High Fidelity

Meet Callie Chapman and Holly Heimsath of Onward Analytical, two “badass bitches” grounded in science and pushing societal norms. Listen in to learn why lab testing is essential for compliance, product safety and product development.

Links:
Steep Hill Vermont
Rebelliously Compliant Event Registration

Show Notes: 
0:00 Let's get it started
1:17 Steep Hill Inc. update
2:53 Callie's background in product development
6:07 Holly's background in lab management
9:14 Is it a professional risk to work in cannabis? 
10:45 The original business relationship with Steep Hill Inc.
14:17 Announcement of termination agreement with Steep Hill Inc.
17:23 Overview of method development & validation
22:20 ISO Certification
24:10 State of collaboration between licensed labs
28:06 The role that a CCB lab will play
30:22 Creating a competitve advantage in a lab environment
33:27 The lab as a partner in product development
39:03 Current study with cultivators
41:20 Preparing for federal legalization
44:18 "Taking a floor" 

In Part 2 in our 3 Part series on ensuring product safety, Bridget and Cary discuss the CCB's recent Consumer Protection Warning, his compliance team’s near term priorities, and the benefits of an analytical lab under the direction of the Cannabis Control Board. 

Show notes: 

1:25 -VT Cannabis licensing update
2:18 - Employee to business license ratio, 2:54 - VT Cannabis workforce demographics
3:46 - CCB Enforcement actions, 5:07 - Updates on recent Consumer Protection Warning
8:27 - Residual pesticides on clones, 9:18 - pesticides in the environment
11:28 - Legality of out of state clones
12:38 - Importance of Nursery License
14:40 - Product registration process
17:54 - How CCB was set up in statute
21:43 - State agencies that collaborate with CCB
27:10 - Importance of CCB directed analytical lab
34:20 - Compliance team's current priorities
37:25 - Overview of 4 categories of Compliance
39:30 Comfort for new consumers

Cosmic Vagina is a product and a state of mind. Listen in to this open conversation between three women, all mothers to daughters, exploring what it means to take care of ourselves and each other.

Links:
https://three-buds.com
https://www.ilovemymuff.com
https://thegreenclosetvt.com

Show Notes:
2:49 - Origin story of Three Buds Apothecary

7:30 - Creativity being your craft

9:07 - Reducing stigma related to women’s sexual pleasure and health

11:29 - How to shed tree when you get undressed

13:30 - Seed to soil to oil

16:22 - Essential oil synergies

19:00 - SOS Skin Serum

20:45 - Women embracing their age

24:40 - Eat bonbons, have sex and take baths

27:45 - Bathing as an important part of selfcare

29:00 - Integrating the benefits of selfcare

32:15 - I Love My Muff

34:32 - What it means to consume a candle

39:35 - Candle care

On February 2nd, the Vermont Cannabis Control Board issued its first Consumer Protection Warning and product recall. The CCB has since made an urgent request of the state legislature for a $1M budget increase to expand their testing capabilities. Bridget discusses the issues at hand and what consumers can do to educate themselves about the products in the marketplace.

Links:

Vermont Cannabis Control Board Consumer Protection Warning
Vermont Cannabis Control Board Complaint Portal
Northern New England Poison Control Center
Rebelliously Compliant Speaker Series at Steep Hill Vermont

In this episode we share our discussion with Emma Merritt, Director of Product Development for Kria Botanicals. Before joining the team at Kria, Emma was a staff herbalist and product formulator at Railyard Apothecary, a worker-owned, herbal co-operative based in Burlington, VT. Bridget and Emma discuss Kria’s position in the industry as a contract manufacturer for both CBD & THC brands and how Emma’s background as an herbalist, informs her work.

