"High Hopes" at Consumer Discovery Show by FounderMade in Santa Monica.

By Laura Medina

It makes sense that the crème de la crème of all-natural, holistic, homeopathic, and just plain organic, at an high-tech level, will converge at conference/trade show, https://www.foundermade.com/

The summit brought together 200+ top consumer brands and key industry players in the areas of beauty, wellness, and food looking to accelerate growth and exposure while introducing consumers to the latest products. The event consisted of six different panels, fireside chats, and key notes in one marketplace while creating networking opportunities for businesses to build distribution, sales, financing, and strategic partnerships. Among the panels, the highest attendance came from High Hopes: The Future of Cannabis where panelists Emily Dougherty (Editor in Chief, New Beauty), Michael Bumgarner (Founder + CEO, Cannuka), Clement Kwan (Co-Founder, BEBOE), Jessie Stanley (Co-Founder, CW Hemp), and Derek Thomas (Vice President of Business Development, Veritas Farms) discussed ways in which they are responding to demands for weed-based products as the legalization of marijuana becomes accepting in more states, technology and innovation amplifies, consumer curiosity grows – and how others can invest in these new markets

What's pleasantly insightful is what used to be underground has become normalization, it's the cannabis industry and farming for health and wellness, through better extraction and distillation technology.

Charlotte’s Web, founded by Stanley Brothers, is the industry leader and category pioneer in the hemp-based CBD movement. Right now, CBD is on the lips of health and wellness devotees and reaching a fever pitch in the broader supplement market for its ability to help to support a sense of calm, focus, and sleep in a crazed world.* It also helps to supports recovery from exercise-related inflammation and active lifestyles.

The 2018 Hemp-Based CBD Industry Brightfield study** touts Charlotte’s Web as the industry market share leader.

Recently, the successful completion of the Charlotte’s Web IPO is a historic one for the cannabis industry. Charlotte’s Web groundbreaking hemp-based CBD extracts started with one revolutionary little girl that’s grown into a massive community of people who are taking charge of their health through full-spectrum, non-intoxicating cannabis solutions.

Jesse Stanley is about as anti-"Stoner" as it gets.

He talks about the cannabis industry as farming and spent the conference discussing the Small Farmer Bill.

It isn't about "High Hopes" but the cannabis industry maturing into health and wellness.

In between the conferences, people were getting thirsty and hungry and there were plenty of healthy, clean, and satisfying protein and calcium vegan wraps, yogurts, and refreshing tonics to reenergize.

Informed and refueled, Attendees got a chance to glam up with a manicure from GlamSquad, try a detoxing armpit facial and complimentary coconuts that left them feeling refreshed from Kopari Beauty, cool down with Cryo facials from CryoZone, have their own beautiful selfie printed on a cookie from Selffee, create your own tea with foraged herbs from Fruitstitute, and keep their energy levels up with B12 shots from The Hydration Room. Some of the exciting emerging brands included: VOLO Beauty touting the first cordless hair dryer, fuel up with Navitas Organics’ Vanilla & Green plant-based protein drinks, and Acquis promoting luxe hair towels that cuts hair drying by 50 percent.  Other notable brands included: CW Hemp, Type A, Daiya Foods, and Rude Cosmetics. 

Too bad, this inside & out, head-to-toe wellness trade show and conference was one day only.  Let's bring them back for next year.