Mixing Wellness with Cannabis with Brianna Neff of Brelixi

Mixing Wellness with Cannabis with Breanna Neff of Brelixi

Join Eric Schneider and Isaac Bock on an enlightening episode of Roots to Risk as they welcome Breanna Neff, Founder and Chief Food Scientist to Brelixi a groundbreaking brand at the intersection of functional wellness and cannabis.

With a rich background in food science, Breanna shares her transition from working with industry leaders like Danon and Hydrant to pioneering in the cannabis space.

Brelixi stands out by offering fast-acting functional powders that blend nano-emulsified CBD and THC with adaptogens, nootropics, and electrolytes, redefining how we experience cannabis.

Dive into the science behind nano-emulsion, the benefits of combining cannabis with other functional ingredients, and Breanna vision for Brelixi’s future in wellness and beyond.

This episode is a must-listen for those interested in the innovative edges where cannabis meets holistic health solutions.

Transcript:

00:01 Eric Schneider
This is the Roots to Risk Podcast hosted by Eric Schneider, alongside Isaac Bach. Roots To Risk brings you insights, the latest stories, and long form discussions about the cannabis industry. You’ll hear interviews with industry leaders and their perspective on current and future trends, how they’ve built success and what challenges they have faced. Our goal is to facilitate candid conversations and provide informative content for the cannabis community at large. Let’s go. Hey, Isaac, what’s going on, man? Great to see you again.

00:31 Eric Schneider
How are we doing?

00:32 Isaac Bock
Doing well. Hey, how are you doing today?

00:35 Eric Schneider
I’m great, I’m great. We have another awesome panelist or guest on Roots to Risk today, Breanna Neff from Bixy, which I think is gonna give a really great insight into the nano emulsion space. And just a little bit more background on Breanna, she’s a Cornell University alumni. She’s got her bachelor’s in science, in food Science, technology, business, nutrition and health. Breanna is a visionary certified food scientist.

01:08 Eric Schneider
Her journey includes pivotal roles at industry giants like Danon, Evian, and Hydrant, where she honed her skills as a product developer, r and d engineer, and FDA compliance specialist. And now she’s fueled by a passion for cannabis homeopathic remedies and functional ingredients. Breanna has birthed Buri where functional wellness meets cannabis, intentionally designed and expertly crafted. Bixy offers fast acting functional powders that reimagine how we engage with cannabis.

01:40 Eric Schneider
You know, we’ve just been hearing a lot about it, obviously Isaac over the past few years. But, you know, nano emulsion with edibles is, you know, seems like the, the wave of the future. And again, I, I love her approach from a wellness perspective, right? And adding additional, additional additives outside of just cannabis, like adaptogens, so on and so forth. So, very interested to hear about her background, how she got into the space and what she’s building lye.

02:09 Isaac Bock
Yeah, it is definitely gonna be interesting. You know, we have spoken to a few other individuals in the beverage kind of category, but I don’t think we’ve spoken to anyone with kind of the, the dry powder mixing option, which, you know, you see that across the entire wellness inauguration space is something that’s, you know, pretty universally used. So excited to hear how that process of creating the company went and just giving her background, you know, what she’s looking forward to in building the industry.

02:37 Eric Schneider
Absolutely. Well, let’s bring her in. Hey Breanna, how we doing? Thanks for joining us on the Roots to Risk podcast today. How’s everything going? Hey

02:46 Breanna Neff
There. Doing really well. Thank you guys for inviting me. Really excited to get the conversation started.

02:52 Eric Schneider
Yeah. And we’re, we’re excited to dig in and I think, you know, just, just doing some research ahead of time and looking at your background, it’s, it’s very interesting, you know, from where you come and entering into the cannabis space. So we’d love to learn a little bit more about you, your background and, and buri overall.

03:10 Breanna Neff
Yes, yes. So Buri, my brand, we launched just May of last year. We’re based in Brooklyn, New York and we’re, what I like to call it, where functional wellness meets fast acting cannabis. So we only utilized nano emulsified cannabis, so we utilize CBD and THC and also a better for you blend of and functional ingredients. So we utilize both of those and kind of pair it together in a synergistic mix to give you a instant drink mix that creates your own infused elixirs right on the go.

