Fortune - USA (2019-06)

(Antfer) #1

CBD CONSUMER


PRODUCTS ARE


RIDING WAVE TO


NEW POPULARITY


CBD, THE CANNABINOID


oil derived from hemp with
less than 0.3% THC content
(THC is the substance that
creates the “high” in marijua-
na), is on a tear, says David
Zeuner, founder of Miracle
Nutritional Products, the
retail products fi rm. Miracle
boasts an impressive line of
70 consumer products that
it directly markets as well as
200 different products for
which it acts as the contract
manufacturer.
Miracle was created as a

result of unusual and unique
circumstances Zeuner expe-
rienced. In 2014, members of
his family were suffering from
various medical issues and
health problems. Looking for
investments after exiting his
prior sunglasses business,
Zeuner was exploring the e-
liquid industry—the beginning
of the vape industry—with
0% nicotine fl avors. Introduc-
ing CBD oil, Zeuner actively
marketed the new CBD prod-
ucts through major national
trade shows like the hugely

popular ASD show held
semiannually in Las Vegas.
The company has
morphed into a very suc-
cessful and substantial
fi nancial enterprise. “Sales
this year will be between
$6 million and $7 million,”
Miracle’s CEO says, explain-
ing that the company is pri-
vately held and experienced
a 70% growth rate in its
latest fi scal year. Sales and
operations are organized
into three primary divisions:
its own product sales, white
label sales for others, and
contract manufacturing.
Zeuner, as chairman
of the fi ve-year-old enter-
prise, says that Congress’s
December 2018 passage
of the Farm Bill has had
a big impact. Forecasting
that the industry will be in
turmoil over the next two
years, Zeuner believes, just
like when vitamin B was
fi rst introduced into the

consumer products sector,
the passage of the Farm Bill
will bring CBD squarely into
the consumer’s vision with
big drug chains offering a
multitude of CBD-infused
products. “There will be
consolidation, and the com-
panies that will be left will
have a higher bar and will be
more mainstream,” he says.
“It will be all about raising
the bar.” That means fi rms
will voluntarily—and through
competitor peer pressure—
create higher standards for
their marketing claims and
for their products.
Citing the Kentucky-
grown hemp that his fi rm
uses, Zeuner says his
company markets products
with a certifi cate of authen-
ticity. In addition, he states
that there is a very deliber-
ate lack of marketing claims
regarding health benefi ts.
Laughing at the time when
his fi rm initiated a line of pet
products, Zeuner still re-
members his most adventur-
ous marketing slogan, “We
tested it on humans, but it is
made for pets.”
Edibles, like gummy
bears, are the latest and
most popular product in
the CBD space, but Zeuner
believes they are a fad and
that the sector has a long
way to go with a lot of new
entrepreneurs succeeding
in winning market share.
Entrepreneurs will fi nd new
products simply “by walking
the aisles in their grocery
stores,” he says, and “by
discovering a niche product
that is needed, [they] will be-
come the next big brand.” ●

CONTENT FROM MIRACLE


NUTRITIONAL PRODUCTS

Free download pdf