How is it made?

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Karen Mary Confectionery sources CBD directly from Typhoon Farma, in Montrose, CO. But how does the hemp plant become the CBD that goes into our marshmallows? 

Starting this year, in 2025, Typhoon Farma will have its own greenhouses. In May, seeds are delivered from Oregon CBD - an industry leader in CBD genetics - and Typhoon employees begin planting the seeds in trays in the greenhouse to germinate seedlings. Once the seedlings have reached 6-8 inches in height in June, they will begin planting them in the fields. The growing season lasts from June through approximately mid-September, and by then the plants will be about 6ft tall and very bushy (bushy hemp produces CBD; a different variety,  fibrous hemp, which has less flower and more stalk, is used to make textiles). To the eye, bushy CBD hemp is indistinguishable from its cousin, marijuana. But bushy hemp is bred to be compliant in THC levels (<.3) per the USDA guidelines. Harvest begins mid-September and is typically completed in October. Once the hemp plants are harvested, they are dried and the flowers are removed from the stalk, creating biomass, which is then sent for oil extraction. The biomass is converted into crude oil, which can either be processed into CBD distillate or further remediated into isolate. In summary, the process goes from 

hemp plant > biomass > crude oil > distillate > isolate.

Distillate contains the entire profile of the plant and there are two types: full spectrum and broad spectrum. Full spectrum CBD distillate will include some discernible levels of THC. Broad spectrum contains CBD and other cannabinoids, but almost no levels of THC. But that’s not what we use in our marshmallows. Distillates are typically used in tinctures and oils. We use CBD isolate to make our CBD marshmallows. To make CBD isolate, the THC is removed through additional remediation, isolating the CBD molecule into powder form, resulting in a product that is 99.99% CBD. Products like ours, using CBD isolate, have 0% THC.

Regarding the hemp/CBD market, farmers and processors have struggled over the past several years. In 2018, the US Farm Bill legalized hemp for cultivation, leading an overwhelming number of small growers to plant the crop, which flooded the market in 2019. To illustrate, in 2018, one liter of crude oil was approximately $3,000USD, but in 2019, after the market was saturated, it dropped to $100USD, leading many small growers and processors to lose money and leave the industry. Conversely, the retail price of CBD products did not fall during this time. Unfortunately, many retailers were paying premium prices for distillate and isolate through multiple middlemen, the result of an emerging and initially unregulated market.

In 2024, prices began to stabilize as fewer farmers were cultivating hemp, preventing market saturation. Additionally, regulations are emerging to standardize the hemp and CBD industry, though this has caused some growing pains, as well. For example, in 2023, the state of Colorado levied uniform fees across the industry for CBD retailers, meaning KMC now pays the same annual fee to the state as a multimillion-dollar CBD retail company. Despite these challenges, we have been able to bring you a fairly priced, high quality CBD product that we can follow from seed to marshmallow, thanks to KMC's connection with Typhoon Farma. It is our goal to continue to do so throughout the industry's ups and downs. 

Because my husband, Ryan, is the Chief Operating Officer at Typhoon, we are fortunate to be able to follow the plants from seed, to harvest, to processing. Typhoon is one of the top hemp farms in the US, producing a pharmaceutical grade crop. In 2024, it produced 10-15% of the bushy hemp crop in the state of Colorado and is projected to produce 30-40% in 2025. Additionally, Ryan represents all Colorado hemp farmers for the Colorado Department of Agriculture and has helped guide hemp farming policy and regulation at the state and national levels. We are not only proud of this, but also that Typhoon Farma offers fair wages, organic certification, GACP Certification, and is ESG (environmental, social, governance) focused.