03:42 Breanna Neff
We utilize stick packs, so it’s really convenient for you to just mix into eight ounces of water wherever you are, whenever you’d like. And you could have your own fast acting infused elixir. You know, we pair it with all these other functional ingredients. And being my background as a certified food scientist, I was really intentional in crafting a mix that was highly functional and highly beneficial, you know, with all of the ingredients that was offered.

04:07 Breanna Neff
And so a little bit more about that. I studied food science at Cornell ever since then. I was really fortunate enough to kind of go around the food science cycle. So I was first working in a importer exporter, really learning about compliance and food safety and quality assurance. Then working for Evian and Danon as their regulatory compliance officer, reading, you know, front facing consumer labels and making sure all the regulations were being followed. Then I had some time as a functional product developer at some startups based in the city, namely daily Harvest and hydrant, working on their functional product development lines and really also working in the commercialization sector.

04:48 Breanna Neff
So with all that experience, I always knew that I wanted to create something on my own. And I also really, you know, advocate for cannabis and how it’s extremely functional. I use it in my everyday life for the functionalities and the benefits and also as an incentive to get things done and to reward myself.

05:06 Breanna Neff
You know, there’s so many different uses and dynamic ways that you can look at this plant. So yeah, it’s a little bit about me and I kind of stumbled upon nano cannabis during a trip in Colorado. Actually it was a road trip, went to a random dispensary, heard about nano emulsified cannabinoids for my first time. So as a scientist I was like, what is this about? And I really went down a rabbit hole then, and that kind of, it very much inspired me to bring something to the market that had this fast acting benefit, but also pairing it with all of the functional ingredients that I love, wanted it in one blend.

05:40 Breanna Neff
Selfishly, <laugh> made bixy <laugh> from that

05:44 Isaac Bock
That That’s awesome. I mean, so giving your background on science side, you know, how have these like functional, adaptive and other ingredients, like how do they interact with the cannabinoids? Like what does that do from an experience standpoint for your consumers?

05:59 Breanna Neff
Yeah, so we utilize adaptogens and nootropics and antioxidants. So, and also electrolytes. So that blend, especially the adaptogens, the L-theanine, it really helps to reduce overall body stress and kind of just manage your stress levels in general. So when your body has lower levels of stress and, and overall it’s able to experience other molecules more. And so when you kind of lessen that stress from the blends that I provide, you can also feel the effects of the CBD or the THCA little bit more noticeably than if you kind of were blocked with some type of stressors in your system.

06:34 Breanna Neff
And I also intentionally added the adaptogens in there just because, you know, the day in the life in the society right now, everyone is super stressed out. This work life balance is also really hard to manage in general as American society has shown. So I always wanted to add some type of stress relieving ingredient in there or something that kind of symbiotically, you know, lessens the stress load in in the individual once they consume the product. So I believe adaptogens paired with the cannabinoid really helps that.

07:07 Eric Schneider
That’s amazing. And, and I guess, you know, one thing that we always hear about the benefits of, you know, nano emulsion is just like onset, right? And I think that’s, you know, something that people and consumers have been looking for out of edibles, you know, instead of waiting like an hour or two hours for it to kind of hit you and sometimes you don’t know how it’s gonna hit you. Whereas like nano emulsion I think is a little bit more, you know, based off my understanding, more consistent fast acting. Are there any other benefits, you know, just based off your expertise to utilizing that type of process?

07:39 Eric Schneider
Aside from, you know, onset, which is the main one, are there any other things that you know, consumers should be aware of?

07:46 Breanna Neff
Yeah, that’s a great question. I would say there’s two things. So one is related to onset, which is like the assurance that you don’t have to wait, you know, beyond 30 minutes, you could usually wait between five to 20 to get that type of onset or benefit. And so those that are really need some type of instant relief. So c, b, D for anxiety or you know, kind of, you know, you’re very anxious, maybe you’re having some type of onset to a panic attack and you want something to instantly relieve you. Having a fast acting cannabinoid like CBD to rely on is really beneficial for, you know, kind of those mental health scenarios.

08:20 Breanna Neff
And secondly, I would say also that it lessens the stress on your digestive system. So because it immediately absorbs in your kind of, in the beginning of the digestion system, so upon in your mouth and your esophagus and your upper GI tract, it’s able to instantly go into your bloodstream and it really lessens the work that your stomach and liver and other organs would have to do to break that molecule down and to process it.

