Episode 24: Chocolate & Cannabis

On the third episode in the Cannabis in Confections & Snacks series we sit down virtually with Joel Fink, Fantasy Candies Chocolate Factory.

Joel has over 30 years of innovation in the chocolate industry. As founder of Fantasy Candies Chocolate Factory in 1990, he began developing a wide range of chocolate products; many of which revolved around healthy inclusions. In 2007, Joel took his research on the health benefits of dark chocolate to the Cleveland Clinic Wellness department where they teamed up to develop a line of chocolates created to meet their healthy eating guidelines. Joel soon began working with probiotics as an inclusion, which required him to develop a system to homogenize ingredients, while keeping the chocolate perfect in taste and texture. After joining a research team in 2017 to develop an all-natural chocolate to help children with autism, Joel discovered CBD had been used successfully in improving autistic behavior. He dedicated the next year to understanding CBD and how to work with it safely and effectively. Joel, a member of IFT, (International Food Technologists) and RCI, (Retail Confectioners International) is a consultant to the medical marijuana industry in the state of Ohio. Working with several vertically integrated cannabis facilities, he produced the first certified cannabis edible chocolate for the Medical Marijuana program. Joel started Chocolate Inclusion Solutions in 2018 to develop and produce cannabis-infused chocolates, sustainably grown, traceable and tested for compliance. He teaches a class called “CBD 101: Truth vs. Myth” to encourage public education in the area of cannabis along with educational seminars to the industry.