Tag: CBD

James Ryan, Higher Love KC

Beyond brownies: Chef turns to creativity-infused edibles; bake shop’s high blunted by social media blackout 

By Tommy Felts / March 19, 2021

When James Ryan’s mother holds a piece of paper, it trembles lightly in her hands.  “Helping her is what got me going,” Ryan said, opening up about the experience of his mother, Linda San Juan, with a mild neurological condition, and ways it pushed him to find an entrepreneurial solution that could help ease her…

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Michael Wilson, United American Hemp

Cannabis founder’s advice: Weed out the bad seeds; run green startups like real businesses

By Tommy Felts / October 29, 2019

Cannabis might seem like it presents a Wild West frontier for entrepreneurs looking to strike green, said Michael Wilson, but would-be founders must cultivate a plan grounded in common sense — and the law. “In the industrial hemp or marijuana space, if you want to build a successful business, run it like a real damn…

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Lisa Bledsoe, Tea-Biotics Kombucha; and Hunter Dozier, the Kansas City Royals

Tea-Biotics opens ‘world’s-largest kombucha taproom’ with 32 flavors, Royals flare

By Tommy Felts / September 24, 2019

The strength of Tea-Biotics’ new, world’s-largest kombucha taproom lies in its bold flavors — and a lot of them, said Lisa Bledsoe. “How good is fresh-pressed, organic blueberry? It’s great for you! It’s full of antioxidants,” said Bledsoe, founder of Tea-Biotics Kombucha, referencing just one of 32 variations on tap at the Olathe taproom. “How…

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Forget the war on drugs — Marijuana is a war on chronic pain, says founder in ProjectUK cohort

By Tommy Felts / June 13, 2019

Don’t look at marijuana through a societal lens, said Jessica Sanders. Instead view the natural substance as a potential life-saving measure. “My mother had multiple sclerosis and seeing her suffer really changed a lot about me,” explained Sanders, founder of Lisa’s Gifts — a high-quality THC extraction facility named after Sanders’ mom, expected to provide and…

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Heather and Kyle Steppe, KC Hemp Co.

Into the weeds: Your corner CBD store might’ve just lost its bank thanks to a slow-to-innovate industry

By Tommy Felts / June 11, 2019

Banking as a mom-and-pop CBD shop can be treacherous, said Kyle Steppe. “Our first week in business, our bank shut us down and liquidated all of our assets,” said Steppe, who operates KC Hemp Co. with his wife, Heather. Their downtown Overland Park storefront is one of many independent, regional CBD sites suffering from the…

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