Links:
https://kriabotanicals.com/
https://www.railyardapothecary.com/
https://vtherbcenter.org/
https://thrive.kaiserpermanente.org/thrive-together/live-well/forest-bathing-try

Show Notes:

2:08 Emma’s philosophical approach to herbalism

6:44 Hemp being welcomed into the complete herbal apothecary

9:29 Emma’s introduction to Kria

12:22 Tinctures vs sublingual oils

15:37 Overview of Kria’s contract services

17:09 Overview of extracts that can be used in product formulation 

21:20 Potential benefits of live rosin

26:16 Creating different cannabinoid ratios in an infused product

28:40 Formulating with acidic cannabinoids

32:55 Contract services that are currently in demand 

36:00 Providing differentiation in a crowded gummie market

38:16 Botanicals that work well in cannabis formulation 

40:58 Kria’s focus in 2023

42:27 Examples from Emma’s selfcare routine

In this episode we share our conversation with Sam Bellavance, the Founder and Executive Director of Sunset Lake CBD and Sunset Lake Cannabis. Sam is a lifelong farmer and resident of Vermont. He began growing industrial hemp back in 2018 as a way to diversify crops on his family’s dairy farm. The following year, he pivoted to growing hemp as a CBD crop and Sunset Lake CBD was born. Last year he and his team expanded operations into the cannabis market as a Tier 4 outdoor cultivation license. Bridget and Sam discussed how Sunset Lake’s commitment to the triple bottom line has been a critical factor in their success so far. They touch upon the lessons Sunset Lake has learned in the hemp industry and how mission-driven work and climate resiliency are top of mind as they plan and invest in the future.

Links:

https://sunsetlakecbd.com
https://www.sunsetlakecannabis.com
https://www.uvm.edu/extension
https://vbsr.org

Show Notes:

2:23 Sunset Lake CBD origin story

5:41 Partnership with UVM Extension

8:38 Doubling down on CBD

12:45 Upcoming changes to the hemp program in Vermont

18:43 Market data to illustrate overall impact of hemp/cannabis industries in VT

21:26 Knowledge transfer from CBD to THC markets

24:38 Cross-pollination concerns

26:35 Choosing suitable genetics for growing outdoors in VT

28:17 Commitment to triple bottom line

32:18 Investing in climate resiliency

In this episode we take a quick look back at the key cannabis stories in 2022, both here at home in Vermont and in the industry at large. Bridget checks in with Callie Chapman, Lab Director and Founding Partner of Steep Hill Vermont, for a report on what they learned in 2022 and how they are investing in 2023 to spur growth and support the emerging market. Listen in to gain insights on how recent history will shape the landscape moving forward, for consumers, businesses and policymakers alike.

Bridget speaks with Cary Giguere, the Compliance Director of the Vermont Cannabis Control Board. This interview is the first in a series with Director Giguere, that covers how the CCB ensures compliance with the laws, rules and regulations governing both the adult-use marketplace and the medical cannabis program here in Vermont. In this episode Bridget and Cary focus specifically on the lab testing requirements that have been put in place to ensure product safety. They also discuss how the compliance team audits the flow of products in the supply chain to confirm that licensed producers, retailers and analytical labs are meeting these requirements.

Resources discussed in this episode:
Adult-Use Program Complaint Form
https://ccb.vermont.gov/AUcomplaints

Bridget speaks with her first herbal teacher and continual mentor about how to approach plant-based medicine in order to create and maintain a beneficial relationship with cannabis. Jennifer Costa has nearly 30 years of experience as a trained herbalist. She is also a registered nurse with 15 years of service in hospital settings and a certified Cannabis Nurse through The Medical Cannabis Institute, a program approved by the NYS Department of Health. Bridget and Jen share some of their personal and professional stories with earth medicines in general and cannabis specifically. They hone in on the importance of gradually building a home apothecary to support one's health and wellness goals. 

Resources discussed in this episode:

Jennifer Costa: The Eldermoon School of Herbs and Earth Medicine

Pam Montgomery: Wake Up to Nature

Railyard Apothecary in Burlington, VT

Spoonful Herbals in Burlington, VT

This week Dan Pomerantz of Rebel Grown shares with Bridget his history in both the legacy and licensed cannabis markets; a circuitous path from his home state of Massachusetts to Vermont, California and back to Vermont, the state he now calls home. This is a personal story as much as it is a professional one. It highlights some of the tough choices that individuals face in the legacy market when they make the decision to break the law. Rebel Grown is now up and running in Vermont as a Tier 5 licensed Mixed Cultivator. Dan discusses the products he has to offer the market now and his ambitious plans for the future. He also provides a quick update on The Emerald Cup Harvest Ball in Santa Rosa, CA which took place on December 10-11, 2022.