08:45 Breanna Neff
So that’s what you usually kind of experience. And I was just referred to like the traditional weed brownies, they’re very oil heavy, they smell like weed before you eat it, and then you’re like burping up some like weed reminiscent taste afterwards as you’re processing takes an hour to kick in. You can kind of feel queasy sometimes if you’re on an empty stomach. And that’s all kind of related to your body breaking it down and the time that it takes and the work that it prov or it requires on your body. With nano, it’s already water dissolvable, so it’s already in this format that can instantly go into your blood barrier or transfer into your blood barrier, into your bloodstream and kind of just instantly enact those benefits.

09:25 Breanna Neff
So I would say it’s definitely one of the healthiest ways to consume cannabis nowadays in, in, in the sense of consumables.

09:32 Isaac Bock
No, that, that’s amazing. And kinda leads to my my next question. Like, one of the things that a lot of people in the consumable consumable feel like either, you know, IV bowls or other forms of, you know, drinks have talked about is, you know, cannabinoid de degradation. So how does the powder that you guys are creating, you know, hold up from a degradation standpoint? Like what’s the shelf life for these packets?

09:55 Breanna Neff
Yeah, that’s a great question. So our shelf life is over two years, and that’s just the norm of basically FDA standards. If you pass over two years, that’s basically what you have to go by. So it’s def it’s, we have stabilization for more than that, and that’s just based off of our strength of the molecules of the nano emulsification. We’ve done a lot of different emulsifying ingredient blend testing to get to that stability and the also the release and the activity that we’d like. So through all that testing, the bonds that we have and the emol emulsification blend of ingredients that we utilize, by the way, they’re all natural and plant-based.

10:32 Breanna Neff
That blend in that bond really helps to keep the, basically the activity stable beyond well beyond two years. So it’s a really great, you know, option for, especially for retailers that wanna basically stock up and they don’t have to be wary about storing it in, you know, let’s say refrigerator unit because it is a drink mix, it’s dry, you know, and stable in different conditions. And also over two years, it really gives you kind of that reliability that you, that you’re looking for.

11:02 Speaker: 4:
I, gosh, my apologies.

11:07 Breanna Neff
I’m just gonna turn my phone off

11:08 Isaac Bock
<laugh>. No worries.

11:12 Speaker: 4:
Okay.

11:15 Breanna Neff
It’s officially off

11:17 Speaker: 4:
<laugh>.

11:19 Eric Schneider
All right. I love, I love the, the direction that this, that this conversation is going in, just like very much in the nitty gritty and science of it. I know Isaac has, has a lot more experience in this component than me with masters in cannabis science and therapeutics. So he, he loves to nerd out on this stuff and, and sometimes a little bit above my head, but I think I’m getting the gist of it. And for, for you, BreannaBreannaBreannaBreanna, you know, where where can consumers get Xi now you know what, you know, I know you mentioned that, you know, you’re coming up on your one year anniversary.

11:53 Eric Schneider
Congratulations. It’s, it’s super exciting, you know, where do you see, you know, you guys selves now and and into 2024, you know, what other markets are you looking at or products?

12:05 Breanna Neff
Yeah, so because, and I didn’t even get into this, we are hemp derived, yeah, cannabis company. Okay. So we have hemp CBD, which is, you know, typical in the market. And also we have hemp D nine, THC. So D nine is just the OG THC molecule that everyone refers to. It’s not the D eight or the D 10, it’s just D nine THC, but ours is hemp derived and we’re less than 0.3% of THC by dry weight. So we’re federally farm bill compliant to sell and ship online. So it’s a main, you know, and I don’t know, unique selling point of XI that we’re able to just ship right to your door.

12:39 Breanna Neff
You’re able to get us right online xi.com. And also we’re in over 30 retailers across the nation. We’re in some hemp retailers, some help and wellness stores, recreational dispensaries, medical dispensaries, spas, bathhouses.

12:53 Breanna Neff
You can find these retailers on our website when you go to find xi. And in the sense of, you know, other markets that we wanna approach in 2024, we’re really trying to hone in on the fitness studios and the luxury wellness and hospitality market. So those that you know, are already offering CBD wellness massages and different activities or mindful activities such as that, we really feel that our electrolyte CBD elixir really pairs well with moments such as that, as well as the pre or post-workout moment.

13:25 Breanna Neff
People that are experienced with cannabis, they usually love some THC kind of as like a motivator before or after the gym as well as a CBD, as a recovery. So, you know, the fact that we’re also paired with electrolytes to help with full body recovery is a really great offering. So we’re trying to target those specific markets as we expand this year.

