Meet the Producer: Charlotte’s Web

At CBD Products, we love to shout about the CBD producers we have the good fortune to work with. The ‘Meet the Producer’ series is our way of celebrating their dedication to the industry and telling the story of what makes them, ‘them’. And With so many brands to choose from, it is also our way of helping you understand a little more about which producers are right for you.

This is the fourth post in our Meet the Producer series featuring some of today’s top CBD brands. We aim to break down who they are as a CBD company and why we think they’re great.

So far, we have profiled Frontier Jackson, Populum and Endoca.

Thought those companies were awesome? Well, it’s time you know about Charlotte’s Web.

What Is Charlotte’s Web?

Possibly the most well-known brand in the industry, Charlotte’s Web is a whole-hemp CBD company run by seven brothers in Colorado. They produce a strain of hemp (which is also named Charlotte’s Web) with 22 percent CBD made by cross-breeding many different varieties of the plant. They grow their hemp in six greenhouses on over 800 acres in three different states, and they rank number one in sales of hemp products online worldwide.

How Charlotte’s Web Started

Growing up in a large family with a single parent and limited means, the Stanley brothers were always an entrepreneurial group. As early as middle and high school, they started creating businesses together, like yard-raking, to earn and save money. When the eldest brother, Josh, graduated from college, he started working with developmentally disabled kids and researching the uses and benefits of medical marijuana. He grew so passionate about the evidence and possibilities he decided to open a dispensary in Denver, which allowed, under Colorado law, one “caregiver” to grow up to six plants for one patient. Serving as a “caregiver” to thousands through the dispensary, Josh knew he was bending the rules.

With the rapid growth of his business, Josh soon brought all of his brothers on board in various capacities. From his research, he knew that the cannabinoid compound CBD seemed to have a higher healing factor than THC, so he and his brothers turned their focus in that direction and began cross-breeding many varieties of hemp to get a higher percentage of CBD in the strain, ending up with 22 percent and their signature breed.

At the time, they were working hard to help a five-year-old girl named Charlotte Figi, who had an incredibly rare form of epilepsy called Dravet syndrome. Charlotte was having roughly 300 grand mal seizures every week and experiencing a significant developmental decline. Having had no success with any other traditional medical treatments, her parents were at their wits’ end. Once they got Charlotte on a regimen of the Stanley brothers’ CBD oil, however, everything changed. Seven years later and taking CBD oil daily, she has regained all normal functions and is down to only two seizures a month.

After the success of Charlotte’s case, the brothers named their hemp strain, and ultimately their whole CBD company, after her, and Charlotte’s Web officially began.

What They Stand For

Charlotte’s Web and the Stanley brothers are devoted to service. They want their CBD products to provide relief for all varieties of ailments and people using nature and science. Most importantly they know that safety and consistency is highly important. As Josh explained to the New York Times, “We use liquid chromatography to test all the levels of cannabinoids in the field”— referring to a chemical process that separates out, identifies and quantifies each element in a compound. “The whole plant is standardized,” he said. As it follows, every product they sell has a certificate of analysis, which you can also lookup online, so you know exactly what is in your product.

Going further in their value of service, they have a discount program for veterans, offering a 15 percent discount on several products on the site, along with a rewards program for customers to rack up points and earn discounts for every dollar spent online. They also started the Realm of Caring Foundation, a nonprofit organization that provides cannabis products to adults and children who suffer from series diseases and cannot afford cannabis treatment otherwise.

What They’re Famous For

Named the “Robin Hoods of marijuana” early on, and later the “Uber of CBD,” Charlotte’s Web and the Stanley brothers first became famous through their work with Charlotte and her family when they were highlighted in a CNN article in August 2013. CNN’s chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, who is a practicing neurosurgeon, further highlighted Charlotte’s story and came out in defense of medical marijuana the very next day in an op-ed on the news site, which brought more exposure to the brothers’ work in the CBD field.

Since that story and the immense expansion of Charlotte’s Web’s business, they have been featured on the TODAY Show, at Sundance Film Festival and in the New York Times, and a reviewer for The Strategist of New York Magazine claims their CBD “is the most calming thing [she’s] done since yoga.”

In Their Own Words…

Charlotte’s Web and the Stanley brothers have made incredibly clear statements about the goal of their work as well as the significant benefits CBD can have in the lives of those who need it. From their stated mission “to improve the quality of life of others” naturally, to the larger endeavor of the company which is “to pioneer a better future for those seeking peace—in mind, body and soul,” always focus on how they can help others be their healthiest, natural selves.

But perhaps the best words to share are from the Charlotte’s Web blog post-Q&A with CEO and Chairmen Joel Stanley, the second eldest of the brothers. When asked what lessons he’s learned from his work through Charlotte’s Web, Stanley said, “There is no amount of marketing dollars that can replace a group of people that truly care about helping others.” And later, when asked to name his own favorite quote, he responded with one by theologian, author and civil rights leader Howard Thurman: “Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive. The world needs more people who have come alive.”

The Stanley brothers come alive by helping others live life more easily and healthily. Charlotte’s Web is their way to help.

Ready to try some Charlotte’s Web? We are proud to work with Charlottes Web and their incredible Charlotte’s Web products, including various CBD oils, hemp-infused cream and balm, CBD capsules, CBD oil for dogs, and some fantastic starter kits. Enjoy!