Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Brad Malin. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Brad, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s start with a story that highlights an important way in which your brand diverges from the industry standard.
The CBD industry is currently not regulated and littered with adulterated product that can be harmful and even fatal to pets. Some companies have even been shut down and fined making erroneous claims about their products. We recognized this back in 2017 and created CompanionCBD. We knew we needed to create evidence based, safe, clinically effective, palatable products for pets. We have done just that.
We are the only veterinarian owned CBD manufacturer and education company exclusively for animal health. We pioneered CBD for veterinary medicine.. We created the first continuing education programs for veterinary medicine. We have trained and educated over 21,000 veterinary professionals globally.
Many customers come to us with bad experiences with trying CBD on their pet. This is why we pride ourselves as an “education company first,” that happens to make an award winning line of CBD products for pets.. “An educated consumer is our best customer.”
We go above and beyond in every aspect of our business. Collectively, we have over 85 years of veterinary experience. Our products are made in a cGMP/FDA approved facility and certified by the National Animal Supplement Council. We control every aspect of our business to include: Formulation and design all of our evidence based products with our veterinary team and food scientists. We also handle R&D, sales/marketing, distribution, and education to the veterinary community and pet parents everywhere. Many other CBD companies are middlemen, that purchase re-made products (white label) and sell online. This can be very dangerous, by not knowing the manufacturing practices and what the product contains. These companies are diagnosing and dosing animals, in which they have no clinical education or background. Only veterinarians are trained clinically in veterinary school and qualified to make diagnoses.
We will continue to lead the industry in CBD education, and manufacturing, with more evidence based products to come. By doing so, we can help manage a variety of conditions and keep pets living a happier, healthier, longer life!
Brad, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I am a first and foremost, a single father of two amazing daughters and two Goldendoodles. I do it all for them! I am a serial entrepreneur of 25 years, a former athlete, and have had 17 surgeries. I am also disabled, but that sure doesn’t stop me in anythign I do! It inspires me to be better and give back.
I was introduced to CBD about 6 years ago from a colleague who was looking to hire a VP of Sales for a start up CBD company. I tried CBD for the first time and it had a tremendous postive impact on me personally. I did some research and actually ran that company for about a year. I knew I needed to get CBD out to the masses about the benefits of this amazing compound. I decided to resign and start my own company, CompanionCBD.
In January of 2017, I met with a colleague of mine who is a veterinarian, that I respect a great deal. I asked him about his thoughts about CBD in veterinary medicine. He said,” let me do some research and get back with you.” After doing that, he said CBD can be effective in pets, if it’s administered, formulated, and dosed properly. We decided to partner up and launched CompanionCBD in October of 2018. We are the first and only veterinarian owned CBD manufacturer and education company exclusively for animal health. We pioneered continuing education programs for veterinary medicine. We have trained and educated well over 21,000 veterinary professionals globally, under the guidance of Dr. Josh Sosnow, DVM. We are a respected brand in veterinary medicine and our products are retailed at veterinary hospitals across the US and parts of the world.
Our products are evidence based, formulated by our team of veterinarians and food scientists, in a cGMP, FDA compliant facility and certified by the National Animal Supplement Council. Our product line is a “soft chew,” human grade, all natural, Free of THC, easy to administer, and very palatable to pets.
The CBD industry is not yet regulated by the FDA. This has been a challenge since day one. However, the FDA will soon define and regulate this multi billion dollar industry. The industry is littered with adulterated products and tons of misinformation and erroneous claims, mostly by middlemen. This is something we knew we need to focus on, and provide the veterinary community and pet parents piece of mind with our business model of education first, based on the real science of CBD. This is exactly what we have done since inception. We speak about the clinical applications of CBD in veterinary medicine on a global scale. We also educate pet parents about safety and efficacy of CBD in pets, via our social media channels and website. “An educated consumer is our best customer.”
Building a global brand in an unregulated industry during a pandemic has not been easy, and has been a great challenge. However, we have not deviated from our business model and have had steady double digit growth year after year. We are very grateful and humbled to have had four product innovation awards over the last three years. New product lines are slated for this year, which will be game changing! R&D is on going…
We are veterinarians. Knowing we make a difference in pets lives everyday, is who we are and what we do! Animal hospitals across the US and abroad, retail our products. We just entered the retail markets and much more soon! We are positioned well when the FDA defines the regulatory laws of CBD. We look forward to this happening soon.
Again, we are a veterinarian owned and operated company. We know what is best for pets. We treat CBD as individualized medicine. We take this very seriously. Each pet will react different when using CBD, as do humans. We take the individualized approach and provide safe, effective dosing strategies for each pet. We also offer FREE veterinary consultations about how CBD can help your pet. Our “Ask- A-Vet,” feature, is available to anyone via our website at CompanionCBD.com. It is very popular. 95% of our customers buy each month, after seeing the desired clinical outcomes. We have many five star reviews as well.
Remember, your veterinarian knows best. Do NOT buy human CBD products and give to your pet. Human products are flavored with artificial sweeteners that can be very toxic to pets. Always consult us or your veterinarian with any questions.
Can you open up about how you funded your business?
Capital is vital and always needed when starting any business. We did a “friends and family” raise, which was enough to get the company off the ground and them some…. Currently we are seeking additional capital to scale in all aspects of our business model.
Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?
Being a veterinarian owned and operated manufacturer, gives us instant credibility with our clientele. Again, CBD is the “wild-wild west,” since no regulatory guidelines are currently in place. Educating veterinary professionals and pet parents has been paramount in the acceptance of our products and brand. We are an education company first, that happens to manufacture an award winning line of CBD products for pets.
We provide piece of mind to all of our clientele by offering: veterinary formulated and dosed products, education and clinical studies to prove the efficacy and saftey of CBD, and a certificate of analysis- This is a comprehensive analysis we provide that guarantees the safety, purity, and quality measures done for every batch, before being offered for distribution. We offer FREE veterinary consultations with existing customers and those looking to implement CBD for their pet(s).
Contact Info:
- Website: CompanionCBD.com
- Instagram: Instagram.com/companion.cbd
- Facebook: Facebook.com/CompanionCBD, FB Group page: Pet CBD Education
- Linkedin: Companion CBD
- Twitter: @companioncbd
Image Credits
These are all my pics…. Brad Malin