Praised by numerous consumers, Cornbread Hemp is the fastest growing CBD brand in the United States. Author of The Cornbread Mafia, Jim Higdon partnered with Eric Zipperle to create the first revolutionary CBD brand from Kentucky to offer USDA-certified organic CBD products.
Read on to learn about Higdon’s journey to design a superior line the history, and its benefits:
We are thrilled to speak with you today about Cornbread Hemp and its outstanding success. Let’s start with an introduction so our readers can get to know you better. Could you please tell us about your background and what brought you to choose this career path?
My entry into the cannabis industry came from the book that I wrote about my hometown in Kentucky called The Cornbread Mafia. In the 1980’s, the area where I grew up became notorious as a hotbed for outlaw cannabis cultivation. Between 1985 and 1989, 70 men were arrested on 30 farms in 10 states with what the government said was 200 tons of cannabis. And of those 70 men that were arrested, zero of them agreed to cooperate with federal investigators, who began referring to these men as the “Cornbread Mafia.”
After a long academic journey (Centre College, Brown University, and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism), I returned home to report the book that became “The Cornbread Mafia.” The success of the book led me into a journalism career, covering cannabis policy for POLITICO. While covering the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, I realized that I had one opportunity to get out of the bleachers and into the game that I had been writing about for years. That’s when I partnered with my cousin, Eric Zipperle, to start Cornbread Hemp.
What was the motivation to start your own business and what is the significance behind the brand’s name?
Kentucky has been growing hemp for 250 years, and the “Cornbread Mafia” kept that tradition alive during the generations of prohibition. When federal prosecutors called Kentucky cannabis growers the “Cornbread Mafia” in the 1980’s, it wasn’t meant as a compliment. But we took that pejorative and turned it into a positive to communicate that “Cornbread” represents excellence in Kentucky cannabis.
Our motivation to start the business was a calling. We had one opportunity to create the greatest company based on an authentic tradition of Kentucky cannabis growing, and we were determined not to miss it.
How is Cornbread Hemp different from other brands, and could you tell us your top-selling products?
There’s only one cannabis company in America that’s family-owned, vertically integrated, and USDA-certified organic. We grow our own plants in partnership with organic farmers, we process our own Flower-Only extract, we make our own USDA organic THC and CBD products, and we ship thousands of orders per day to customers all over the United States. We are the perfect fit for customers looking for an authentic brand with trustworthy products. Our top-selling products are our THC gummies, our CBD sleep gummies, and our full spectrum CBD gummies in various organic fruit flavors.
Have you ever encountered a stigma around CBD and THC products? If so, how were you able to address that?
There is still a considerable amount of stigma surrounding our products and category. We address those concerns with education and empathy. Everyone is coming to these products on their own terms, and sometimes people are surprised that hemp products are legal. We like to tell people that hemp is not a new thing, that Kentucky has been growing hemp for 250 years. The period of prohibition was lengthy, but it’s not the full history of hemp in America. That helps people to understand that hemp products are not newly legal; they have just been re-legalized after decades of prohibition.
What important factor should our readers know and remember about purchasing and using your products?
At every step of the manufacturing process, the decisions we make are towards creating a quality product. That means we only grow in organic soil. We only use the floral material of the plant in the extract. We only make USDA organic products. We pack our gummies in amber glass jars instead of using plastic. At every step, we want the customer to know that we have taken care to create the best product possible.
Do you have any personal favorite Cornbread Hemp products that you use daily or weekly?
I am a daily user of our CBD Skin Lotion on my hands, and I keep a jar of our THC gummies on my desk at work to lower the stress level.
Your products are delicious and by taking them you still feel in control and calm. Is there a maximum number of gummies that one could take daily?
Yes, there’s certainly a maximum amount that any customer should be careful not to exceed. But everyone is different. For some, one gummy will be all they need. For others, it could take a few. But it’s just important to start slow and low. There’s no off-switch on a gummy. If you’ve taken too much, you’re just going to have to ride it out. So it’s best to know your threshold by starting low and increasing incrementally.
What does the future look like for your Cornbread Hemp? Do you have more upcoming products that will be released?
Cornbread is just getting started on a new product development. After five years selling only full spectrum CBD products with a modest amount of THC, we have just released our first THC-forward product in our Blueberry Breeze THC gummies. Your readers can expect new varieties of THC products in the future from Cornbread Hemp, as well as a continuing expanding line of our full spectrum CBD products.
Anything else you would like our readers to know?
We know your readers can shop anywhere, and we value their decision to consider us. We promise fast shipping of quality products to their door, and we offer a 30-day “better life” guarantee.
See everything this incredible brand has to offer at https://www.cornbreadhemp.com/
