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Soft Power Sweets

Soft Power Sweets is the cannabis arm of Lagusta's Luscious, the oldest vegan chocolate company in America. We are women owned, deeply ethical and outrageously delicious.

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Quick answer · What is the Soft Power Sweets cannabis brand?

Soft Power Sweets is the cannabis-infused confectionery imprint of Lagusta's Luscious, a women-owned, avowedly vegan chocolate atelier based in New Paltz, New York. Drawing on more than two decades of craft chocolate-making tradition, the brand translates an already-established reputation for ethical sourcing and artisan technique into the adult-use edibles space — producing THC-infused chocolates that approach the category with the seriousness of a fine confectionery house rather than a novelty candy maker.

Soft Power Sweets is the cannabis-infused confectionery imprint of Lagusta's Luscious, a women-owned, avowedly vegan chocolate atelier based in New Paltz, New York. Drawing on more than two decades of craft chocolate-making tradition, the brand translates an already-established reputation for ethical sourcing and artisan technique into the adult-use edibles space — producing THC-infused chocolates that approach the category with the seriousness of a fine confectionery house rather than a novelty candy maker.

The story

Lagusta's Luscious was founded by Lagusta Yearwood in New Paltz, New York, and has operated as one of the earliest and most consistently mission-driven vegan chocolate companies in the United States. Yearwood, a chef and confectioner, built the underlying business around a set of values — ethical labor, plant-based ingredients, feminist principles, and small-batch craft — that were unusual in specialty chocolate when the company was young, and remain distinctive today. The brand describes itself publicly as the oldest vegan chocolate company in America, a claim grounded in its longevity within a category that has grown considerably since Yearwood began making confections professionally. Soft Power Sweets emerged as the cannabis expression of that same philosophy, entering New York's licensed adult-use edibles market as the regulatory framework matured under the Office of Cannabis Management. The name itself — Soft Power — signals an intentional brand identity: a rejection of the dominant-culture posturing common in cannabis marketing in favor of something quieter, more considered, and explicitly feminist in orientation. The company's decision to extend into cannabis rather than license a separate entity reflects a belief that the values animating their chocolate work — transparency, ingredient integrity, ethical production — apply with equal force to THC-infused products. For Soft Power Sweets, cannabis edibles are not a pivot; they are a natural continuation of a confectionery practice already built around care and craft.

Aesthetic & shopper persona

Soft Power Sweets occupies a distinct and relatively uncrowded position in the New York edibles market: genuinely artisan, overtly political in its values (without being strident about it), and rooted in an existing fine-food identity rather than retrofitted with a cannabis-adjacent aesthetic. The packaging and brand voice reflect the parent company's sensibility — thoughtful, a little literary, and quietly confident. Where many cannabis edible brands lean on neon palettes, cartoon mascots, or clinical minimalism, Soft Power Sweets leans toward the visual grammar of independent craft food: considered typography, an emphasis on ingredient provenance, and a tone that assumes the customer is an adult with taste and curiosity. The shopper persona is someone who already reads ingredient labels on their chocolate bars, who gravitates toward single-origin and fair-trade certifications in their everyday food choices, and who regards their cannabis consumption as continuous with those values rather than separate from them. This is not a mass-market value brand, nor is it performing the signifiers of luxury for their own sake; it sits in a craft tier defined by genuine expertise and ethical accountability. In a New York market still dominated by larger multistate operators, that positioning functions as genuine differentiation.

Cultivation & craft

As an edibles producer rather than a cultivator, Soft Power Sweets' quality signature resides in its confectionery craft and its approach to cannabis ingredient sourcing rather than in proprietary genetics or grow methodology. The parent company, Lagusta's Luscious, has long maintained commitments to vegan, ethically sourced chocolate — working with cacao suppliers whose labor and environmental practices meet standards the company publicly endorses. That same sourcing discipline informs the cannabis side of the operation. Within the New York licensed framework, edibles producers are required to source their cannabis extract from OCM-licensed processors operating within the state. The specific extraction partners and methods used by Soft Power Sweets have not been exhaustively detailed in public-facing materials available at the time of this writing, which is consistent with most small craft edibles producers who are not required to publish supply-chain specifics beyond label compliance. What distinguishes the brand at the processing level is the integration of cannabis extract into confectionery formulas developed by trained chocolatiers — a technical discipline that demands attention to temperature, emulsification, and flavor compatibility in ways that commodity gummy or hard-candy production does not. The result is a product where the cannabis and the chocolate are designed to coexist, not simply cohabitate.

What to try first

Soft Power Sweets is known, at the category level, for THC-infused vegan chocolate confections — a format that directly inherits the expertise and reputation of Lagusta's Luscious. Within the New York adult-use market, the brand's offering centers on chocolate-based edibles that reflect the parent company's commitment to real ingredients: no gelatin, no dairy, no artificial flavors, and a flavor profile built around the chocolate itself rather than masking agents. The product lines available through licensed New York dispensaries represent a meaningful departure from the standard edibles market, where gummies dominate by volume. By focusing on chocolate, Soft Power Sweets is betting that a meaningful segment of New York consumers — particularly those already familiar with craft chocolate culture — will seek out an edible experience that reflects genuine confectionery skill. The absence of animal-derived ingredients also expands accessibility for vegan, kosher, and lactose-intolerant consumers without positioning the products primarily around those attributes. Specific SKU names and potency configurations are subject to change with production runs and should be confirmed with ZenZest staff or the dispensary's current Dutchie menu, as small-batch producers may rotate offerings seasonally.

