The cannabis industry has a unique ability to reach out and influence other business sectors, perhaps more than any other industry in America. In this case, MedSpoon.com’s free cannabis food network and food platform is an excellent blend of technology, user experience, food consumption, and the cannabis plant.
MedSpoon’s site offers an interactive, informative, and free user customizable experience that, according to Founder Victor Cloud, will provide cannabis consumers with an experience that is unique to the cannabis space. For example, users can create a confidential profile where they can save recipes, add their own reviews, or even post their own creations.
MedSpoon is working with chefs inside the industry as well as high-profile, Michelin Star quality chefs so that they can bring the most innovative, creative, and unique collaborations between cannabis and food. Medspoon.com launched April 20, 2015, at the Denver Cannabis Cup, and we recently caught up with Victor to ask him about the new web platform.
What is MedSpoon?
MedSpoon is an interactive cannabis recipe website dedicated to teaching and sharing the countless ways of cooking with cannabis. Users can join the site anonymously, use and review recipes, or even post their own creations. While this is the focus of MedSpoon, they haven’t stopped there, as they have launched a variety of new features recently.
A new ‘Achievement’ section will let users earn achievements and gain status as they complete activities listed on the site, like a holiday recipe contest, for example. Additionally, the site will host a series of ‘How To’ videos, which will feature contributing chefs as well as approved user video channels. The overall goal is to create a community of people who enjoy cooking and experimenting in the kitchen with cannabis. Also, in the update is a newsfeed section for the site devoted solely to announcements and updates that impact MedSpoon’s users and the edibles industry.
“MedSpoon is a community-based website for chefs and cooking enthusiasts to learn, share and eat cannabis recipes. Our whole focus is cannabis cuisine. We provide users with tools for recipe sorting, recipe management, assembling cookbooks and everything else that deals with cannabis cooking. From infusions and entrees to desserts and drinks. We want to be the go-to resource for people who like to cook at home or are cooking for a loved one.” – Victor Cloud – Founder of MedSpoon
Who can provide the site with recipes?
Currently, MedSpoon has built up its recipe database through a collection of talents, some of whom are recognized in the cannabis edibles or private dining communities. However, MedSpoon’s technology and interactive user experience will let cannabis aficionados post their own recipes through their anonymous accounts. Also, MedSpoon is always seeking new and exciting recipe contributions from notable chefs both inside and outside of the cannabis community.
“We’ve been in communication with a number of different chefs that have a market presence already in the cannabis industry. We’ve reached out to Chefs like Cannabis Cheri, Jeff the 4/20 Chef, The Herbal Chef, and Magical Butter. There are numerous Chefs that we’ve connected with through social media and many more to be found. We’ve learned these chefs, and cooking enthusiasts, are excited about contributing to the community and they have come up with some really mind-blowing dishes. It has been really great to connect and see their energy and enthusiasm about the industry and their trade. We’re just growing organically at the moment.” – Victor Cloud – Founder of MedSpoon
User Experience
MedSpoon is a free, open website that works for everyone from the entry level cannabis cook to the seasoned pro who is perfecting his/her brownie recipe. You don’t need to create a user profile if you want to browse recipes on the site. However, creating that anonymous profile opens up a world of streamlining options. When you join the MedSpoon community through a free, anonymous user account, you create the ability to post your own recipes, reviews of other recipes, and create a personal cookbook with your own saved recipes.
On the video side, users can vote on their favorite recipes, where winners will be made into “how to” videos for the website. Additionally, users are invited to earn “achievements” through the MedSpoon community via contests or other goals.
“We provide people step-by-step instructions with pictures that correspond with each step to try to make following a recipe as simple and easy as possible. I’ve always been a fan of people who provide recipes with step-by-step photography, as someone who’s interested in cooking but couldn’t call myself a chef. Those tools are really helpful to me, so I wanted to make sure that, when we built a website, it has that kind of user-friendliness aspect to it.” – Victor Cloud – Founder of MedSpoon
Sorting Through The Content
With the ability to host an uncapped amount of professional and user-generated content, MedSpoon had to factor in a sorting tool. Users can sort through a myriad of different filters that will cover everything from time spent on a recipe to top recipe reviews. Each recipe will be sorted by an intricate tagging system that will allow users to search for breakfast versus dinner items or desserts versus snacks, for example.
MedSpoon is fully expecting to become a hub for a vast amount of information, so it built these search optimization tools into the center of its technology to be prepared for growth.
“We spent a lot of time coming up with a way to sort through recipes. Using MedSpoon you can sort by trending, what recipes are new, what has the highest rank, how the reviews are for that recipe. You can sort by how long you have to cook in the kitchen because some of these recipes can take a couple hours to do if you’re patient about it and looking for a high-dose recipe and so forth.” – Victor Cloud – Founder of MedSpoon
Do It Yourself
Through the creation of an online community, Victor Cloud hopes that MedSpoon users will share and create their own unique recipes that will innovate cannabis cooking. Given that the cannabis community is one of the most collaborative and competitive spaces around, one can only imagine how high quality these dishes will end up being.
