and consumption, we spoke with Bianca Ruffin at Défoncé Chocolatiers to give us a bit of insight on this amazing company out of California!

“Défoncé has always, and will always, focus on the highest quality ingredients. From seed-grown, outdoor cannabis to ethically sourced cacao.”

8^th Day Create: What is the inspiration behind your brand?

Bianca Ruffin: An elegant elevation. The industry has seen a growing market for lower, highly-consistent dosing as more people become comfortable with being open about cannabis consumption. We wanted to meet that demand with a great-tasting and effective product.

Q: What message do you want to portray with your branding?

A: Quality. We want Défoncé to be synonymous with an expectation that is met at every level, from potency to flavor profile.

Q: Is there any special meaning to the colors or references in your branding and packaging?

A: The packaging was a statement to the duality of edibles: making something that has been historically low-end into something high-end. So we played with opposing colors and textures to communicate this concept: the soft-touch black paper versus the gold foil logo, the dark outer versus the colorful inner of the box, and the two-dimensional pattern on the box versus the three-dimensional pattern of the chocolate mold.Apropos to defining each flavor, we utilized geometric patterns and color. Some of the patterns are more literal (like Mint and Coffee) while others are subjective interpretations of the flavor (like Milk and Dark). For the overall color scheme, it was a love letter to our dearest state—we searched for a collection of soft, delicate colors that are common to California to represent each flavor.

Q: How do you feel your brand and identity reflect the cannabis industry?

A: We’re seeing a shift in the industry, as more companies move from behind the “Emerald Curtain.” This puts cannabis brands in a position to think of themselves the way any other CPG company would, and this has been our focus.

Q: How are you making your brand distinguishable throughout the ever-growing cannabis industry?

A: Défoncé has always, and will always, focus on the highest quality ingredients. From seed-grown, outdoor cannabis to ethically sourced cacao, our focus is to build and maintain trust in our brand and offer an unsurpassed flavor profile.

INFO // website: https://defonce.com/  – instagram – @defoncechocolatier