13:46 Isaac Bock
No, I mean I love that Eric and I are both former athletes, so like the, the health and wellness and recovery side of things and the, the THC and CBB category are definitely of interest to, to both of us. So like from that side of things, I mean, is there any like long-term plan, obviously with the health Sugi and everything, but as you know, organizations like the NBA are lightning, their restrictions on THC testing, is that looking area of interest for you long term partnering with professional sports leagues?

14:15 Breanna Neff
Yes, exactly. You’re, you’re spot on. And even like, we’ve had some, some preliminary conversations with those in like NASCAR and those in NFL and N-B-L-N-L-B as well, major League of Baseball, they just partnered with I think Charlotte’s Web last summer, which is like a big deal. That’s really the fact that, you know, these type of organizations and that kind of shows society is now more, you know, the plant’s getting to stigmatize in this type of category is now becoming more approachable is really, really exciting for us. So yeah, we definitely believe that we belong in those types of markets for sure.

14:50 Eric Schneider
And and where do you see the, we just have been having a lot of conversations with operators both on the, the hemp side and, you know, more traditional cannabis and starting to see more cannabis operators, I think move into the, the hemp derived space, you know, obviously it’s of a much less lift from a regulatory perspective, right? You know, restrictions of interstate commerce, you know, things of that nature, you know, do you, do you foresee more cannabis operators jumping into the hemp derived space, I guess, you know, and, and where do you see just overall, you know, the, the hemp space going in the next, you know, 12 to 24 months?

15:36 Breanna Neff
Yeah, that’s a great question. I don’t know if you guys are familiar with the total wines craze with the hemp D nine THC seltzers. So I think it was in October, as early as October of last year, total wines, which is the one of, you know, nationwide major liquor and, and spirit distributors, they now sell online and have in, in a special section called hemp, you know, hemp, THC derived seltzers. And they’re actual actually called hemp tails on their website. And they started in Minnesota and they actually just went over to Connecticut.

16:09 Breanna Neff
So every single total wines in those two states now have these type of sections that are kind of promoting these seltzers. So kind of capitalizing and seeing that sh that shift of market and acceptance and demand is really, really exciting to see as a hemp operator, this hemp TTHC wave when it comes to drinks and beverages, especially as a, you know, healthy alcohol alternative, which everyone is just, you know, loving is really cool to see.

16:35 Breanna Neff
So I definitely could see that type of market shift and focus become more, you know, paid more attention to by these types of operators. And I’m actually, you know, in being in the local cannabis scene in New York, that is definitely a, a point of discussion. People are always really interested in this nano powder and the hemp, you know, the fact that it’s derived from hemp. So it’s a really, it’s exciting opportunity and we’re actually working with some, we’re partnering with some other brands to kind of help with the nano THC that formulations and things like that.

17:09 Isaac Bock
No, that, that’s awesome. And that, you know, kinda segues into, you know, the next question, just given your background on kind of the, the health and, you know, compliance side of things and you know, the regulatory aspect. You know, obviously you have a leg up on a lot of people from kind of the, the OG side of the canvas industry as it relates to that stuff. But as the industry continues to grow, and obviously, you know, this hemp derived option on the THC side opens it up for expansion, but how do you think the campus industry and your time in IT and looking from the outside has done a better job of meeting those requirements that eventually we’ll need for federal legalization?

17:45 Isaac Bock
You know, if the FDA starts getting involved, you know, better than we do, obviously what the requirements are. So how, how do you think that progress has been in the industry and is that something that’s a major focus on your end?

17:57 Breanna Neff
Well, being in New York, you know, kind of seeing <laugh>, the, the month by month kind of, the differences in the brands available and the different stores here has been very interesting, especially in the legal dispensary market, let’s say the brands and their packaging and their compliance and all of that, they’re completely up to speed and up to par. And that is not usually what I see and us in markets beforehand, you know, before kind of this legalization and this focus on compliance. And so I’m seeing that be a real focus and operators in this space and so much so that I’m actually, I’m getting reached out to a lot specifically on that.

18:32 Breanna Neff
So just kind of an overview of the label, making sure it’s all up to up to speed with their different disclaimers and making sure that, you know, before you invest in new packaging that it’s kind of up, you know, completely aligned with that least the New York cannabis laws. So yeah, I’m definitely seeing more of a focus there and definitely an increase like a, a definitely an advancement with compliant type of consumer facing packaging, which is definitely hasn’t been a focus, let’s say in the legacy market that we’re, that we’re used to.

