A little cannabis in your coffee milk? New product celebrates 420 and a Rhode Island food staple

Co-Pilot Syrup is a cannabis-infused coffee syrup by Hangar 420, a cannabis producer and distributor in Warwick, R.I.

Hangar 420, a cannabis producer and distributor in Warwick, Rhode Island, has launched a cannabis-infused coffee syrup called Co-Pilot Syrup. The product is to mark the annual celebration of cannabis with a tribute to the official beverage of Rhode Island -- Coffee Milk.Hangar 420

WARWICK, R.I. — “Wake and Bake” has a new meaning in Rhode Island.

Hangar 420, a new cannabis producer and distributor in Warwick, has launched a cannabis-infused coffee syrup, Co-Pilot Syrup. It’s a tribute to both the annual April 20 celebration and the official beverage of Rhode Island: coffee milk.

Each 1 ounce bottle of the syrup contains 10 milligrams of THC.

“There a very few things as uniquely Rhode Island as coffee syrup,” said Octavius Prince, CEO and founder of Hangar 420. “Our facility has tremendous roots in the state, from my family’s long history here to the job creation our facility will contribute for years to come, so the launch of Co-Pilot Syrup is only fitting as one of the first edible products to be launched by the company.”

The syrup is made by reducing brewed coffee to a consistency similar to a balsamic glaze. Then it is sweetened and producers add the cannabis extract, explained Joe Dilley, director of post production at Hangar 420.

“It’s sweet with a slight bitterness,” he said.

Greenleaf Compassion Center, a cannabis retailer in Portsmouth, will be the first to carry the syrup. The product should be available on the center’s website by April 29, according Hangar 420 officials.

Ocean State Controlled Botanicals launched Hangar 420, its cannabis innovation, production, and distribution facility in Warwick in January 2022. It’s the state’s largest cannabis facility with 10,000 square feet of licensed production space and the flexibility to scale production and capacity with growing demand to more than 18,000 square feet.

Rhode Island lawmakers introduced legislation that would legalize recreational marijuana during this session. The proposal allows up to 33 retail licenses distributed in six zones statewide, including nine compassion centers that could potentially be hybrid recreational and medical cannabis retailers.

As soon as recreational marijuana is legal in Rhode Island, Dilley said, he looks forward to selling this cannabis coffee syrup to adults, and hopes to launch in every dispensary in the northeast once restrictions are relaxed.

“We know that sometimes you need a good pick-me-up. This coffee syrup can be your co-pilot to help you get where you’re going,” said Dilley.