Joline Rivera of Red Belly Honey talks about cannabis and food as medicine.
permit ’s be real — not allCBD foodstaste good . It ’s not a pop opinion as cool , well - brand , hemp - infuse product hit virtual and strong-arm shelves all over the world , but the reality is we ’re still compute thing out , formulation - wise . Even in the especially dear and saturatedgummies view , many may originate out taste okay only but often terminate with a weird aftertaste . It ’s not loose to make CBD solid food that are effectiveandtaste salutary — so when it happens , we take note .
One of the best CBD comestible I ’ve ever had come fromRed Belly Honey , a company founded by Chicago aboriginal Joline Rivera — the womanhood behindKitchen Toke , a cartridge holder dedicated to cannabis in the culinary kingdom . You do n’t have to just take my word for it — at last year’sFood & Wine Classicin Aspen , Colorado , Red Belly Honey was the first - ever marijuana - associate brand to be invited to the esteemed culinary outcome , and was used to marinade a watermelon vine dish that was service to 4,500 attendee .
The gummies are just as near , edulcorate only with their hemp dear . The two Passion Fruit and Blueberry flavor do n’t let in any add sugars .
Rbel Bee Hemp Honey Gummies|Photo by Matt Armendariz
Originally from Des Moines , Iowa , Rivera overcame a thought-provoking home base animation and went out on her own at 18 , becoming the first in her Mexican - American family to get a college point before embarking on a career in the publication world . Learn more about the fascinating outgrowth behind Red Belly Honey and why it ’s unlike any other CBD nutrient stain on the market .
Thrillist : From magazines , design , and publishing to the culinary originative domain — how did you end up in the wellness and wellness space ?
Joline Rivera : When I move to Chicago , the someone I was dating at the time was doing a triathlon , and I decide to train for one , too . I had been eating really sporty , but the more I trained , the more miserable I felt and I start out gaining weight rapidly . I saw four dissimilar doctors and each asked thing like , “ Are you sure you ’re being dependable about your feeding ? Are you being honest about how much you ’re exercising ? ” It was so frustrating and discouraging . I finally saw a 5th medico who believed me and ordered an extensive origin test , and we found that I had markers for Parkinson ’s , diabetes , and heart disease . I had no idea I had insulin resistance and that I was on my way to case 2 diabetes .
The doctor did n’t drop a line me an over - the - buffet prescription drug , though — he wrote me a food prescription . I did on the dot what the Dr. tell me and was able to reverse my insulin resistance over time . That was the daylight it clicked for me : intellectual nourishment is medicament .
How did this realisation lead you to cannabis ?
While operate my own design business , I ’ve had my right - hand person , Nellie , who is not only a part of my team but one of my undecomposed champion and like a sister . Her dad had been battle Crab , and I recognize from reporting on food trends that chefs were make with cannabis for wellness benefits that could offer her pappa relief . She agreed it was deserving a endeavor , and I get to search a cannabis chocolate recipe .
Red Belly Honey
A short while after her dad ate a few hot chocolate , you could see his face and demeanor variety . His wife was curious about this obvious shift and eat up a hot chocolate herself , and you could see her moderation , too . There was a weightlessness ; such a different energy .
That is incredibly powerful — to see it in good order before your eyes .
It was eye - opening to see the backup man that it brought them as well as folk members who ’d been find out their loved one suffer . When we pass on their house , Nellie and I sit in the railroad car for a while . I cried knowing that might be the last clock time that I see him , and it was . At his funeral , some family appendage take the air up and told me , “ We heard what you did for Fred . Thank you for giving him a good day before he legislate . ” It was that experience that made me completely flip my calling . I decided to take everything I knew to createKitchen Toke , a brand that inform family line how to cook with hemp for health and health , which introduced me to this process .
Red Belly Honey
Why honey ?
Kitchen Tokereports on all kind of cannabis food for thought trends , and at one distributor point , I heard of a researcher based around Tel Aviv who discovered a summons in which bee consume whole hemp and created honey that was naturally tincture with CBD . I wanted to reckon out how I could employ that same process [ here in the U.S. ] to play naturally impregnate CBD dearest to a low enough floor to be able to get in a supermarket . working food is any intellectual nourishment that convey you note value beyond its nutritionary time value — cannabis is a operational solid food , as is honey , so unite the two made good sense .
How does the process forge on the nose ?
Our bee farm is base in California and the bees are fed hemp so they by nature produce hemp honey . We are not adding CBD to the honey . The bees do it themselves through their digestive process , just as they bear efflorescence nectar . Most times , you’re able to only eat up one or two gummies from other brands because of the amount of cannabinoids . Ours are dose in a way of life that you may eat the whole bag .
What excites you most about this unique mathematical product ?
The hangman’s rope also supports the bees ’ health , which is super important because bee are lively to the planet ’s ecosystem . There is astudyabout bee and hemp that depict hemp terpenes can help bees ’ antioxidative systems , which is n’t surprising as we knowterpenes aid human race ’ nervous systems , as well .
What ’s great is that the more honey we have to make , the more bee that we take , and the more bees we have that consume hemp , the sound the bee , which lead to stronger , more pesticide - resistant bee buzz around the ecosystem . It ’s good for us , the bees , and the planet .
