Until Sanjay Gupta told the story of Charlotte Figi in 2013, few were familiar with cannabidiol (CBD). For those not familiar, Figi, now 9, was suffering from hundreds of seizures each day. Her parents turned to the Stanley brothers, who had developed proprietary hemp genetics and had created a high-CBD extract from what is now known as Charlotte’s Web. It was her remarkable improvement that served as a catalyst for Gupta’s famous reversal of his opinion regarding the potential medicinal benefits of cannabis.
After being catapulted into global fame, the company, then known as CW Botanicals, began to ship product commercially in 2014. The Stanley brothers are now targeting a much broader market, the health and wellness market, and have rebranded as CW Hemp. The company’s offerings include three product lines based on concentration, each offering two sizes and the option of either mint chocolate or olive oil flavor.
CW Hemp stands out from its competitors in many ways, first and foremost in that it grows its own industrial hemp in Colorado (150K plants on 65 acres) while rivals import industrial hemp paste to make their products. Additionally, CW Hemp uses the aerial parts of the plant while competitors by law (though not practice, perhaps) are restricted to using the stalk, the consequence of which is requiring significantly more plant material, a process that can lead to the amplification of potential contaminants. The company claims that the 2014 Farm Bill opened the door for it to ship its domestically grown product to all 50 states.
Shay Castle profiled the company, which operates out of an 18K sq. ft. facility in Boulder, from where it ships out more than $1mm of products each month. CW Hemp has brought in Vijay Bachus, a seasoned organic and health and wellness brand veteran, as Director of Operations, and he intends to lead them into broader retail distribution and geographical expansion.
Read Shay Castle’s “Longmont resident leading national retail push for Boulder’s CW Hemp”: http://www.timescall.com/business/ci_30107147/longmont-resident-leading-national-retail-push-boulders-cw
