Hemp based foods have been available for a long time but are now becoming very popular. Carla Boyd from Hemp Way Foods joins Joy Beckerman to talk about the challenges she has faced creating and distributing her hemp products. She discusses how she got her products, that include hemp burgers, hemp crumbles and hemp sausage into grocery stores, health food stores and restaurants. Produced by PodCONX https://podconx.com/guests/carla-boyd
Hemp based foods have been available for a long time but are now becoming very popular. Carla Boyd from Hemp Way Foods joins Joy Beckerman to talk about the challenges she has faced creating and distributing her hemp products. She discusses how she got her products, that include hemp burgers, hemp crumbles and hemp sausage into grocery stores, health food stores and restaurants.
https://podconx.com/guests/carla-boyd
Dan Humiston: [00:00:08] Welcome to another episode of Hemp Barons. On today's show, Joy's guest talks about her food intolerance that was complicated by a terrible automobile accident which led her to Hemp and after several years of developing and reformulating her recipes. She debuted her products in local grocery stores, natural food outlets and health food stores to resounding success. Let's join Joy's conversation with Carla Boyd from Hemp Waifu.
Joy Beckerman: [00:00:43] Let alone Miss carla. Thank you for being with us on Hemp Barons today.
Carla Boyd: [00:00:46] Thank you so much. I am honored to be on the show, you know.
Joy Beckerman: [00:00:50] And food is really so close to my heart. And as many listeners have heard me say so many times. Hemp is the most digestible form of protein in the entire planet. Animal kingdom providing 10 grams of protein on average, 10 grams of digestable protein on average, and every three tablespoons of hold Hemp feeds along with a full day's supply of omega 3s and 6s. What brought you Muscala of Hemp Way Foods into Hemp? How did you learn about Hemp? And how did it get up in you? So much so that you've dedicated your business to delivering this densely nutritious source of vegetarian protein to the world?
Carla Boyd: [00:01:33] You know, I actually came in it more on the medical side many years ago in 2009, when I first started, it was more of a personal journey.
Carla Boyd: [00:01:47] Due to some health reasons and I became more of an advocate on Cannabis side, medical and then probably around. 2010 2011, I started really getting interested in the Hemp side, just learning what it was doing with the remediation side. The food, fuel fiber aspect of it. So I started helping a group called Hemp Cleans with the education piece. We'd go around small town in Colorado, talk to the farmers and just try to give them another side to the plant in a big education piece and really help the farmers kind of understand what this entailed. I had what I think a lot of people get called leaky gut. And it was absolutely horrendous. I had health issues. I kind of backed away a little bit from my advocacy piece, but I had already obviously learned a lot about Hemp. I knew I could put it in my smoothie, my yogurt. I got all that. I could eat a tablespoon of it, but I really wanted a way that I could eat it in prepared foods. So I kind of started this mission. But more of a mission because I wanted food. I am allergic to gluten, dairy, corn, soy. And so I drove in to create a sustainable, healthy food for me. You know, in already having my background in the Hemp world, I figured, why not? Let me let me see what this is about, because I started diving into the nutritional aspect of it and I created what I call a burger pride, more of a Pattee, but I feel like burgers a little more of an acceptable food word.
Carla Boyd: [00:03:31] But so I created that is funny. My neighbor next door. I would constantly take her A, B and C for months. And then it I don't know, I would just give it to different friends. And it wasn't even my friends that were calling me that. That really sparked this. It was more of complete strangers, people that I didn't even know that my friends were giving it to, and then it would just get passed around because I think people were so surprised because I started this company in 2014. So I think a lot of it was it was just such an unusual product. People were so surprised. And I just started passing it around and going, wow, I'm actually onto something here, I guess. And so it it was almost a bigger entity than just me, you know, needing this food for myself. I realized early on that this was this was needed everywhere. So I got a commissary. Get my business license had no clue I owned an insurance agency for six and a half years.
Joy Beckerman: [00:04:36] I knew nothing. I mean, he was a glue. He was a gluten intolerant insurance agent.
