In such a new and exciting industry, CBD brands may struggle to set themselves apart from the crowd. But with a clear vision of high-quality, honest products, HelloCBD has done better than many. We spoke to the company’s CEO, Andrej Kuttruf, to learn more about their approach to the growing industry.
Could you tell us a bit about HelloCBD and your products?
We were in development for a year before we launched HelloCBD at the Europe CBD Expo in July (2019). We spent a long time developing various iterations because we thought it was important to make sure that we got it right.
At HelloCBD we work very closely with laboratories to ensure that the quality of our products is consistent from start to finish. With that aim in mind, our products are quality tested both at the beginning and the end of the production run.
What do you think sets HelloCBD apart from competitors in the industry?
One of our key aims is to make CBD accessible to everyone. With that in mind, we have created a range of CBD products that provides something for everyone. So, we have oil tinctures, gummies and chocolates, soft drinks, and teas and coffees, as well as CBD supplements and topical products.
It has been clear that there are many unreliable brands operating in this category, so we wanted to make sure that our products met the expectations of customers. That’s why we have taken it upon ourselves from the beginning to consistently test the quality of our own products.
We also try to make our products affordable to people. As the industry develops, prices will start to come down and we are hopeful that in the future, CBD will become much more affordable for everyone.
HelloCBD Gummies – Strawberry and Lime
What made you want to get involved in the CBD industry?
Well, we started off five years ago in the vape industry, which gave us a lot of experience in retail. The vape industry for us was firstly about helping people to stop smoking, and we now find that CBD represents a very similar purpose to provide help to people looking for alternatives to medication from Big Pharma.
CBD started out with a lot of stigma around it because of its association with cannabis, just as vaping had a stigma due to its association with smoking. But we realised that this can really help people. We have heard claims that CBD has helped people with anxiety, arthritis and pain and many other things. So, we wanted to get involved in that.
Do you think that your previous experience working in the vape industry has helped you when navigating the CBD sector?
Yes, definitely. We first started in 2014 and we managed to build up a lot of infrastructure around the vape industry. So, we now have around 38 retail outlets and access to laboratories and manufacturing facilities that have definitely given us an advantage when setting up HelloCBD.
Our resources have allowed us to set up the production of consistent, high-quality products. I think that our experience also helped us to get a clearer understanding of our customers because we already had direct access to a customer base that we could learn from.
What do you think about the current regulatory status of CBD in the UK?
I think that the recent advice given by the Food Safety Agency is good news for the industry. When regulations are put in place that is considerate and responsible, they can definitely benefit customers and businesses and I think that the advice of the FSA is considerate and responsible.
Better regulation of the CBD industry will help to ensure that products go through the necessary quality testing and enable businesses to build more trust with customers. After all, CBD is still a relatively new product, and an expensive product, so customers will only continue to buy products if they work for them.
HelloCBD Oil Tinctures
If you could change one thing about the UK’s CBD industry, what would it be?
My main hope is that participants in this category will have the best interest of the customer at heart. We have seen many examples of products with mislabelled and poor-quality products, some of which may not even contain CBD.
Unfortunately, with an industry like this one, which represents so many great opportunities, there are people who rush in for the short-term profit. These people often end up hurting the market and making customers uncertain. I hope that in the future, this will change, and the CBD industry can build a market that puts the customer first.
Do you use CBD yourself? If so, what is your favourite HelloCBD product?
Yes, I do use it! I like to use our tinctures and sleeping tablets. Usually, I use them in the evening before I go to bed, as I find that it helps me to calm down and get ready for sleep. I will usually use the 500mg CBD tincture as I find that that is the best dose for me.
I am also very proud of our drinks. We developed our soft drinks range very closely with an existing drinks brand which I think helped us to get them to the standard that they’re at. I like the drinks because they offer a good starting point for people who want to try CBD.
Does HelloCBD have any more plans for new products in the future?
Yes, we do have more products planned – this is only the beginning! We have lots more products in the pipeline, but I can’t say too much about it yet. At HelloCBD, we want to use what we already know about CBD and take advantage of its enhancing effect.
We are very excited about where this market is going. I think that CBD is just the first wave of a wider movement. As people continue to accept the benefits and potential of this plant, I believe that they will begin to embrace the plant as a whole. In my opinion, the growing interest in CBD represents people taking their health back into their own hands.
