Kiva Confections started as a chocolate bar made in a home kitchen. Its gummy line, Camino, is now one of the biggest names on California's edible shelf. Headset's August 2026 sales data ranks Camino #2 among California edible brands, a spot it also held a year earlier, with sales up 12.5% year over year.
That's not a fluke of one hot summer. It's the product of more than 15 years of building a company around consistency, clear labeling and packaging that tells shoppers exactly what they're buying. Here's how Kiva got there, and how Camino became the gummy that carries the company.
From a home kitchen to a multi-state edible company
Kiva was founded in 2010 by Scott Palmer and Kristi Palmer. According to the company, the couple were frustrated with the edibles on the market at the time, were inspired by a visit to a local chocolatier, and started making the first Kiva Bars in their home kitchen.
The goal, in Kiva's words, was to "create a better edible experience for legal consumers." That meant premium ingredients, precisely measured THC and a product that looked like it belonged next to good chocolate rather than in a plastic baggie.
The edible market of 2010 was a very different place, and inconsistent quality was the problem the Palmers set out to fix. Kiva says it was one of the first edible makers in the country to set its own strict standards for potency, production, packaging and testing, well before regulators required them.
That early bet on standards turned out to be the foundation for everything else. A brand that already operated like a food company was built for a regulated market before the regulated market fully existed.
Today, Kiva says it employs more than 400 people. Its site describes the company as the "#1 edibles brand in the country," a claim that is Kiva's own. By independent sales data, Camino is the part of the portfolio doing the heaviest lifting in California.
The Kiva portfolio
Kiva didn't stay a one-bar company. The chocolate that started it all still anchors the lineup, but the portfolio now spans several formats, each with its own brand:
- Kiva: the original chocolate bars.
- Camino: gummies, Sours and fruit chews.
- Lost Farm: strain-specific gummies and chews.
- Petra: mints, which also have their own Petra brand page on High Rise.
- Terra: chocolate-covered bites.
Splitting the lineup into distinct brands is a smart retail move. A shopper looking for a chocolate bar and a shopper looking for a sour gummy are in different frames of mind, and each brand gets to speak to one of them without cluttering the other.
Kiva has also leaned into packaging as part of the product. In 2021, the company rolled out updated, more sustainable packaging across its product lines.
What Camino actually is
Camino is Kiva's gummy and chew brand. The line is built on what Kiva calls "terpene-tailored" formulations: each product pairs cannabinoids with a specific blend of natural terpenes and flavors, and each carries a name that tells a shopper which variety they're picking up.
The lineup covers three main formats:
- Gummies: the core line, in 5mg and 10mg THC-per-piece options, plus a 50mg Watermelon Lemonade variety.
- Sours: 10mg THC per piece, vegan, made with pectin and dusted in sour sugar.
- Fruit chews: individually wrapped, vegan and made with real fruit.
Flavor is where Camino shows its food-company roots. Current SKUs on Kiva's site include Wild Berry, Pineapple Habanero, Watermelon Lemonade, Watermelon Spritz and Citrus Punch gummies, along with Forest Berry and Orchard Apple fruit chews. Each is paired with a one-word label such as Chill, Uplifting, Bliss or Energy.
That naming system is the heart of Camino's shelf strategy. Instead of making shoppers decode a strain name or a ratio in tiny print, the front of the package leads with a word and a color. It's readable from across a counter, which is exactly where edible decisions get made.
How Camino stacks up in California
Headset tracks retail sales across legal markets, and its numbers give a clear picture of where Camino sits. In August 2026, Camino ranked #2 among California edible brands, unchanged from a year earlier. Its sales grew 12.5% year over year, and its average price rose 0.8% to about $19.
The brand at #1 is Wyld, which has held that spot for at least a year. Headset's data shows Wyld's sales down 5.1% year over year over the same period, while Camino and Kanha/Sunderstorm were the faster-growing rivals. The top of California's edible market is still Wyld's, but the gap is a live story.
The product-level view tells the same story. On Headset's list of California's best-selling edible products, dated September 3, 2026, Camino holds two of the top 10 spots, at #3 and #6. Wyld holds the other eight. No other brand cracks the list.
Camino's single biggest seller in California is a 20-pack of THC/CBN 5:1 Midnight Blueberry gummies, which Headset ranks as the brand's top product. It's a good example of how Camino works: a specific flavor, a clear cannabinoid ratio on the label and a name shoppers can ask for by color.
Distribution is the other half of the picture. Headset counts Camino on shelves at 2,101 licensed dispensaries across 16 states, including 534 in California, with the heaviest concentration around Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Sacramento and Santa Ana. The catalog runs to more than 400 SKUs, and all of it is edibles.
Why budtenders keep reaching for it
Budtenders are the gatekeepers of the cannabis industry, and their reputations ride on what they recommend. A brand that makes their job easier during a Friday rush has an edge that doesn't show up in any ad.
Camino's packaging does a lot of that work. The labels are color-coded and name-driven, and the THC content per piece is printed clearly. When a customer asks for a gummy that tastes like watermelon or wants a specific ratio, the answer is on the front of the box.
Consistency matters too. Kiva built its reputation on self-imposed standards for potency, production and testing. A budtender recommending a Camino SKU is leaning on a company that has treated precise THC content as a selling point since 2010.
Price helps as well. At an average of about $19, per Headset, Camino sits in the middle of the edible shelf rather than the premium tier. If you're trying to stretch a budget, our guide to saving money at California dispensaries covers how to make those shelf prices go further.
Can Kiva keep it consistent as it grows?
Expanding across state lines is notoriously hard in cannabis. Every state writes its own rules for testing, packaging and labeling, and a brand has to meet each set without changing what the product is.
Kiva's site currently lists availability in 17 states, including Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York and Ohio. Keeping a Camino gummy in Los Angeles consistent with one sold in New Jersey is an operational challenge that most edible brands never solve.
So far, the numbers suggest Kiva is handling it. Camino is growing in its home market while holding a top-two position, and its footprint now reaches well beyond California. For a brand that started with chocolate bars made at home, that's a long road traveled.
Frequently asked questions
Who owns Camino gummies?
Camino is made by Kiva Confections, the California edible company founded in 2010 by Scott Palmer and Kristi Palmer. Kiva's portfolio also includes Kiva chocolate bars, Lost Farm, Petra mints and Terra bites.
How much THC is in a Camino gummy?
It depends on the product. Kiva's site lists Camino gummies in 5mg and 10mg THC-per-piece options, a 50mg Watermelon Lemonade variety, and Camino Sours at 10mg THC per piece. Always check the package label for the exact amount.
Are Camino gummies vegan?
Kiva describes Camino Sours as vegan and made with pectin, and Camino fruit chews as vegan and made with real fruit. Check each package for its full ingredient list.
How does Camino compare with Wyld?
Both are top California gummy brands. According to Headset's August 2026 data, Wyld ranks #1 among California edible brands and Camino ranks #2. Camino's sales grew 12.5% year over year in that period, while Wyld's declined 5.1%.
Where can I buy Camino outside California?
Kiva's site lists 17 states where its products are sold, including Arizona, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey and New York. Availability varies by state and by product, so check the brand's store locator or a licensed dispensary's menu.