Carla Boyd: [00:04:44] I had I really I came from the marketing and sales world. I obviously loved that when I had my agency. I had a big firefighter clientele and I would cook lasagnas and cookies and that that's how I got my firefighters from. So I've always been what I call a personal cook. I love it. Even before I started my company, I would do pop up, you know, kitchen sometimes at like fish or, you know, dead shows or just different things like that back into it. So I would just have fun with food. I've always been interested in food, but never in a million years thought I would own a food company. So it definitely evolved very organically. And then with all my friends in the industry, it was a very grassroots movement. I mean, honestly, one of the reasons of the success of my company is a lot of a lot of the reasons for that. Because of the people that are behind me and helping me and pushing the company forward. I mean, so there's so many people that want to see him play foods just as a national entity. So it very much organically began from a necessity, but also a passion for the plant, just believing in everything that it can do more than just a nutritional realm. But obviously, nutrition is what my company focuses on.
Joy Beckerman: [00:06:06] Absolutely. Tell me, what did Hemp waste foods? We're so blessed to have Industries Association. You're a member of the of the association. And also you chair our communications committee, which is such an important committee. When did Hemsley Foods really sort of form in a solid way? And you you introduce herself to the world very slowly.
Carla Boyd: [00:06:30] Smalley, February of 2014. So I just hit my six year anniversary.
Joy Beckerman: [00:06:35] Wow. Congratulations and Hemp years. We know that, you know, 30 years or so like dog.
Carla Boyd: [00:06:41] You know, it really it does. It feels like forever ago when when I talk to people that haven't seen me for my insurance days, it's so funny because I feel like that was like 20, 30, 40 years ago. I mean, it it's just hilarious because it it you're right. I've never thought of it in dog years, but. Oh, my gosh, that's hilarious.
Joy Beckerman: [00:07:05] You know, the revolution is quite a sausage making process and you've learned a ton of lessons in those six years. Could you share with our listeners some of that journey, the disappointments, the highlights, the achievements as you move forward as an entrepreneur in the United States of America, given this beautiful crop and with your idea as you move forward? Can you share some of that with us?
Carla Boyd: [00:07:34] Yeah, I definitely had a lot of mistakes just in the sense of I I would just I would call random companies and just say, hey, can I meet with you? And some. Like what? So a lot of it was I reached out a lot.
Carla Boyd: [00:07:49] One of the first things that I think is planning it out and having more of a structure, having thick skin, you really that's probably one of them. Because going in to now, I definitely at, you know, 2020 sitting here in March, I definitely have more acceptance right now. But even a few months ago, walking into a restaurant trying to get them to acquire a hamburger. One of the owners was like, you expect me to feed marijuana to my client tail? I have kids to come in here. So it's an education piece. So it's not just about owning the business. It's when you when you start a Hemp food business, you're not just starting Hemp food business. You have to become an educator. You are an advocate whether you want to be or not or you should be, because once you get in, you have to explain it's not you're not you. We're I think we're years out from this. People going, oh, yeah, I'm eating Hemp. It's no it's not. It's just a second thought. It's like Chia, like flaks, you know, any of those items. I think we're a few years out from that. So I spend a lot of time educating, a lot of time explaining. And I definitely have to realize that when I'm not in Colorado, I have to do more explaining. And I have thicker skin going into the retail market, accepting that you have to educate some of the buyers, having them, you know. I had a national chain really complement my packaging because I repackaged over the summer, got where I could kind of look like the big boys. So I. REPAK A reformulated, beautiful, by the way, beautiful packaging. Thank you so much. I am a friend of mine, reached out to me that lives in San Diego. And she was, you know, Carlye. I have a branding company. I would love to work with you on this. We've never done a food company before, but I really want to be involved and I cannot explain. Yeah, I've been over the moon with the work they did. It was beautiful. Like it. It was absolutely spectacular.
