Kiva Confections Shows Appreciation with Custom Cannabis Socks

Kiva Confections is a cannabis edibles company based in California established in 2010. We’re known and trusted for consistent, high-quality, and delicious (infused) treats. With the legal cannabis industry exceeding $10 billion in the U.S. in 2018 and projected to hit $16 billion this year, it's safe to say that Kiva Confections is running on a high. We talked with Abel Charrow, Director of Experiential Marketing, about this dynamic industry and creating a unique appreciation gift for Kiva's partner "budtenders" aka curators of cannabis.

When asked why Abel loves working at Kiva Confections he said, "On a personal level, it's very exciting to be in the cannabis space. I'm still fairly new; I've been with the company for about six months. I love how refreshing the environment is— there's a lot of enthusiasm and everyone is always eager to change the conversation about cannabis and show newcomers how it can be experienced and enjoyed."

Abel also said that things move very quickly in the cannabis industry and you have to be prepared to constantly shift gears and change plans based on different challenges, such as regulations. Kiva Confections has been around much longer than most and has experienced all the stages of the industry, so they try to lead by example and create a better environment for others.

"We want to help the whole industry to get to the next level" explains Abel.

Kiva Confection's industry holiday, 4/20 was approaching and they wanted a way to celebrate their budtenders at their partner dispensaries and express their appreciation. Abel tells us, "Budtenders are the people that help you shop at a dispensary, similar to a bartender." To do this, they delivered 'budtender boxes' with custom cannabis socks, various samples of our products, a booklet of information, and more to a handful of their accounts.

"It's been really fun as we go out to dispensary visits and then we come across someone wearing our custom socks. It’s exciting and gets shared in our Slack channel."

Swag is really important in the cannabis industry. There are so many regulations around what they are allowed to do from a marketing and promotional angle. Swag is the one thing they can absolutely do without concern.

Abel said, "Every brand, including us, does hats and enamel pins, but we wanted something high-quality and useful that would get worn. We were certain that if we made comfortable socks, it was a good reason enough. What we particularly like about custom socks is that they’re something that everyone needs and enjoys. You can dress them up, show them off, or you can just cover them up with pants. We could put together a fun pattern and break some of our own branding conventions with something a bit more playful. Then there’s the swag element. In my mind, the most compelling features of custom socks are their practicality and not having to size them out as wearables."

Kiva Confection's custom socks were a clear hit with their partners and achieved their goal of showing appreciation. Kiva Confections has now created multiple custom sock designs with Sock Club and looks forward to continuing to work together.

If you're interested in learning more about choosing the right appreciation gifts for your clients, then check out our Guide to Appreciation Gifts!