We recently had a conversation with John Sedillo who is on the verge of helping New Mexico become a hotbed for cannabis culture and cultivation. Mr. Sedillo is the founder/CEO of Family Hemp Brands and is also launching a licensed cannabis company in New Mexico called Ziawanna. Please enjoy our conversation with Mr. Sedillo below and learn what makes New Mexico such a special region for cannabis.
What has Been the Most Rewarding thing About Starting a CBD Company?
Since the beginning of 2018, Family Hemp Brands has been a seed-to-shelf company. Therefore, we handle all of our products and processes, so there are a lot of rewarding things that we do. However, hands down the most rewarding thing are the personal stories of improved wellness and well-being that we hear from many people who use or whose family members use our products. The personal stories of improved wellness are easily the most rewarding!
What Are The Brands Under FHB And What Makes Them Unique?
The brands under Family Hemp Brands are Honey Bee Select, Phyto Pro Select, and Family Reserve. Quality and consistency are truly foundational in each of our branded products. Formulate a top-quality product and remember that not all inputs are created equal. While developing the business of Family Hemp Brands, we were also developing the products in tandem. It felt kinda like building your race car as you are entering the race. At that time I definitely didn’t have the same depth of knowledge in producing CPG wellness products as I did with cultivation and extraction. Resultantly, product development took many months more than I had anticipated. There were simply so many important considerations that needed to be addressed and in looking around at other companies that were producing CBD products, I definitely learned a lot about what not to do. One of the things I saw immediately that I felt needed to be improved upon was formulation development. Even though I didn’t have much experience formulating CBD products, I understood that if you change the source of the CBD oil that is used in a formulation, you are in fact, changing the formulation itself. I reflected back on hearing about so many hit-or-miss consumer experiences when using CBD products. My conclusion was to use specific cultivars of hemp for specific formulations in order to ensure product consistency and efficacy. If I owned a company that produced an artisan Tea beverage or a fine wine, I would not use whatever leaves or grapes I could buy when I needed them. I would formulate my product with specific cultivars or varietals and use only those to maintain consistency at a minimum. I also focused on using ingredients that have been used in local wellness products for literally hundreds of years. Our formulations contain ingredients that have been proven effective and delivered relief for generations of New Mexicans and natives of the southwest.
Family Hemp Brands Uses A Lot Of Ingredients Native To New Mexico, Can You Tell Us Some Of Those Ingredients And The Benefits?
As a small company started in Santa Fe, New Mexico, we chose to look at some of the traditional remedies that our families have relied on for centuries. Those remedies have been used and relied upon not because they were fashionable or somehow trendy, those remedies have been used because they are effective and the natural ingredients were readily available. With a range of plant-based ingredients such as Osha root, Trementina resin, Calendula flowers, Arnica, and more. The benefits of these natural ingredients start with local, sustainable sourcing and then continue with aiding in improved wellness for many who have discovered the powerful benefits of plant-based solutions. It has been reported that Osha root has been used to reduce digestive and respiratory issues. Trementina resin along with other ingredients have been used by indigenous communities of the southwest on dry, sunburned, and other irritating skin conditions for over 400 years! Calendula flower is also known for its positive effects on many skin irritations and dryness conditions.
What Makes New Mexico Such A Unique Region For Growing Cannabis?
I love this question. Over 20 years ago I identified that in terms of favorable conditions for cannabis cultivation, Northern New Mexico is quite literally the Hindu Kush Region of the United States of America. We share not only many environmental characteristics but we share the same sweet spot range of latitudes as well. I call this the Specific Collection of Conditions. We have over 300 days of high elevation sunshine. Some of the areas used for cultivation are over 8000 feet above sea level. With that high elevation comes some of the cleanest air in the country and some of the most intense sunlight as well. We rarely experience weather or environmental conditions that are often responsible for mold and mildew in cannabis crops. We battle far fewer harmful insects and as a result, rarely have crops seriously threatened or requiring significant pesticide use. We will often have a delta or difference in day and night time air temperatures during the flowering phases of the plant’s life cycle that are perfect stress factors for the further development of cannabis compounds such as Terpenes, Cannabinoids, Esters, and more. We share a number of environmental characteristics as well as the same sweet spot of 35.5 degrees latitude. to compliment those environmental characteristics. I call this the specific collection of conditions.
Can You Tell Our Readers About The New Affiliate/Wholesale Program You Have Recently Rolled Out With Family Hemp Brands?
The idea of introducing an affiliate/wholesale program was born out of the desire to provide an opportunity for small businesses or individuals with active friends, family, and social networks, a way to access our products at a wholesale level for pricing, without the heavy requirements that many brick and mortar retailers can often face. We offer very low (MOQ) buying requirements, full-size product samples, and promotional support to all of our affiliates. It’s important for us to do as much as possible to help them get started in a way that significantly increases their chances of success. Some of our affiliates simply promote our products and get paid through a basic code tracking commission structure and others both promote and sell directly to small stores and end-users and are making substantial commissions while doing so. Our affiliate/wholesale program is nothing like an MLM-type business. No gimmicks, no pyramids, no problems, just great products, good old simple direct sales, and lots of happy customers and affiliate partners. For more info contact John@FamilyHempBrands.com
Follow @FamilyHempBrandsHQ on Instagram