Joy Beckerman: [00:10:05] So that helps as you as you go in and have to have to educate folks and deal with some social re-engineering from taboos around Hemp and any form of Cannabis. It sure does help to have some beautiful packaging showing your vibrantly nutritious products.
Carla Boyd: [00:10:21] No, it does, because I had you know, I went in it when I when I had a friend of mine design the logo. Back in the day night, I still probably will always recognize my old logo as simply food in a way, just because it was the seed had a seedling popping out into me that encompasses simply foods. But I had to open my eyes and realize on a national level nationwide going forward, that is not going to be acceptable. Like it just.
Carla Boyd: [00:10:50] I'm not saying it's acceptable. I think it is. But I'm saying in Minnesota, I'm not isolating Minnesota. I'm just using Minnesota as an example. But, you know, like somebody in Minnesota buying a hamburger, if they see a big Cannabis leaf in a grocery store, they might not be as apt to buy it. So that's what the bread you know, that's what the branding company talk to me about. They're like, Carla, this lokos Gray. Like, I get what you're talking about. It looks grassroots. It's awesome.
Joy Beckerman: [00:11:17] So you originally had a Cannabis leaf on your as part of your logo and whatnot?
Carla Boyd: [00:11:21] Oh, yes, ma'am. Idea. It was beautiful.
Joy Beckerman: [00:11:24] Oh, you're so great, my hardcore sisters. It was just going for it. Indeed.
Joy Beckerman: [00:11:32] And as a guy who, of course, worked with other Hemp food companies internationally and in Canada and own, of course, with Matt Burkhardt's and some other partners at grain processing facility Colorado, Hemp works. And yeah, we promote that seed and what that means. So I'm so glad you got that feedback because we want your products everywhere. They're delicious, they're nutritious. And and tell me and the listeners some of the challenges. And this happens with every whether it's a CBD company, whether it's a hemp fiber company, textiles, Hemp, bio resins, some of the most simple things or food in Hemp and in any revolution, but particularly in this one as it unfolds, is there's a lot of excitement and a lot of promises and you think you're getting right to that front door of some major distribution. And then the disappointment happens and this is commonplace. Isn't that something that happens to simply food? This is how it goes. Is there any anything of those lessons that you want to share with us and then some of the things that you're looking forward to?
Carla Boyd: [00:12:43] I mean, I I recently had stores lined out. I already had stores accepting me that the managers I mean, I get it. But I reformulated got my my margins dialed in. It made sure my just I got everything on queue, you know, foreign national chain and already had the submissions. I mean, so I mean, I already had the stores ready to put it on the shelves and then corporate it didn't really see eye to eye with me. Corporate did not approve me since I don't do not have scanned data and it stands out.
Joy Beckerman: [00:13:21] Is that that's the UPC symbol?
Carla Boyd: [00:13:23] Yeah. I have that. But I since I self distribute, I do not have a distributor reporting my sales.
Joy Beckerman: [00:13:32] Oh, I see.
Carla Boyd: [00:13:34] And I you know, I even said I will. I can report this, but it was just, you know, apply in twelve months.
Joy Beckerman: [00:13:40] Got it. So a lesson for the for the entrepreneurs here is so you had the UPC symbol, you have a barcode on your products. But what the distributors wanted to see was data collected through the scan of that barcode.
Carla Boyd: [00:13:56] Is that correct? Yeah, that is correct. So even having our approvals from a corporate grocery store, that doesn't mean you're going to get accepted. You get the less really the lessons you have to learn. R education. Be prepared to educate, educate, educate and be willing to take some losses. It takes some time, but I firmly believe like right now I've got a manager with natural grocers.
Carla Boyd: [00:14:26] In Denver that is requesting to meet with me because there literally have so many requests from customers asking for my suit. He is specifically asking to meet with me so he can figure out a way to go in the corporate office to get them to accept me. And this. I just got the phone call for that last night.