“Our goal is to teach people the basics of how to put cannabis into food. We want to build a fun community where people share feedback and comment on other user submissions. Maybe someone posts a recipe with salmon and you have a killer sauce that would work great with it. Our site will allow you to interact with other users to actually propel the cannabis cooking space forward. We’re very pro-sharing and very pro-user submitted content. We see that as the best way to maximize the user experience.” – Victor Cloud – Founder of MedSpoon
Video Tutorials
MedSpoon realizes that more traditional, hard copy recipes might not be friendly to every type of consumer in the market. With that in mind, they will be creating video content for the site, as well. Users of MedSpoon will be able to log in and vote for their favorite recipes, which will then be made into an easy to follow instructional video depending on the voting results. Again, the aim of MedSpoon is to create a user experience like no other in the space, and this is a great example of user interaction that is setting MedSpoon apart.
“I’ve always been interested in short, educational videos. To me, there is no better way to convey recipes and techniques than through visual education? Medspoon.com plans to provide an educational aspect to video content through cooking demonstrations and step-by-step recipe creations.” – Victor Cloud – Founder of MedSpoon
Want To Be A Star?
As mentioned earlier, one of the overall goals for MedSpoon is to create a user community around a shared common interest of cooking with cannabis. To make that experience even more fun, MedSpoon will open up an application process to becoming a featured video contributor on the site. Those who make the grade will be able to reach out to the entire MedSpoon community and share their recipes, techniques, and tips for great cooking.
“We want to position ourselves to become the Food Network of the cannabis industry. In order to do that, we are building a community that supports creativity, hard work, and excellence. We’re providing users the chance to rise above the crowd and grow their own following. Who knows, maybe the next big chef in America will get their start right here.” – Victor Cloud – Founder of MedSpoon
Target Audience
There are a couple of key demographics that should be interested in MedSpoon. Cannabis users will love the site because, in addition to what we have already highlighted, MedSpoon provides alternatives to smoking or directly inhaling cannabis. For those who don’t like the taste of edibles, they can find a recipe that truly masks the flavor, allowing them to obtain the desired results.
In addition to cannabis consumers, foodies are another demo that MedSpoon looks to attract. Their education content, combined with step-by-step recipes, will allow those who love food, but typically don’t cook, to break down that barrier and start having some fun in the kitchen.
“We’re really aiming at anyone who likes to cook, simple as that. The great part about cooking with cannabis is that it is a much healthier way for patients to consume their medicine. Instead of ingesting harmful carcinogens, patients can enjoy a quality meal while medicating at the same time. Additionally, this delivery system stays in the system longer and can affect the patient more deeply.” – Victor Cloud – Founder of MedSpoon
Impact
MedSpoon hopes to influence the cannabis industry by providing a clean, professional platform, where users can discuss cooking techniques with professional chefs who know what they are talking about, be it the calculation of THC content, proper dosing, or other concerns.
“We’re proud of what we’ve created in terms of making a really clean, professional looking recipe website that any person, whether they’re a senior, a veteran or a casual consumer, can visit without getting that feeling of a dirty, stoner website. Food is a staple in almost everybody’s life, and we hope that we can be that resource for the community.” – Victor Cloud – Founder of MedSpoon
How Is MedSpoon Different?
Community. Victor noticed that there was a good amount of cannabis cooking information available to the public. However, it is scattered and non-interactive for the most part. Sure, there might be a site with great recipes or another with a popular blog, but MedSpoon.com wants to host every aspect of the culinary cannabis space while at the same time creating a sense of community.
“The reason food lovers and cannabis consumers will come here is the same reason why they might go to Amazon or Nordstrom’s. We’re compiling the highest quality resources into one place, making MedSpoon a one-stop-shop for all you cannabis cooking needs.” – Victor Cloud – Founder of MedSpoon
Who is Victor Cloud, Founder of MedSpoon?
“MedSpoon is a combination of the things that I’m passionate about. I have always been a foodie myself. I’m an optimistic guy who travels often and loves to eat. It’s what I do already, so being able to find a way to integrate cannabis into food has been a discovery process for myself. I’m more of a techie but I’ve been exploring food, and I love photography. I’ve had always been interested in Photoshop and food photography, so MedSpoon is really just a blending of the things that I love. I noticed that there were great chefs who were cooking with cannabis and, perhaps just as important, there was a significant amount of interest from the cannabis community to learn more about the culinary aspect of cannabis. All of this information was out there, but there really wasn’t a place for all of it to come together and form a unified community. I decided to work hard and bring together the cannabis foodie community as a whole.” – Victor Cloud – Founder of MedSpoon
What impact do you think MedSpoon is going to have on the cannabis community? Would you use this new platform? Join the conversation and comment below!