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The Good Oil: Edition 1

Written By Adrian Crawford Oct 7th 2022

Tags:

CBD EDUCATION

CBDISTILLERY

Table Of Contents

Expert’s Corner

For our maiden voyage, I thought it’d be fitting to introduce one of the founders of CBDistillery and the man behind our range of wellness products. Andy Papilion is Chief Product Officer and the expert botanist responsible for distilling our plant-powered remedies. I sat down recently with Andy to learn more about...well, everything to do with the company, the cannabis plant and more.

Adrian Crawford: First thing’s first: can you give me, an absolute scientific layman, how you define botany and what it is to be a botanist?

Andy Papilion: Botany is the study of plants. I went to Colorado State University for my undergraduate degree in botany. It has been proven useful throughout my career in the cannabis space when looking at specific compounds expressed in the hemp and cannabis plant to help our customers attain and live a healthy and balanced lifestyle. It has also proven useful as we continue to explore the evolution of our product portfolio to include synergistic ingredients and compounds such as functional mushrooms and kava extracts to enhance the benefits of our offerings.

AC: Next up, the origin story: What made you so passionate about plants and what set you on the path that ultimately led you to co-found CBDistillery?

AP: I’ve always had an extreme passion for the cannabis plant and lifestyle as an alternative to mainstream medicines and pharmaceuticals. I began to share products I was very fond of with family members and friends looking to try something new to help out with whatever ailment they had, which snowballed into an overwhelming need for these products. They were changing people’s lives. We started selling CBD in late 2015 and realized a big disconnect with education around non-intoxicating cannabinoids and the benefits they can provide so, alongside the other co-founders, I set out to get safe and effective products to the consumer at an affordable price. At the time, there was very little clarity around what you were buying, and what was available was extremely expensive.

AC: What does your position as chief product officer and expert botanist entail?

AP: My team is responsible for creating unique, innovative, safe and efficacious product offerings to our consumers. We ensure that safety and quality is at the top of our list at all times when considering a new offering. We were one of the first companies to begin to offer minor cannabinoids such as CBG and CBN which have since become mainstream in the hemp and cannabis space. We have an extreme passion and it brings us so much joy to be able to offer our ideas and concepts to the public.

Our conversation continues here.

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Five Fall Hikes for Prime Leaf-Peeping

If you ask me (you didn’t ask, but if you ever did), I would tell you that fall is the greatest season of them all. You can take this with a grain of salt of course, because having grown up in the subtropical climes of Australia, I’m still firmly fascinated with seasons other than “really hot” and “slightly less hot, but autumn is definitely superior. The weather is comfortable, the wardrobe options are cozy, the apples are ready for picking and the lattes and beers are ready for pumpkin spicing.

The best part of all, in my opinion, is fall foliage. If you’re fortunate enough to live in a place where the leaves change throughout the season, you know how breathtaking it can be. And there’s nothing quite like lacing up your boots, filling your water bottle and heading out for a hike in the crisp autumn air.

So this month I compiled a list of terrific hikes all around the country where you’ll be able to do some killer leaf-peeping while you trek off the beaten path. They are:

Jud Wiebe Memorial Trail (Uncompahgre National Forest, Telluride CO)

This is one hike you’re going to want to do when the weather’s nice. With a “moderate” difficulty rating during the summer and fall, the Jud Wiebe Memorial Trail offers a challenge for hikers who will be rewarded with the best views of Telluride when they reach the summit. The colors from the aspens and wildflowers make for some beautiful photo opportunities along the way.

Empire Bluff Trail (Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Empire MI)

This moderately challenging 1.5-mile out-and-back trek is popular with hikers all year round and delivers amazing vistas of Sleeping Bear Dunes and Lake Michigan from the overlook. Insider tip: Go during the evening for gorgeous sunset views.

Ice Age Trail (La Budde Creek Park, Elkhart Lake WI)

A mix between open trail and woodland trekking, this easy 2.8-mile loop is perfect for getting out and enjoying some crisp autumn air and crunchin’ on some fallen leaves. Even better, man’s best friend is welcome to hike with you as long as your pooch is on a leash!

