March Hemp Show Stacey Fujimura, National Sales Manager of Zing Bar.
Presenter: #2
The second presenter on the March HempShow is Stacey Fujimura- the National Sales Manager for
Zing specializes in on-the-go snacks and nutrition, with bars that are well known for being high in protein and delicious taste!
They boast three lines of healthy bars: Zing, Keto, and ZBD.
I think we all know what’s in the last line of bars…
Recognizing consumer demand for a better method to consume CBD, Zing partnered with Front Range Foods, a top hemp oil supplier, to develop the ZBD bar!
–Each bar contains 20 milligrams of premium quality CBD.
HempShow: Zing Bars Legacy Bar Company Introducing CBD:
Mark dives deeper with questions on how Zing got into the CBD space as a legacy bar company with a strong product history that’s only recently delved into the CBD realm.
Stacey went into the decisions that motivated the Zing Team to produce CBD bars and improve their customer experience overall!
Stacey’s Insights: Elements Behind ZBD CBD Infused Bars Development-
Firstly, David Ingalls (the Zing Bar founder and registered dietician with a master’s Degree in nutrition science) attended several networking groups and events involving CBD food products.
As David was mulling the idea of using CBD as an ingredient in our bars, we received messages from our customer service line, with Zing consumers requesting that very same thing!
Eighteen months ago, David gathered a team in Boulder to develop a CBD-infused Bar!
The first version had 10 milligrams, but feedback proved it simply wasn’t enough, so we upped it to 20 milligrams.
We also offer unmatched transparency with our products. Zing utilizes a QR code that supplies consumers with certifications and third-party testing for CBD and other ingredients.
ZBD CBD-Bar: Challenges with Marijuana Dispensaries:
100 % CBD Products: Some Counties Allow it, Some Don’t…
I wanted to get our ZBD-CBD bars into dispensaries in the Pacific Northwest before the pandemic.
In Washington, dispensaries that sell marijuana prohibit 100% CBD hemp products, But glass shops don’t- So I started connecting with glass shops in Washington.
I also headed down to Oregon to get ZBD Bars into the retailers open to a CBD hemp bar, as there are a lot of exceptional progressive grocery stores in the Oregon Portland area.
FDA Requirements for CBD Products: Confusing & Impeding.
There’s confusion with what the FDA wants, as it depends on each region.
Some regions would say:
“‘Take out all of your CBD products- it’s not a food product.”
The same thing happened in California- ZBD bars got into some of the natural food stores, and they tried to shut us down.
People think Natural Outlets serve as a dispensary.
Still, when the dispensary falls under the state’s Medical Marijuana or Recreational Marijuana Laws, it prohibits CBD that’s not on a track and trace system.
In California, ZBD Bars went into stores in several different counties.
Orange County would get reviewed and say:
” You’re fine. You can keep the ZBD Bars on the shelf.”
LA County, their inspector, came in having a bad day and said:
“No, you need to pull everything.”
So there was no consistency within these states.
In those cases, Zing Bars got barred from all dispensaries out there.
Enforcing additional rules that are essentially putting handcuffs on your business by limiting what you can do to get your product out to your customers.
We found Colorado is the most consistent, and ZBD CBD Bars are available at Sprouts in Colorado with a small distributor there.
Online Stores Remove FDA Inspection Risk:
Running an online store removes the risk of getting an FDA or a Department of Agriculture inspector coming into your store who’s, say, having a bad day that day and shutting you down.
That’s why I’m excited to present Zing Bars to the CannTrade attendees.
We’re hoping we can get more growth online, at least until the FDA clarifies what’s allowed and what’s not allowed.
Catch more insights with Marc and Stacey in their full Hempshow Video here!
They go over interesting topics and elements within the industry like:
Mark & Stacey
Stacy and Mark discuss other interesting Hemp Industry questions and topics, including:
- The changing public outlook on CBD and CBD products,
- Some of the wholesome organic ingredients that go into ZBD bars bars
- What type of infusion goes into the products: Broad-spectrum, Full-spectrum, Isolate, etc.
- And much more! Feel Free to click here for the full video!
