Hot Box Mix for pot brownies at home
There are lots of options when it comes to marijuana edibles, from sativa gummies to cannabis cookies and everything in between. Colorado businesses started selling recreational marijuana back in 2014, and since that time, savvy creators have come up with all kinds of infused products.
The newest thing on the market is Hot Box Mix, a pot brownie mix created by local entrepreneur Stephanie Jacobson. She said the idea was to make a convenient and safe product people could enjoy at home—no complicated recipe, no accidentally making them too strong or not potent enough. With Hot Box, you just add water and bake, and it comes out just right every time. “We wanted to create an easy way to make them, something you could have on hand anytime. We’ve all experienced or heard stories of the ‘mystery’ pot brownie—you never knew what you were getting,” says Jacobson. “As a mom, I always have a couple of boxes of brownie mix in the pantry for when I don’t have time to run to the store; and I got to thinking, why shouldn’t people who like homemade pot brownies have the same convenience?”
Jacobson worked in technology marketing for IBM for twenty-four years, and when the pandemic hit, she had the opportunity to take a leave of absence and test out the idea. Her husband is in the cannabis industry and they had been thinking about it for a while; the timing seemed right. “The pandemic was a unique time to be experimenting with a new business,” says Jacobson. “People weren’t going out to bars or festivals, most people were having smaller, intimate groups of friends to their houses and backyard parties. Making Hot Box Mix is a fun activity that brings people together, gathered around the kitchen island.”
Jacobson said she was eager to market something new, that hadn’t been tried before. They did a small pilot test in four stores on the Western Slope, and now are launching statewide. They just announced a second product, cannabis-infused S’mores, with everything all in one box, that will hit the market in mid-summer. “It’s an exciting time to be in the industry and people are using cannabis in so many different ways now (such as micro-dosing). Legalization has opened up the benefits to people that may have never tried it before, or might be intimidated by some of the more traditional marijuana products as their first experience. I wanted something that wouldn’t be intimidating to new users; but most of all to provide a fun experience with reliable dosing.”
She is also proud to be a part of a female-owned business, supporting other women. Her partner is Toni Nash, another dynamic Telluride woman, and their graphic designer, photographer, baker, digital strategist, manufacturing operations leader, and brand ambassador are all female. “It’s not exclusively women, but that’s just how it’s evolved thus far. For our team of collaborators we wanted to bring in a mix of seasoned and younger people to get a different and fresh perspective and take on things. We’re thrilled to work with the Gen Z-ers. They bring a killer skill set and are on the cutting edge of social media, trends, and new mediums.”
Hot Box Mix is available at Mountain Annie’s.