nothin CBD Boom Inspires New Local Business | New Haven Independent

CBD Boom Inspires New Local Business

Markeshia Ricks Photo

Incann founder Sarah Paris with the star of her new CBD lineup.

Sarah Paris was like a lot of young entrepreneurs — working hard and stressed out. On a quest to feel better she was introduced to CBD. She said it helped her find her will to chill … and to start a new business.

The business is called Incann. Paris launched it last month after working on it for a year.

Incann is a line of branded CBD products that are sold mostly online and through local stores. It is the latest business for Paris, a Brooklyn native who moved to New Haven a decade ago and co-founded Paris Realty, which calls 50 Fitch St. home.

Incann features CBD oil-infused products that focus on health and wellness.

When the 32-year-old mom of one started doing her research and then looking to buy CBD, she, like many people, was confused by too many products with questionable origins and little to no actual CBD in them.

You want to know how much CBD you’re getting,” she said, because every single person reacts differently.”

Paris said she started the business because she saw an opportunity to address the problems that she confronted in the marketplace by getting into the CBD manufacturing game. That’s how her business Incann, which stands for in cannabis,” was born.

Cannabidiol, better known as CBD, is the non-psychoactive component of cannabis. It is typically derived from the hemp plant, which is low in THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, which provides the high feeling that people experience.

Hemp’s cannabis cousin, marijuana, is much higher in THC, and also still illegal in Connecticut unless you have a medical marijuana card and a prescription. But CBD exists in a quasi-legal gray area and is an increasingly popular way people get what they see as the benefits of cannabis without getting high or running afoul of the law.

Paris said what works for her when it comes to CBD might not be enough for someone else. The only way to figure out what works is through trial and error. She said that’s especially true if you can’t be sure that a particular product has as much CBD as it claims to have. And she wanted to fix that.

So she works with a manufacturer in Colorado — where the cannabis industry is booming and recreational marijuana is legal — sourcing CBD from organically grown industrial hemp plants there. The CBD is extracted and tested extensively to ensure that each product in her line has as much CBD as is advertised.

Incann’s products are what she calls full spectrum.” That means they contain a wide range of the cannabinoids present in the hemp plant. They include the tiniest amount of THC, just .3 percent, which naturally occurs in hemp.

Many products are CBD isolate, which are cheaper to produce and mix with oil,” she said. But you’re not getting all the potential benefits.”

Incann’s products are tested by third-party laboratories for potency and purity. Paris said they are developed to the current Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs), which means they ensure that every product has what the label says and nothing else.

Paris is careful not to make any claims about the benefits of her products because she said legally she can’t. But she has personally used CBD not only to manage stress but also to fight migraines and other aches and pains, she said.

CBD is not a cure-all,” she said. But like any supplement, it can be part of your wellness routine to help with daily aches and pains.”

Health and wellness are Paris’ focus. She has worked with her manufacturer to create products that allow people to use them the way she does. Incann products can be ingested or used topically and the line includes tinctures, salves, and body creams. In addition to selling online, her products are locally available at Edge of the Woods market on Whalley and Elm City Wellness on Orange Street.

We launched in December to the public, and it has been an amazing response,” she said.

Paris’ personal and business motto.

She’s already looking for other opportunities, including cooking up a water-soluble CBD isolate that could be used by coffee shops and restaurants that might want to provide their customers a shot of CBD in the cup of joe or their baked goods. Manjares in Westville could be her first test case for that product, she said.

She’s focused on producing CBD without the small amount of THC in support of those who might worry about any potential drug testing. She’s also testing CBD for pets and working on a CBD-infused massage oil with Elm City Wellness in mind. The wellness center is now offering CBD massage, so it could be a natural partnership.

We see ourselves expanding but not being overwhelming,” she said.

Now that she’s enamored of the hemp plant and its ecofriendliness, she said, she wants to use it in everything from her product packaging to her office printing paper. She’s also got her eye on what’s happening with cannabis generally in the state and what it could mean for the future of her business.

I want to help end the stigma around cannabis,” she said. When I tell people I have a CBD manufacturing business they think I must be high all the time and that’s not the case.”

Tags:

Sign up for our morning newsletter

Don't want to miss a single Independent article? Sign up for our daily email newsletter! Click here for more info.


Post a Comment

Commenting has closed for this entry

Comments

Avatar for robn

Avatar for LennyMoore24

Avatar for THREEFIFTHS

Avatar for robn