Mackworth Island Hiking Trail (Mackworth Island State Park, Falmouth ME)

Take in the gorgeous scenery of Casco Bay and Portland on this gentle 1.4-mile loop of Mackworth Island, off the coast of Falmouth. The trail is natural surface so watch your step as you’re wandering around, and keep an eye out for avian life – the island is considered a bird sanctuary!

Lost Lake Trail (Chugach National Forest, Seward, AK)

From the most northeastern corner of the country to the far northwestern, here’s a challenging one and a gorgeous way to spend a day. This 13.8-mile out-and-back route features a well-maintained trail with a gradual slope and rewarding lake views at the summit. Keep your eyes peeled for wildlife – some hikers have reported spotting bears along the trail, particularly over the past couple of years with less foot traffic on the route.

Happy hiking!

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CBD: A Hiking Must-Have

If you’re reading this, you might already realize the health benefits of CBD. Did you know that, in a 2022 exercise recovery study, 73% of participants “agreed” to “strongly agreed” that they felt less overall pain after their exercise or workout while using our Full Spectrum CBD Oil Tincture?

Hiking can be a strain on those muscles, so consider bringing our extremely packable CBD tincture in your pack on your next adventure in the great outdoors!

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Worthy Consumables

Until I moved to Maine in 2013, seafood was always a special-occasion type of food for me. Of course, once I arrived in Vacationland, home of the ubiquitous lobster dinner, I could have it virtually whenever I felt like it, oftentimes straight out of the sea. On many occasions I’d finish a hike with a friend and go straight to the nearest restaurant to refuel with a couple of lobster rolls and a couple of cold ones.

Living in landlocked Colorado hasn’t been as conducive to seafood consumption as my palate might prefer, but once again it’s a “special occasion” treat for me. A couple of weekends ago I finally got around to eating at a spot that’s been open in Denver for a few years now and it took me crashing back to my early days as a U.S. resident.

Maine Shack, in Denver’s Highlands neighborhood, is an unassuming little space that’s decorated with plenty of references to the Pine Tree State. You can sit inside at the high-top counters or outside at picnic tables if the weather’s kind (and in Denver, the weather is frequently kind). I ordered the “Connecticut” lobster roll and fried clams, neither of which my 2-year-old was interested in trying.

Sitting in the sunshine with some seafood and a cold Narragansett Lager was like stepping into a time machine back to my late 20s in Maine. I forgot to order myself a whoopie pie (the state treat of Maine) but I still got a sweet surprise when I looked up at the end of my meal to see two framed reviews on the wall inside, both from the small-town newspaper which was my first American employer.

I know a lot of our email subscribers are based in Colorado, but even if you’re not: if you’re ever in Denver and get the chance, Maine Shack is a true taste of Vacationland (and probably still a perfect post-hike meal).

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Flashback of the Month

On my very first day at CBDistillery, mere moments after I sat down at a conference table with my boss, she noticed a sticker on my water bottle and asked me “are you a fan of [streetwear brand] Supreme?” She proceeded to tell me that a previous iteration of the company’s logo and wordmark bore a very similar look and feel to the New York City-born skate and streetwear brand.

I was immediately fascinated and wanted to see more, so my boss sent me along some photos of past merchandise, which was a really cool window into how CBDistillery evolved over the years before I came on board. Then, just a few weeks later, I returned to my desk after a meeting to find it had been covered in gear from the "swag closet."

Have you got any merch from this era? Email it over, I’d love to see it!

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The Last Drops

We’ve reached the end of the maiden voyage of The Good Oil. If you’re still with me, thank you for coming along for the ride! The Good Oil will hit your inboxes and the blog monthly, but in the meantime if there are any topics you’d love to see me explore or experts you’d like to hear from in this space, please don’t hesitate to drop me a line at adrian.crawford@balancedhealthbotanicals.com. And if you enjoyed this read, I‘d be grateful if you forwarded it to your friends, family or whomever you think might benefit from it.

Until November! ✌