When this brand shines

Soft Power Sweets occupies a particular experiential niche in the cannabis calendar: it is a gifting brand and a considered-treat brand before it is an everyday-consumption brand. The profile of someone reaching for this label is likely already a thoughtful cannabis consumer who also cares about what they eat — someone for whom receiving or giving a well-made THC chocolate feels coherent with the rest of their life, rather than incongruous. Think: a host gift for a dinner party among friends who consume, a post-dinner dessert-adjacent moment with a glass of wine or tea, a solo weekend ritual that prioritizes flavor and intention over pure effect delivery. The brand's feminist and ethical identity also makes it a natural choice for consumers who want their spending to reflect their values — shoppers who would choose a worker-owned coffee roaster over a chain are the same shoppers likely to find Soft Power Sweets legible and appealing. It is not the brand for someone seeking maximum THC efficiency at minimum cost; it is the brand for someone who has decided that how the thing is made matters as much as what the thing does.

Provenance

Soft Power Sweets is rooted in New Paltz, New York — the same Hudson Valley town where Lagusta's Luscious has operated its chocolate business for years. As a product of an established New York food company entering the adult-use cannabis space, Soft Power Sweets operates within the New York OCM licensing framework as a cannabis edibles producer. The brand is women-owned, which is publicly and consistently stated across the parent company's communications and consistent with Lagusta Yearwood's documented role as founder and principal of Lagusta's Luscious. The company has not publicly disclosed formal social-equity license designation at the time of this writing, though its women-owned status and its independent, mission-driven structure are well-documented. Unlike multistate operators importing branded product via New York's wholesale network, Soft Power Sweets is a New York-native brand in the most literal sense — its parent company has been a working part of the Hudson Valley food economy for decades. It does not appear to operate in other cannabis markets beyond New York at this time, consistent with its small-batch, craft-first orientation.

Soft Power Sweets — frequently asked

Where is Soft Power Sweets made?+

Soft Power Sweets is produced in New York, and is the cannabis-infused extension of Lagusta's Luscious, an artisan vegan chocolate company based in New Paltz, New York. The brand draws on the same Hudson Valley confectionery operation that has produced non-cannabis chocolate under the Lagusta's Luscious name for decades, meaning both the culinary expertise and the physical production are grounded in upstate New York.

Is Soft Power Sweets a NY-licensed cannabis brand?+

Yes. Soft Power Sweets operates within New York's adult-use cannabis regulatory framework as a licensed edibles producer under the Office of Cannabis Management. As a New York-native company — rather than a multistate operator distributing via wholesale partnerships — it is one of the few cannabis edibles brands in the state with deep, pre-existing roots in the local food economy. Specific license details can be confirmed through the NY OCM public registry.

What is Soft Power Sweets best known for?+

The brand is best known for THC-infused vegan chocolate confections that inherit the craft and ethical sourcing standards of Lagusta's Luscious, its parent company. In the New York adult-use market, where gummies dominate the edibles category, Soft Power Sweets stands out by offering chocolate-based products made by trained confectioners using plant-based ingredients — positioning the experience closer to fine food than to conventional cannabis candy.

What product format should I try first from Soft Power Sweets?+

If you are new to the brand, start with their chocolate-format edibles, which represent the direct expression of Lagusta's Luscious's confectionery expertise applied to cannabis. Because small-batch producers like Soft Power Sweets may rotate seasonal offerings, it is worth checking ZenZest's current dispensary menu or speaking with a floor associate to confirm which specific products are available at the time of your visit.

Is Soft Power Sweets a vegan cannabis brand?+

Yes. Consistent with the founding values of Lagusta's Luscious — described publicly as the oldest vegan chocolate company in America — Soft Power Sweets produces cannabis edibles that contain no animal-derived ingredients. This means no dairy, no gelatin, and no honey, making the products accessible to vegan consumers and to those avoiding animal products for dietary, religious, or ethical reasons.

Who owns Soft Power Sweets?+

Soft Power Sweets is the cannabis imprint of Lagusta's Luscious, founded by Lagusta Yearwood, a chef and confectioner based in New Paltz, New York. The company is women-owned, a status consistently stated across public-facing brand communications. Yearwood's documented role as founder and principal of the parent chocolate business is well-established in food and independent business media coverage spanning more than a decade.

Is Soft Power Sweets a luxury cannabis brand?+

The brand occupies a craft tier rather than performing luxury for its own sake. Its price point and presentation reflect the genuine cost of ethical sourcing and artisan production rather than premium brand positioning as a marketing strategy. Consumers who value provenance, ingredient integrity, and the expertise of a trained confectioner — rather than logo cachet — tend to find the brand's value proposition clear and compelling. It is a serious food brand that happens to contain cannabis.

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