Hemp Generation is challenging the way people think about cannabis.
Founded in 2018 by NC State alumni Louis Rubio and Chloe Blesh, the company aims to produce high-quality and natural cannabis products that promote natural healing and long-term wellness for consumers.
Rubio and Blesh met while studying physics at NC State. They were inspired to start their company after attending a grower’s informational hemp conference, where they learned about growing.
Also at the conference, Rubio and Blesh met staff from Triangle Hemp, who first helped them enter the industry.
“I ended up getting plants from Triangle Hemp,” Rubio said. “I teamed up with a farmer who had a license and moved into my dad’s backyard in the spring when farmers were just planting. And so then I grew in my dad’s backyard all the summer and harvested in the fall as much as I could. That’s kind of how it all started.”
Industrial hemp farming has been legal in North Carolina since October 2015. Rubio said he and Blesh had no idea about the state’s hemp growing pilot program until they attended the conference.
“North Carolina started their own hemp pilot program around 2016,” Rubio said. “And it wasn’t until 2018 that we caught wind of it. When I went to the conference, I remember thinking to myself, like, ‘Wow, this has been legal for two years, and I’m just now hearing about it.’ I would have stopped going to school two years into my degree if I would have known, you know what I mean? I would have dedicated my whole life to this whenever it was legal.”
Hemp Generation’s Creative Director Alex Amaya joined shortly after the first growing season to help turn the company into a brand. Rubio and Amaya met in high school.
“In art class, Alex was always like the guy who had the best artistic talent,” Rubio said. “And he was very focused on his work. His artwork always stood out from everybody. So when I thought about reaching out to Alex, it was like a no brainer.”
Amaya said Hemp Generation’s goals are very different from typical hemp companies.
“A lot of farmers were just growing to grow and to sell, and trying to push products that maybe weren’t particularly that safe or good for consumption,” Amaya said. “And so we wanted to come in and shift that into more of, ‘OK, how can we be transparent about the process? How can we be more educational and helpful?’ And we were thinking about the health and safety of the consumer, and we were really conscious about what they are going to be consuming because ultimately, it’s about wellness.”
Rubio said the company also hopes to break the stigma of cannabis and hemp products, shifting the view of cannabis and its use.
“We think that all the current smoke shops and gas stations that carry cannabis, [they] do damage the reputation that it can have as being a potential natural alternative medicine and things of that sort,” Rubio said. “So I think that’s been really one of our biggest barriers to people who perceive CBD as being this weird kratom thing that, you know, is only sold by shady places or something like that.”
In contrast with many cannabis companies, Hemp Generation provides lab tests for their products and makes all of their own gummies and tinctures using only organic ingredients and natural dyes.
“When we make our products like our gummies or our tinctures, we use all organic ingredients, natural dyes, nothing artificial, because we’re not here to sell gummies and candies, or make it look bright and neon orange and appealing,” Rubio said. “We’re here to try and sell something that’s going to help people better their lives. And we don’t want to give them compounds or chemicals that could contradict the positive effects that we’re trying to promote.”
Rubio, Blesh and Amaya said they have each seen the positive effects of cannabis in their lives and the lives of their friends and family, and they hope to educate the general public about these effects as well.
At each of their retail locations, located in Cary and Raleigh, they offer education and consultancy services to help consumers understand what product is best suited to their personal needs and wellness goals. This can also help simplify the multiple, and oftentimes confusing, terms and ideas surrounding cannabis.
In addition to wellness, the company also has products that can imitate the effects of marijuana. According to Rubio, their Delta 9 Gummies contain a standard recreational dose of cannabis, following Colorado’s standards, although they are technically hemp products.
The main difference between an illegal-marijuana and legal-hemp product is the amount of Delta 9 THC in it by dry weight. If a product has more than 0.3% THC, it is considered marijuana, if it has less, it is considered hemp.
Hemp Generation is also developing hemp products using THCA, which is not regulated by law. When THCA is burned, it converts to Delta 9, giving users the psychoactive effects of the compound. This allows Hemp Generation to legally produce products with strong effects.
Rubio said it is ironic that NC State is what helped him enter the hemp industry.
“I’ve always been like a cannabis enthusiast my whole life,” Rubio said. “I even got in trouble at NC State one time for having cannabis in my dorm. So funny enough, and then NC State was coming back around and, you know, giving me information about cannabis now. So it’s like, kind of cool. It’s like full circle.”
Hemp Generation envisions a future where everyone understands the benefits of cannabis and uses it to better their lives. Rubio highlighted this idea as he explained the best part of his job.
“Knowing that we can come to work and we’re helping people better their quality of life, that’s huge,” Rubio said. “The amount of happiness that I get every day when we have a customer and they come in for a refill and they just express how much nicer their life is and how much they love this stuff. And know that it’s just part of it all, it’s like we’re all like one big green family.”
Visit Hemp Generation at 2402 Hillsborough St., or find more information on their website or Instagram.
