We recently connected with Joe Salome and have shared our conversation below.

Joe, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to start by getting your thoughts on what you are seeing as some the biggest trends emerging in your industry

The primary trend is the adoption of canna supplements by athletes. What started as NFL players wanting to protect their brains after hard hits has turned into a full-body holistic approach to athletes’ bodies. With NSF approvals for professional sporting leagues like MLB, Ironman, PGA, etc., you will see this segment of canna supplements grow for athlete performance and recovery.

Another trend is the Canna-beverage options for everyday consumers and event participants: From gas stations to grocery stores to where you buy your weekend fun beverages, canna-beverages ranging from CBD to THC and multiple dosing levels will be available as nonalcoholic, nonbig beverage alternatives.

Finally, cannabis lounges: no more will cannabis use be sanctioned to your homes or basements. Lifestyle and consumption lounges will be part of your suburban community’s retail landscape and an option to enjoy while on vacation.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Joe Salome was the snap bracelet sales king of St. Joseph Elementary and a major player in Dean Rusk Middle School’s gum and candy trade. (His father supported his ambitions with resupply runs to Costco.) And he’s been building businesses that bring people happiness and healing ever since.

I held sales and marketing leadership positions at Moe’s Southwest Grill, 790 The Zone, and Hair Cuttery. But while caring for my mother during her successful battle with cancer, my focus turned to CBD and other hemp-derived natural wellness products. As a kid, I knew people using weed recreationally, but as I got older, the reasons were different. People would tell me they were using medical cannabis ‘for my wife, who has Crohn’s disease,’ or ‘for my son, who has epilepsy. I’ve seen medical cannabis help my mother, and I thought it was wrong to deny it to so many in favor of dangerous opioids and other brutal pharmaceuticals, so I decided to do something about it.

In 2014, at the invitation of Rep. Allen Peake (R-Macon), I helped develop the Haleigh’s Hope Act, Georgia’s first law to legalize the possession and use of low-THC medical cannabis. I have remained a respected steward of medical cannabis legislation and recently celebrated the passage of the 2019 Georgia’s Hope Act, which legalized limited production, manufacturing, and distribution of low-THC oil.

I am the co-founder and managing partner of The Georgia Hemp Company and of Sympleaf Wellness, companies that produce, distribute, and sell hemp-based lifestyle and wellness products. I am also the co-founder and former CMO of Halcyon Organics, the first medical cannabis company in the South. I have also developed myself into a sought-after media authority and industry consultant on hemp legislation, sourcing, quality control, processing, distribution, and marketing. It’s about helping people get their lives back- helping them get better and giving people natural alternatives for living happier, healthier lives.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

From the beginning, we have been told no- from banks, retail spaces, events, and banking credit card processors. But we are constantly pushing the envelope and making people realize hemp, and CBD is not a scary space. Yes, this changes every year with laws and the next big push.

The Georgia Hemp Company comes from a place of resilience. My prior company was moving 100mph and about to make a big step in the CBD national landscape, and the rug was pulled out from under me and shut down by my ex-business partner. But, we made a whiteboard and turned this idea of a new company to fruition, which is now The Georgia Hemp Company, in 30 days.

Marketing has always been about what we can do for someone to take our dollars. We have been told no, but once they see what we have done to push the envelope, they finally say okay and want our money.

We’d love to hear about how you met your business partner.

Started on a bus in Woodstock, Georgia. I had a rat tail, and he had a mullet. We were the new kids; I was from the West Coast, and he was from Tennessee. We didn’t like each other. It was a very “pick him, not me” because we wanted to be the cool new kid. Then we realized we did have a lot in common; we were in the same classes and on the same rec teams, and we started sitting together on the bus. The rest is history. I still won’t let him forget about the missed alley-oop to win the game.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.thegeorgiahempcompany.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegahempco/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joesalome/
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/GeorgiaHempCo
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thegeorgiahempcompany3568

Image Credits
-Drone Jones