If successful, the recipe could make for a whole new chapter in the Alice B. Toklas Cook Book. If not a proprietary concoction, it might even be positioned right after instructions on how to make Hashish Fudge.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA-headquartered Unique Pizza and Subs Corporation (UPZS) has announced that it is exploring the possibility of developing a pre-made frozen pizza with cannabis-infused sauce to be sold through approved dispensaries in states where legalized pot is on the front burner for medical or recreational use.
The company is currently working with marijuana infusion chefs in Colorado on a line of sauces building on Unique Pizza’s award-winning base recipes. In compliance with all applicable state marijuana laws, the idea is to provide its proprietary base sauce to licensed marijuana-infused product manufacturers to make the finished goods locally.
The company has enlisted the technical skills of Dr. Mali S. Reddy, along with his laboratories and test kitchen the Mile High City of Denver, to develop a signature line of marijuana-enhanced Unique Pizza products for sale at adult bars and nightclubs in jurisdictions where it is legal.
Following the legalization of marijuana, Colorado began the testing of edible products made with Cannabis in May 1 of this year, putting this region in the developmental forefront of the budding industry.
James Vowler, president and ceo of Unique Pizza and Subs, commented: “We started our discussions about the possibility of developing a line of marijuana pizzas back in April. Since then our casual discussions have led us to beginning the necessary steps to develop prototypes of a Unique brand cannabis gourmet pizza. We are now developing a non-marijuana frozen pizza that we expect to have in production by the end of this year, and believe we can also explore the development of a marijuana pizza in that same timeframe.”
Dr. Reddy, who holds MS and PhD degrees in food technology, microbiology and virology from Iowa State University, owns 10% of UPZS. Advising the company on a broad front as a technical consultant, his input ranges from new product development and cheese blend formulation to implementation of a frozen pizza-to-market strategy in Asia and the USA. Furthermore, he has acquired the rights to become a master franchisor in India.
Meanwhile, Unique Pizza and Subs Corporation has signed a distribution agreement with Larasan Pharmaceutical Corporation, a nature-based pharmaceutical company that produces and distributes health-enhancing products. According to the agreement, Larasan will work with UPZS to help distribute its gourmet 6″ frozen pizza through its distribution network in China.
“Unique’s gourmet pizza utilizes natural cheeses, probiotics and enzymes that are deemed to be healthier than standard frozen pizzas, and appeals to the growing worldwide trend in health-conscious fast food,” said Sumair Mitroo, Larasan’s ceo.
