How are Retreats tested for homogenization?
It took 52 batches to create our beloved Retreats recipe - it then took another year to perfect our homogenization process.
As creator, Lynn Sherman transitioned from a homemade recipe in her kitchen to our ODA (Oregon Department of Agriculture) licensed facility, we needed to establish precise dosing in able to pass testing. Here’s how we tested our process:
We hired a 3rd party lab to randomly collect gummy samples from a batch.
Back at their lab, they split a gummy into thirds and ran a potency test on each piece.
Next, they compared the results of each gummy section to one another to determine we were homogenous throughout. Party time!
Once we perfected homogenization, we had to prove our process to the OLCC (Oregon Liquor Control Commission) with something called a Control Study.
A Control Study takes a similar approach to the homogenization tests explained above, but broader by sampling 13 random 10-packs and comparing their potency to one another. Earning a Control Study approved us for sales, however each batch must still pass testing.
State Enforced Batch Testing & Tracking
Every product found in Oregon dispensaries has been tracked from seed to sale through an online software called METRC (Marijuana Enforcement Tracking Reporting Compliance). Take a look at the packaging and you’ll find a 24 digit number on its back label.
This number connects to the entire story of that product…from the seed supplier, the farm that grew it, the lab test results, and finally the store it’s sold in.
Interesting fact: the system locks up every batch of edibles at the manufacturers facility until they have passed testing with a 3rd party lab.
Below is an example of the testing that takes place between extraction and final edible.
Test #1 (on the left) is of a full-spectrum in-house extract made from the Sour Tangie strain grown by Fox Hollow Flora. This test is for residual solvents, pesticides, potency and terpenes.
Test #2 (on the right) ensures each Retreat is hitting our target potency.