Joy Beckerman: [00:14:48] I'm so glad to hear that because the people get attached to healthy food that tastes delicious. They want it. And I hear all kinds of things about this impossible burger. And I've not yet tried one. So I have no idea what it tastes like. But I can tell you that I know what Hemp seeds are. I know the relationship that this plant has with the human race, with animals and with the planet. And it's in demand. It's an incredibly densely nutritious source of protein. Omegas, fiber minerals, vital man. The Hemp seed is even one of only two seeds and nuts on the entire planet. Animal kingdom that leaves an alkaline ash in the bloodstream and promote to promote a P-H balance. You know, it's such an important step and I love the fact that that you have folks going to bat for you. And that's really often how these grassroots things work. You know, you have folks going to bat for you. They're recognizing that that store level, that the product is popular, that it wants to be purchased. People are asking for it. It's not there for them. And he's going to go to bat for you. I think that, you know, a lot of folks don't understand how distribution works and that folks get in at the cottage industry, small entrepreneurs, so brave, so innovative, so motivated and impassioned.
Joy Beckerman: [00:16:12] And they bring their wares to the local chain store. Even our local co-ops often are part of a distributor, a larger distribution network. And explain to the listeners how that works in terms of when, say, a store is hooked up with a distribution network.
Joy Beckerman: [00:16:27] The limitations of that store to make independent buying decisions for, say, here in Colorado, we've got a few Colorado distributors. But then they ask you to be exclusive to them. But then what do you do? What if you're in that exclusivity contract for two years?
Joy Beckerman: [00:16:46] But then within the year you and all of a sudden the Whole Foods wants you or something like that? That's the scenario. Yes.
Carla Boyd: [00:16:53] It really is like this tightrope of being a small company, because literally something like this could just explode overnight.
Carla Boyd: [00:17:02] And then you do need national distribution ages. It's really the distribution piece has been a huge hurdle for me.
Carla Boyd: [00:17:12] It really has, because I am in no way equipped to handle like a you. And if I do, I don't I can't supply somebody. I mean, I can supply somebody 10 pallets, but that it's going to take me a bit to get there. So I you know, we need those smaller distribution channels, those and there are some coming along, like there's a company called Food Maven. They have been an overage company all this time, but they've got the refrigerated food trucks already in existence. So now they're adopting a new online model, kind of like the thrive markets like this online Amazon. Some of the. So they're going to this online market. They've contacted me. They have a warehouse here, but they're also acquiring a warehouse on the East Coast.
Carla Boyd: [00:18:01] And they're going to start doing grocery deliveries to people's homes. So. Those are things you have to really. That's one of the things if you become an, you know, becoming an Hemp part.
Carla Boyd: [00:18:17] Becoming a Hemp entreprenuer is definitely. It's got its challenges, but it has so many rewards.
Carla Boyd: [00:18:25] But you have to look outside of the box, look at what other people are doing, but then try to modify it in different ways.
Carla Boyd: [00:18:33] I contacted the food maven like six months ago and contacted them several times. But come to find out. They fell in love with my company from the beginning, but they were trying to revamp their whole model for the way they were kind of grow. So now they are becoming an online distribution company. But they weren't eight months ago when we started. When I first contacted them. So look for those relationships. A lot of times where it's not a huge, huge, huge. But then you can grow with them, you know, on a larger scale.
Carla Boyd: [00:19:13] A lot of it is trial and error and just trying to figure it out. Because being the small biz, there's there's 100 different ways you could go, but it's tough with.
Carla Boyd: [00:19:26] It's a very fine line between being a small business and being a medium business.
Carla Boyd: [00:19:33] But it seems so. Ah, indeed.
Joy Beckerman: [00:19:37] And we see that. Yes.
Joy Beckerman: [00:19:39] That's that's the friction of these incredible ideas. And we see them we we see them, you know, throughout the emerging industries and all forms of Cannabis. And then you get to that point where you have to scale up and and then you need investment money in order to be able to do that, which is why you say, hey, if somebody wants 10 pallets, I mean, I can do it, but I'm gonna be working 16 hours a day to get it done for several days to fill up those pallets.
