Cannabinoids in Food and Beverage: Market Trends, Innovation, and what the future holds

I first heard about CBD some years ago and didn’t think much about it and had never tried it. Many friends had told me they had great results so in the fall of 2018 I tried some and really liked it. The more I learned the more interested I became and instead of becoming a sales rep for someone else I decided to start my own company, create a killer brand and provide fantastic products. There were a few CBD drinks on the market early in 2019 and for me they were either flavorless or too sweet so I wanted to create a drink that I would want to consume myself. It took six months of R & D with a PHD to get the right formulation but we finally launched Sati CBD Soda in October 2019.

Originally from Tel Aviv, Joel fell in love with chocolate in its raw form when he and his wife lived in Costa Rica, where some communities view it as a superfood rich with antioxidants, magnesium and more. Inspired by the tradition of the bean-to-bar process, and no doubt the healing, Pura Vida energy of Costa Rica which inherently travels over with Gataka’s clean, wellness-oriented vibe, Joel launched DAR Chocolate, his first, non-CBD craft chocolate brand which makes everything from scratch.

I am an adaptable and motivated individual that started as an organic chemist with a passion to help improve medicine, which led me to pursue a Doctor of Pharmacy. The scientific and medical backgrounds melded together and I presented at 2 conferences, optimized 10+ methodologies, provided multiple lectures for third-year pharmacy students, initiated 2 collaborations, and finished 2 publications as demonstrated by earning a Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences. I have a creative personality with emotional intelligence who enjoys music. I have learned to play 5 instruments, including the piano, clarinet, saxophone, and drums. The most enjoyment comes with the bass where I recorded 2 albums with a few rock bands. I began to develop my leadership skills while in Boy Scouts where I achieved Life rank, hiked 150+ miles of the Appalachian Trail, spent 12 days exploring Philmont Scout Ranch, enjoyed rock climbing and repelling, canoeing, and more.

Ian James founded The Ideation Lab, LLC (TIL), where he provides the Company's strategic vision, and development leadership, as well as mergers, acquisitions, and analysis for the company. Ian utilizes his expertise in branding, marketing, employment, and environmental, health care, rezoning, and land use issues, telecommunications, as well as transportation and logistics. He has raised roughly $100M in capital investment for various operations since 2014. From 2018 through 2019, he helped spearhead a reverse triangular merger with a sub-$90M Nasdaq company in which a vertical CBD company, SanaMundi, sought to go public. The go public plan was sidelined by the COVID-19 Pandemic. In 2016, Politico Magazine named Ian one of the United States' most influential political thought leaders. Before The Ideation Lab and SanaMundi, Ian ran a successful marketing and advocacy firm that oversaw the collection of nearly 7 million signatures to place issues before voters. At that time, his firm developed the blueprint to amend the Ohio Constitution for casino gaming. He worked on a variety of other high-profile social justice and ballot issues, including protection of voting rights, employment rights, and civil rights issues. He also served in numerous governmental offices, including senior campaign staff and lobbying positions, corporate executive for Merv Griffin's Players International in Illinois, Louisiana, Missouri, and Nevada.

Ryan McFarland has established himself as a respected expert in the CBD space. His experience has brought a wealth of knowledge, systems, and tools for WherezHemp to build the largest LinkedIn Group “CBD & Cannabis Professional Business Network” with over 17k members & businesses. He is also the CEO of WherezHemp and his specialties include sales, automation, & digital marketing. He has been recognized by ClickFunnels as a 5 time Two-Comma Club award recipient with over $5M in online sales generated through ClickFunnels. Mr. McFarland has spoken on stages around the world about various topics including marketing, sales, investments, & automation in your business.