“There’s still room to grow … You’re
not (yet) going to find anything
on Amazon or Ebay or superstore
chains like Walmart or Walgreens.
I hope it will open up.” we get from them is invaluable. They’ve started compiling a
CBD products.”
Fuggin Hemp Co. aren’t just interested in gaining new
customers but keeping them with the kind of product people
stick around for.
“We are going to be doing some food-based products (we
used to make a CBD chocolate), but it won’t be our highest
priority. I don’t see much future in the market for one-off
novelty items. Consumables like gummies are fun and have a
place here, but people are less likely to use them long term,
as opposed to a lotion or an oil.”
For all their successes, Fuggin Hemp Co. have been able to
keep their perspective grounded and consumer-oriented by
staying on top of demand and trends via direct connection
with the many CBD users in the US and beyond.
“Most CBD companies have their own website and that’s
as far as they’ll go. We have 60 to 70 different brands on
fugginhemp.com which lets you access thousands and
thousands of products. Those, and our 150,000 subscribers
show us in real time what people are really buying.”
Hershey has tried to carve out a space for every kind of CBD
user: not just beginners and experienced consumers but
those who vape it and those who choose any other method
of consumption.
“We do two things uniquely. One, we have our own CBD
products and two, we have the largest collection of different
brands under one umbrella. We ask ourselves things like:
“what if you wanted a CBD vape pen and a cream, but your
favourite brand only had one of each.” You don’t want to
pay for shopping twice. We have every category there is. The
pricing is also on par with everyone else.”
Knowing a good market when he sees it, Hershey has big
plans for joining the UK CBD scene.
“We’re doing constant research on the UK, and trying to
set up some UK distribution as soon as possible. We have a
membership with ECigIntelligence; the data and information
lot of CBD statistics. We’ll be making decisions on how to
proceed in the UK shortly.
“Speaking of the UK, we took up the Vapouround CBD
opportunity because we know Vapouround are huge in
the vape space. In that space, companies that established
themselves quickly and decisively stuck around for a while, it’ll
be the same for CBD. There’s going to be a rush of emerging
brands, and wanted to make a statement too.”
In addition to their Anglo-centric ambitions, there has been
plenty of excitement at home. Hemp legalisation via the Farm
Bill was a step in the right direction, but Hershey is somewhat
cautious.
“Politically, everything is still up in the air. Even though
the Farm Bill has passed, the US government could still
pass additional guideline regulation. We don’t know how
permissive things will be when it comes to which products
can have CBD in them, but I don’t think it’s going to be as
restrictive as vaping was.”
Hershey predicts another boom period once those last
hurdles into the mainstream have been toppled.
“There’s still room to grow because the banks are still hesitant
to accepting CBD. You’re not (yet) going to find anything
on Amazon or Ebay or superstore chains like Walmart or
Walgreens. I hope it will open up, because when it does,
the market could explode 10 times more than that! That’s
why we’re working on the pharmaceutical side of things with
a clinical research company, preparing for the next boom.
Our head doctor has spent seven years doing cannabis
product research, he’s worked for the Department of Defence
and other government agencies, there are some amazing
discoveries being made.”
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