Joy Beckerman: [00:20:05] And so I so understand that.
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Joy Beckerman: [00:20:52] Where can people find you right now?
Carla Boyd: [00:20:55] And are you open to investments where people can find me right now pretty much isolated to the Denver metro area? Fort Collins I'm in the Lucky's Colorado stores. I'm in some other private grocery stores, Alfalfa. And then some big in markets.
Carla Boyd: [00:21:16] And I'm in like twelve restaurants, but it's pretty much isolated to the Denver Metro Foothills Mountain region.
Joy Beckerman: [00:21:24] And how would people get in touch with you if they're in there in that region? How can they reach you and get in touch with you if they want to carry your incredible products? And I want to make sure the listeners know what that product line is here in a second. But if they want to carry those in their restaurants or their or their stores because they're not beholden to these distribution companies, how can they reach you a lot?
Carla Boyd: [00:21:48] Go to my Web site. And most of all, my contact information is on my Web site, Hemp. Way Foods dot our email me at info. Hemp waste yet Hemp way food. All right. They can email me at info at him place foods dot com.
Joy Beckerman: [00:22:07] I just want to make sure that they know how to spell that Hemp way. Food is 80 and p w a y f o o d f Hemp waste food dot com. Go ahead. Is their answer that? Second part of the question? I apologize.
Carla Boyd: [00:22:22] The answer the second part of your question. Yes, we are open to an investor. Investment options. One of the reasons why we do not currently have an investor, in my opinion, is we're not your standard company. We really aren't. This company was built out of passion when I first started this company on paper. It made no sense and for many years it made absolutely no sense financially. I was involved in a car wreck a year and a half into the company. I was in physical therapy and two foot surgeries. So for three years, all I did was maintain the company, but very little growing. I did a ton of donations because that's how I kept my name relevant. And the public was, you know, sponsoring events but not paying them to sponsor, but donating food, things like that. Very, very small in maintaining my existing accounts. So it was like a it was just an odd eight. It's just a very odd past that. For many years didn't make sense of why the company was even in operation and functioning. But I believed in it. And I knew that where it could be and I knew the successful company that Hemp Way Foods could be. So I just kept working at it. And I just I believed in it so much and my husband believed in it. We just kept going. You know, year after year, it just kept self-funding it year after year after year. And then. So here we sit. We just celebrated our six year anniversary. And it makes sense now, you know, it finally makes sits. But on paper, you know, the revenue is low. And people have asked me, why did you do this? And it belief, just absolutely pure belief of knowing that the entire population needs to eat Hemp every single day. Why not? Why not let it be? Hemp Way Foods.
Joy Beckerman: [00:24:26] It's so your your products are so beautiful. Your site is gorgeous. I really hope folks go so they can see what these products look like. The the you know, and also when we talk about a central fatty acids. When you say we have to eat this every day for the love of God, they're called essential fatty acids because they're essential to our brain and body functioning. And we can't get them from inside of our own bodies. We have to get them from foods and to get these particularly these long chain polyunsaturated essential fatty acids that are basically impossible to find in the plant kingdom, you need to go almost into the salmon fish kingdom to get them. And by those, I'm talking about GLAAD, again, a little lahiff acid in FDA, the sardonic acid. And here is Hemp innocently just delivering it to us in full strength with such a beautifully dense new form of protein on top of it. And I see here also, of course, the GHC Hemp Awards, which I think are fantastic awards, really showcasing the beneficial uses of Hemp in 2019.
Joy Beckerman: [00:25:31] You've got Best USA Hemp Food in 2018. That's Colorado Hemp Food 2016. That's Colorado Hemp Food 2016 with the Cannabis Business Award. You got that Hemp product and facility. These are beautiful products that taste delicious. They look so appetizing. Your packaging is gorgeous.
