We recently caught up with Elliot Blackler of leading CBD brand Evopure, to learn more about how they see the market and future of CBD brands and products in the UK.
When it comes to CBD and supplements there was a lot of confusion. Many companies overpromise and under deliver…
Elliot Blackler, Evopure CBD.
Evopure CBD is a company which was founded to tackle the problem of low grade CBD products while also looking to educate the wider public about the health benefits.
Hi Elliott, can you tell us how you got into CBD and a little bit about yourself?
Elliott: As you will be aware, Evopure started back in 2019 which seems a long long time ago now especially in the world of CBD.
We started Evopure CBD to help support a community of people that wanted to live better later in life. Our parents and the older generations were taking CBD as a means of helping with issues such as sleep disorder.
However, there was confusion how to use CBD, when to use CBD and how to get the best out of it. We also noticed issues with quality and the fact that many CBD companies oversold and under delivered, with little guidance available.
As with any industry, the CBD market faced a number of quality control issues in the early days.
In Evopure we saw an opportunity to create a transparent CBD company, listing what people were putting into their bodies and why. The idea that CBD is some kind of silver bullet is misplaced; it should be seen as part of a wider healthy lifestyle.
We were one of the first companies to publish our lab reports, taking a more personalised approach to CBD.
This involved taking in variables such as age, weight and stuff like that. Our website has a dosage calculator and we provide after sales service in relation to usage guidance and any questions customers may have.
From day one we have been clear, CBD is one of many tools that can be used to enhance and improve well-being and long-term health.
How did you find yourself in a position where you could say, I’m going to launch a company developing CBD products?
Elliott: My background is very much technical, very different from CBD itself.
The business idea came from a personal need, with my father using CBD balms. He is heavily into cycling and as he got older he began to experience regular aches and pains.
Using CBD balms on a daily basis was part of his regular recovery process but I noticed that every product seemed to be different. There was no quality assurance, something I discussed with my business partner Tom, who has experience in creating and promoting supplement brands.
Tom had a contact who knew a hemp farmer in Spain, a quality source of CBD which would ensure that each batch was consistent.
At the time, this was seen by many as a USP in itself although it is now expected as a matter of course, together with independent lab reports.
Consistency, quality and transparency are obviously important these days. How was this in the early days?
Elliott: In the early days, Amazon CBD products had a really large part of the market even though you weren’t allowed to sell CBD products on Amazon.
People would sell hemp oil with 20,000 mg of CBD in it although nobody had any clue what kind of CBD or whether the milligram measure was correct. This was a significant moment for us; we could see the need for a better option and more transparency.
Could you tell us a bit about the Evopure CBD portfolio?
Elliott: We started with just plain broad-spectrum CBD oil and CBD capsules.
We also made a promise to customers that Evopure CBD would be transparent, make lab reports available, provide proof of origin and only use naturally derived ingredients in our products.
This has kind of barred us from things like gummies where the additional ingredients to CBD were not necessarily good for you. However, this opened up a number of other opportunities for us.
We are very strong in CBD oil blends, which are a mix of natural ingredients and CBD oil. One of our bestselling oils is a CBD mixed with maca root which helps to improve your sleep cycle.
This goes back to our original idea of more personalised CBD products which are unique to Evopure. For example, if someone goes onto the quiz (on the website) and they want to improve, for example, their sleep, then we can offer something different that matches their requirements.
Does this highlight the point that CBD by itself is not the magic bullet and can complement other ingredients?
Elliott: Yes, definitely. This is something that we see in the wider supplement industry, a more personalised approach to the consumer.
As opposed to a one blanket product sold under one umbrella for a number of uses. This is our core focus, more personalised CBD products.
Without giving away any secrets, have you got plans to develop new product lines?
Elliott: We are in the process of developing non-CBD products like powder supplement, water soluble powder supplement blends.
The first of these products should be available in early October; an all-natural product that will help you sleep better at night. It has a variety of ingredients such as apigenin and magnesium which have been tried and tested as a sleeping aid.
One of the big wellbeing targets for customers is better sleeping patterns, which is why we have started with this one.
Do you think you will ever circle back to offering CBD teas on the site?
Elliott: This was a real shame. We always said this must be made from organic hemp but it just became so inordinately expensive from our European sources.
We were simply priced out of the CBD tea market, although that is an area which we hope to get back into at some point. We received some really good feedback on our CBD teas.
As you grow, what are some of the barriers you think you might face?
Elliott: There is no doubt people are becoming more educated and there are some journalists who are helping destigmatise CBD and medicinal cannabis.
Part of the reason we are looking to offer non-CBD products is because you can get quite hamstrung by things like payment providers. Many payment providers block CBD companies which leaves us with a relatively small pool of providers.
This lack of competition de-incentivises payment providers to offer us a fair deal, let’s put it that way.
Developments with FSA regulations, and a novel foods regulation, will address concerns about poor quality products. As this comes through, raising the bar, this should encourage further payment providers to start accepting CBD companies.
We are also hamstrung by not being able to use advertising platforms such as Facebook, Google, and YouTube.
As an e-commerce CBD company we know there are lots of areas that can be improved and hopefully this novel food regulation will help us get there.
Do you see Evopure CBD offering a wider range of products?
Elliott: While CBD will always be a big part of Evopure, we really want to move towards almost like a service as opposed to a product company.
This will include things such as pre-sales, questionnaires, personalised advice together with video content.
For example, we have a 30 minute interview with a sleep expert which gives you the top five habits to help, not just using CBD as a tool.
I’m not even sure if it is a question of between CBD and supplements but more product or service company.
Do you see CBD as a tool in a wider toolbox?
Elliott: Yes. This is why we started Evopure CBD. When it comes to CBD and supplements there was a lot of confusion. Many companies overpromise and under deliver, which is why we are honest and say that CBD in isolation is not a silver bullet.
We know that CBD and other products are powerful when it comes to improving well-being but they are just part of other decisions you can make to move towards a healthier lifestyle.
Thanks Elliott.
You can learn more about Evopure CBD products here.