19:04 Eric Schneider
Yeah, and I think from a packaging standpoint, you know, the, the fact that your product is, is a powder meant to mix with liquid, you know, or, you know, baking goods is, I, I feel like such a competitive advantage because one of the things that we, you know, hear a lot about beverage is just like, you have only so much square footage at a dispensary location, right? You know, this much cannabis in an eighth is a small jar, but, you know, a six pack of beverage, it, it takes up a lot of space and also you have hurdles from a distribution standpoint.

19:39 Eric Schneider
So I think that there’s, you know, it’s a great angle that you’re taking right into mix with beverage rather than being a full all in one experience.

19:53 Eric Schneider
I guess what’s, you know, are you, are you looking at any other additional product lines or outside of just the, the powders that you’ve developed? Is, is there anything else in r and d? And, and also too, one, one question I had is like, when you’re working with a manufacturer to, to build the product, are you pretty much saying like, here is exactly what I want my scope and, and the exact SOPs associated with it? Or is it more of a evolving partnership with that manufacturer?

20:26 Eric Schneider
So I guess that was a, a two part question.

20:29 Breanna Neff
Great question. I’ll answer that one first. So because of my <laugh>, ’cause of my nature as a, you know, product developer and commercialization engineer, and because this is my baby and my formulation, I am so like all hands, all hands on deck, you know, like I go and visit the manufacturer upon production, I know exactly, you know, the end end format that I want and the finished product that I want and kind of the QC testing that’s involved afterwards. So I, I am the one who has been providing the SOPs and all of that just because I, I kind of know I want what I want, you know?

21:03 Breanna Neff
Yeah. But it’s been, it’s been a really great journey with that, you know, kind of scoping out co-packers is, is always the hardest part when it comes to manufacturing a brand new product. I was really lucky to find a great partner that, you know, is, has really innovative capabilities as well.

21:18 Breanna Neff
So when it comes to r and d, they have all of the formats that I could ever potentially want. So now it’s just like, what exactly does that look like? How do I make it unique? And then, you know, obviously the formulation is my most favorite part. So when it comes to r and d, again, because of my nature as a functional product developer, I was very, you know, I was able to listen to my customers and work very dynamically and produce actually a brand new product that launched on the 18th of January, so not too long ago. Oh, nice. Called bixy, flavorless functional fast acting powders.

21:50 Breanna Neff
So it’s basically the same functional blend as the customers currently love in our signature flavored lemonade elixir sticks, but it comes in a multi-serve jar, so it’s able to sit on your, in your, you know, kitchen counter. It has magnesium and adaptogens and nootropics, but also that fast acting flavorless CBD or THC.

22:10 Breanna Neff
So you’re able to add it to your matcha, your teas, and it also bakes up to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. So you have a reliable measured scoop. And so you could always know exactly the dosage that you want and it’s stable enough to go into brownies. It’s just a really amazing product. And the consumers loved the, you know, the current elixirs, but they were limiting in the, obviously the flavor and the taste. You know, they, they would have to doctor it up if they didn’t want that exact, you know, elderberry hibiscus lemonade. So I wanted it to be a little bit more dynamic of use to make it flavorless.

22:44 Breanna Neff
So yeah, we launched this that’s been in the works for a couple months now, really excited to kind of, you know, have it come to the real reality 3D world <laugh>. So that’s been exciting. And then in terms of other product developments, I’m just a huge fan of this, like sublingual, nano fast acting activation.

23:05 Breanna Neff
So anything, you know, to do with like the mouth or any like consumables that has to do with that is what I’m kind of looking forward or looking into. And also highly functional. So, you know, I’m always thinking about seasonality too as a product developer. Like what do people want for the summer? What do people want for the winter? And kind of capturing or capitalizing on those moments. So I could say for the winter, like, everyone loves like a throat lozenge or some type of benefit to help their immunity, right? So what does that look like when it comes to nano and the flavor?

23:36 Breanna Neff
That’s kind of where my, where my head goes.