Joy Beckerman: [00:25:50] I am rooting for you and your husband Carla and Hemp with food and may your passion really turn into a generation of revenue for you and your family that allows you to live comfortably and continue to have this rewarding, fulfilling work that you've created for yourself in delivering on the promise of the versatile, valuable planetary healing and human and animal saving Hemp plant.
Joy Beckerman: [00:26:20] It's really something that you have built here now. I am so glad that you remain dedicated to your vision and to this product, these products.
Carla Boyd: [00:26:31] Thank you. That it it means Allai really does. And a lot of the driving force of why Hemp Way Foods is still here is the people that call me daily Elmos. Tell me it's not about Hemp Way Foods persay.
Carla Boyd: [00:26:46] If if you eigth these ingredients on a regular basis, whether I made them or your next door neighbor made them or another company made them, you would still you would you know, you would feel the same effect. But when you eat, we are what you eat, eat. You just we have got to get on a healthier diet for most of the people out there. And in my opinion, Hemp is that answer.
Carla Boyd: [00:27:14] I mean, it really is. It's so nutritious, like you were saying with GLAAD and the ALJ. I mean, it's got Edelsten, which is a natural antibiotic. I mean, it's an amazing product. And that's that's why I've kept going because like I said, it's the people that call me and tell me how amazing my food is and how they can't find foods like mine in the grocery stores because it's gluten, dairy, corn, soy, not GMO free.
Carla Boyd: [00:27:46] It's free of so many items. And whether or not you are gluten free, you know, it just it's such a healthy food or whether or not you can have dairy people. I have so many people that say, oh, I'm actually a meat eater. But clearly your food is my meatless Mondays or my taco Tuesdays because it's so nutritionally dense and it tastes amazing. Like I love hearing that.
Joy Beckerman: [00:28:12] So it's so important for food to taste, good for people to be repeat customers and for people to come back and buy it over and over again. People love your food because your food tastes good. And that makes all the difference in the world. There are ad nauseum. Vegetarian protein burgers in that section of the grocery store. And at some point I purchased darn near every single one of them. They need to taste good in order for me to eat it. I have still an emotional relationship with food. So even though I make healthy choices, it's healthy choices that have to taste good. I need to enjoy my food. One day I'll evolve into a human being that just eats for fuel. But I need to, at this point in my evolution, eat for both food and oral sensory satisfaction. I need it to taste good. Yours tastes delicious. And this is a great Segway to talk to to talk about the three main flagship products that you sell. Because when we talk about how one of your products fits into Taco Tuesday, I certainly want to make sure that the listeners understand what these products are. Tell us what they are.
Carla Boyd: [00:29:17] Madame de Hemp crumble the Hemp burger in the Hemp crumble or exactly the same. Just ones loose one. So all my products are completely plant based and it but the product that works really well, it's Taco Tuesday is the crumble because like I said, it's exactly the same as the burger, but it's just the loose form. So you leave it in the fridge and you toast it and it makes the most amazing tacos or meatballs or basically anything ground meat can do, the crumble can do. So that's what I really that's one of my food trucks makes the most beautiful wrap with the crumbles and his customers just. It's why I like to go on Facebook and read their reviews to to see you like that, because any.
Joy Beckerman: [00:30:13] I love that and anything that ground beef can do. Your beef, your Hemp crumble can do better. XIMENES See that over. Hold on one sec. Five seconds. Anything that ground beef can do, your Hemp crumble can do better.
Joy Beckerman: [00:30:26] It's so wonderful to have you on the show. I see also here, no added sugars, no added oils. Obviously gluten free protein fiber. I really hope folks get the Hemp early foods. If you're in the Colorado area and you want to carry Karla's products in your restaurant or your store, please go to Hemp way foods'. Or email her at info at Hemp. Lee Foods. We're cheering you on, sister.
Joy Beckerman: [00:30:51] We can't wait to see you in more stores and I can't wait for your products to be available at the retail level online. Thank you so much for being with us.,.
Carla Boyd: [00:31:00] Thank you so much. It's been a pleasure and I hope you have a wonderful rest of your day. Thank you, ma'am.
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