2020 Central US Hemp Growers Conference & Expo
Zygote Nation was there! ... At the 2020 Central US Hemp Growers Conference & Expo on Feb. 23-25, 2020, at the DoubleTree Hotel Bloomington in Minneapolis.
This event was quite worthwhile for me, as it was extremely educational. Most of the exhibitors were from businesses involved in the growing. harvesting, storage, and transportation of hemp, along with companies that extract the cannabinoids and other beneficial substances in hemp for use in products like tinctures.
However, there were several vendors present that sell consumer products. They are the focus of this write-up. That said, I collected much information that I will use in future articles on the burgeoning hemp industry.
Here is my list of the expo’s notable consumer vendors and products:
Salt Creek Hemp
Photo by Michael Sirak
Salt Creek Hemp of Collbran, Colorado, sells a line of hemp-extract products ranging from tinctures and softgels to lotions and salves. This family-owned business grows hemp—utilizing organic growing practices such as organically primed soil—on its ranch in the Plateau Valley of the state’s Western Slope, and it makes its products in small batches using full-spectrum extract of the hemp flower, according to its website. This extract contains not only cannabidiol (CBD), but also additional cannabinoids, including a legal amount of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). The tinctures and softgels contain the extract, along with organic hemp seed oil. Its topical line consists of a body lotion, hand lotion, healing salve, extra-strength salve for deep muscle relief, grooming pomade for beards and hair, lip balm, and a hydrating, revitalizing mask. Most of the additional ingredients in the topicals are organic, such as the avocado oil, baobab seed oil, beeswax, coconut oil, jojoba oil, and shea butter, based on my review of the product labeling. Salt Creek Hemp already has five years of experience growing hemp, according to the website. The company is working to secure U.S. Department of Agriculture organic certification, it states.
Photo by Michael Sirak
Queen of Hearts
Photo by Michael Sirak
Queen of Hearts of Hood River, Oregon, east of Portland, offers products made in small batches with hemp extract and hemp seeds. The hemp that yields the company’s broad-spectrum extract (meaning its contains CBD and additional substances but is free of THC) is grown organically in Oregon, while the hemp seeds come from farms in Oregon, Washington, Montana, and North Dakota, according to the company’s website. Queen of Hearts sells its extract in a hemp oil (that contains hemp seed oil and/or organic coconut-derived medium-chain-triglyceride oil) available in three varieties: Nutty Natural, Oregon Mint, and Unflavored. The first two come in three strengths (i.e., 300 milligrams of CBD per one-ounce bottle, or 600 mg, or 1,200 mg); the latter is only sold with 300 milligrams of CBD per bottle. The company also sells gummies containing CBD isolate. Queen of Hearts’ hemp seed products include hemp hearts (raw, shelled hemp seeds); hemp seed coffee (roasted and ground hemp seeds blended with organic ground coffee); hemp seed oil (cold-pressed); and a kit for making hemp milk. The company also markets hemp facial serum, hemp seed oil for skin, and hemp sport salve in two strengths. Of note, Queen of Hearts is the first hemp-extract company I’ve come across whose products are certified free of glyphosate residue. I think that’s great.
Photo by Michael Sirak
Editor’s note:
Stone Lake Hemp of Lake Mills, Wisconsin, also was present at this show. I covered this family-run business previously in my write-up of the 2020 Wisconsin Cannabis Expo.
The US Hemp Growers Conferences and Expos organization sponsored the Minneapolis show. It also hosted the National Seed-to-Sale Hemp Conference & Expo in mid-October 2019 in Las Vegas.
Photo by Michael Sirak
I was fortunate to attend that gathering as well. Salt Creek Hemp and Queen of Hearts were present there, too. In my view, they stood out in Las Vegas as they did in Minneapolis.
