Eden Prairie wants residents to name the city’s new THC gummy

Chew on this: Eden Prairie is launching its own city-branded THC gummy and wants residents to name it.

The purple-pink, mixed-berry flavored gummy will come in packs of 10 and retail for $19.99 at Eden Prairie Liquor locations this fall.

The 5-milligram gummy is “crafted for sleep” based on customer requests, said Eden Prairie Liquor Operations Manager Jaime Urbina.

“The No. 1 thing we’ve seen people coming in and wanting is a beverage or gummy that will help at night,” Urbina said. “There are multiple options, but this is a community option.”

Eden Prairie appears to be the first Minnesota city to launch its own branded gummy as THC product sales continue to grow in the municipal liquor business across the state. The Minnesota Municipal Beverage Association is also working on a product that could be available by the end of the year.

“Beer and wine sales are down. The category of growth is THC,” said Paul Kaspszak, executive director of the association. “The future is now, so you might as well find any advantage you can.”

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The association is creating an edible bar that will be available to members that want to sell it at municipal liquor stores. Kaspszak said the new product would help smaller municipalities break into edible sales.

“People have done it for beer and other products and had success,” Kaspszak said.

The Eden Prairie naming competition began Wednesday and submissions are open, via the city website, until July 29.

The contest webpage announces: “This isn’t just any gummy. It’s OUR gummy. It deserves a name as bold, vibrant and unforgettable as the Eden Prairie community itself.”

The top three names will go to Eden Prairie Liquor’s Facebook page for a final community vote in August.

“We’ve received far more entries than expected,” Urbina said. “It’s been positive and we had more than 50 on the first day.”

Urbina did not share those early suggestions, but he noted some rules for the contest: No politics, no profanity and nothing that includes the name of the person submitting the entry.

Submissions must be from Eden Prairie residents age 21 and over, and one entry per person. The winner will receive one free package of the gummies and bragging rights.

THC products are selling well at Eden Prairie Liquor stores, Urbina said, noting sales of both beverages and edibles have grown since they hit shelves.

Urbina said the most popular flavor of all THC products is mixed berry, and that’s why Eden Prairie selected it for the city’s gummy.

He isn’t sure what the response to the product will be, but hopes it will create awareness for other THC products in liquor stores. He’s been impressed by the response to the naming contest already.

“It’ll be a little bit of work to weed through the names,” he said, “but we’re glad the community is interested.”