Colorado-based Charlotte’s Web was launched in 2013 by the Stanley Brothers to support the parents of Charlotte Figi, who refused to accept the limitations of her severe seizures. Now the company is charting new territory, reinventing itself as it expands into functional mushrooms.
The company plans to introduce a range of mushroom-based products, including chaga, lion’s mane, reishi and shiitake, to further diversify its offerings and reach new customers. Missy Reigle, head of sales at Charlotte’s Web, explained that the company’s expertise in science and botanicals makes them well-positioned to enter this growing market.
“Mushrooms and botanicals have been part of our portfolio since the beginning. We’ve had inclusions from flavor to functional ingredients within our product line, and it’s a natural expansion to who we are and what we’re doing,” she said. “We’re so rooted in science, and the mushroom category needed someone very rooted in science. There’s good players out there in the field, and we’re really, really happy to join that category with them.”
The move also makes sense considering the regulatory challenges facing CBD.
“Regulatory has been hard,” Reigle said. “It’s a little wild, wild west.
“It’s very unfair to the consumers, specifically the consumers who need our products, similar to Charlotte. We work really, really hard to protect that and to bring that same science...to mushrooms. CBD became popular, and it wasn’t rooted in a lot of great things, and the bad actors that were out there in the market, which is why we’ve stood legs above that for the longest time. We’re excited to do that in mushrooms as well.”
To hear about cross-category opportunities and what’s next for the company, watch the full interview.
