Business Profile: The Cbd Boutique

\ Jan 21, 2016

7 min read

Why did you choose to do business in Albuquerque?

We were all born and raised here. We wanted to not only provide the community with dietary supplements from hemp, we wanted to become advocates for them. Even though our business is based off of dietary supplements derived from industrial hemp, we support the whole plant whether it is hemp cannabis or marijuana cannabis. The community needs more education on the benefits of both of these amazing plants.

What motivates you to succeed beside the desire to make money?

The biggest motivator for our company is enabling the access to the benefits that cannabis has to offer to everyone. We are on a constant push to experiment and research how the compounds in these plants interact with the human body. Every month there are more articles being published that cannabis helps treat this disease, or cannabis completely cures that. It’s all about getting the right information out to the people who need it in a time where some medications that can cure the most awful diseases are being price gouged by greedy individuals. Being able to offer a healthier way to help some of these ailments means that people have more choices when it comes to managing their ailments, instead of the ailments managing them.

What significant changes have you implemented recently?

An important change that we stand behind, is implementing more and more USA manufactured products, a majority of them coming from Colorado. As opposed to the imported products (China and Europe) that you can find online and in head shops. We are full supporters of industrial/agricultural hemp and the amazing benefits that this plant can offer.

What successes in the past year are you most proud of accomplishing?

During the process of growing our company, we have personally seen our Hemp CBD products help and change the lives of customers on a regular basis. There have been countless stories of customers who have come into our shop completely fed up with side effects of whatever pharmaceuticals they take. When they come in, they tell us their stories and a good 9 times out of 10 we see them back eager to get more tinctures, chocolates and even e-cig liquids containing hemp based CBD. It’s always interesting to hear the success that some of these people have with trying out our hemp-based supplements and finding that these natural methods actually work. It’s completely life changing!

We even carry some pet supplements, like a 100mg hemp CBD tincture and doggie treats to help our furry friends. Those have been growing in popularity too with dogs having just as hard of times as their owners!

What do you offer that the competition doesn’t?

This year we started off as the only shop specializing in hemp derived CBD products, now there are a few others that are picking up steam and becoming more successful in this industry. They offer products that are similar to ours in many ways, but the biggest difference between our competitors and us is that we have made special partnerships with hemp producers in Colorado. The products they provide us contain extractions from the entire hemp plant, whereas a majority of our competitors only have products made from the crystallized concentrated forms of CBD. We chose these partnerships because Colorado is the closest legal hemp producing state that we can get quality products from.

And that by no means discredits the products of our competition. We in fact hold a lot of close ties with them and even resale their products, but for the customers that are looking to fill that gap between medical marijuana products and over the counter supplements that do not require a MMJ card, with all of the same benefits, that’s where we still have a head start.

How do you maintain your competitive edge?

I think constantly learning of new products that can be offered from hemp and staying on top of research helps us stay informed and that helps us educate our customers on the benefits of the products that we offer.

What is your company’s greatest challenge?

The biggest challenge that we face right now would be educating others about the differences between hemp and marijuana. Though it is true hemp and marijuana both come from the cannabis family and have almost an identical chemical makeup, the uses for them are different. Marijuana, or weed, is what’s used to get high, that is what you need the medical card for.

Hemp on the other hand couldn’t get you high even if you lit a 10 acre field on fire and stood above the smoke. Chemically, the plants produce all of the same chemicals, except for the major component of marijuana, which is THC. That’s how we are able to sell our products, we sell just the medicinal benefits of cannabis plants. We aren’t out to get anyone high. We’ll leave that to the shops in Colorado…

What contributions to the community (charitable or otherwise) are you most proud of?

We are sponsors of the epilepsy foundation and are members of the American Cannabis Nurses Association. One of our owners is a RN at one of the local hospitals. We want to build more relationships with other support groups and become members of research organizations. We are also working on our membership for The National Hemp Association to help push the industrial hemp movement in New Mexico. That alone would help our state in tremendous ways regarding our agriculture, job markets, manufacturing, technology and medical research.

In what area of your business do you invest the most energy?

Right now we are investing time and energy on educating people this year. The Hemp Farmers Act is coming up to the legislation now in January. We are hoping it passes! That bill alone would fundamentally change New Mexico.

What book are you currently reading or what’s your favorite book?

Billy: The Secret

Gina: National Geographic Guide to Medicinal Herbs: The World’s Most Effective Healing Plants

Alex: C++ for Dummies 7-1 Desk Reference Guide

Anything else you would like to add?

We give military, students and MMJ card holders a discount. You can find us on Facebook and Instagram.

We are open Tuesday through Saturday from 12 to 5pm.

What is the difference between the products you sell as opposed to those commonly found in a medical dispensary?

First off our products are derived from hemp, while the dispensaries sell medical marijuana.

Comparing CBD from hemp and from marijuana, you can actually get higher amounts of CBD from hemp-derived products as opposed to marijuana.

That being said though, dispensaries have the advantage when it comes to selling medicine because they are able to sell products with THC. This is especially helpful when dealing with cancer as some say the THC in cannabis helps to kill the cancer cells. Outside of treating cancer though, there is an effect known as the entourage effect that occurs when using high concentrations of CBD and THC along with the other compounds in cannabis that provide your entire body with benefits through your endocannabinoid system. The endocannabinoid system in the human body helps to regulate all the other systems your body relies on, your hormones, your nervous system, cardiovascular, and even your immune system.