23:40 Eric Schneider
I, I love the wellness angle, right? I think, I think we we’re starting to see that more and more in the cannabis space with that centralized purpose of wellness, right? Whether it’s recreational, it’s, it’s a, it’s a healthier alternative or if you’re using it on a daily basis for more medicinal purposes. You know, we had Kim, the CEO from Azua on the other day and, and she had like a very, very similar lens and, and what their mission is.

24:13 Eric Schneider
And so it’s just great to to hear from you as well and, and learn more about Bixy.

24:19 Breanna Neff
Lovely. Yeah. And I’m a huge fan of bazooka. I love, I love what they’re doing there. And it’s the whole nano wave, right? Yeah. Like the fact that it’s innovative new technology to this space is so awesome to see kind of how that’s gonna bring about new innovations. Because in my background, you know, I also worked in the new nutraceutical area as well, and that’s, that’s a already well developed application there, right? So it’s cool to see it kind of transfer into this industries and then seeing all the excitement that it’s bringing.

24:51 Eric Schneider
Absolutely. Well, we really appreciate everything and, and I guess before we wrap things up, we’re gonna have, you know, Isaac, ask a few fun questions, not specifically industry or XI related, but is there anything else that we should be, you know, aware of or, you know, before we just wrap things up, any final words?

25:10 Breanna Neff
I would just say that, you know, to further destigmatize this beautiful, beautiful mother plant cannabis, it, it really just takes, you know, conversation and education. So thank you guys for this opportunity. And I also, you know, really recommend to those to just continue the conversation with those who are un, you know, uncomfortable with the topic of cannabis. ’cause without that type of discussion in the real world, then it’s harder to destigmatize, right? So the more we can do that, the more approachable and celebrated this plant can be.

25:42 Isaac Bock
Absolutely. Well that was awesome, Breanna, so on on another topic though, you know, one of the things we like to do is get insight into the people we bring on and, you know, some of the things they enjoy and get, get some little insights. So, you know, given we’ve had a lot of talk about wellness, you know, let’s say you have a early morning workout, you’re trying to get hyped for what’s, what’s at the top of the playlist to get you going in the morning?

26:05 Breanna Neff
<laugh>, I have been living my like, punk rock middle school dreams recently. I don’t know why, but the first thing that comes to mind is BYOB system of A down. I

26:17 Isaac Bock
Love it. That’s awesome. <laugh>, right? No, that’s great. Yeah, the late nineties, early two thousands, music doesn’t get enough love. So I, I’m with you on that. I love it. Agreed. Next one is, you know, is there a book that you’ve read, you know, once or a few times that you found a lot of, you know, valuable lessons out of that you would recommend people look into that might help them in their, their journey and their careers?

26:46 Breanna Neff
Hmm. I would say, well one of my favorite books that I read often is by David Abrams. It’s called The Spell of the Sensuous. It’s not really career focused, but it’s more like philosophical and life focus and helps you to yeah, just bring different perspectives to sentient beings and just life all around you in this world. So it’s really helped me to kind of slow down and have different perspectives and, and, and everything that I, you know, everyone that I speak to, but then also just everything that I do in life.

27:18 Breanna Neff
So I think it’s a really great book to

27:20 Isaac Bock
Yeah, and, and that’s way more important than just a super career focus item. So that’s, that’s a great recommendation. And then last one, you know, given, well, I don’t live in the city anymore, but given all of us, you know, have lived in the city or you currently, do you know what’s, what’s your go-to restaurant these days, whether it’s in Brooklyn or in Manhattan? Ooh,

27:37 Breanna Neff
That is a really great and really hard question. I’m a huge food nerd. I just, my dad visited a couple weeks ago and it was just a whole debate of like, where do we go? Where do we go next? There’s so many options. Oh my god, that’s so hard. Let’s say, okay, the first thing that comes to mind is Dan Bo, it’s in Park Slope, it’s Ramen, and they have a winter ramen, Curry Ramen special. It’s to die for obsessed. Yep. Love that.

28:03 Eric Schneider
I gotta check that out. I’m looking to move to Brooklyn next year, so I gotta, I gotta start to, I got my Manhattan kind of figured out, but Brooklyn, I’m still trying to figure it out. So

28:12 Breanna Neff
We’ll share Google map favorites,

28:16 Eric Schneider
<laugh>. Love that. That sounds great. Well, we really appreciate your time, Breanna, and this has been an awesome one. It’s, it’s great to hear your passion about obviously the cannabis industry and what you’re, what you guys are bringing to the table, but also your background as a food scientist and how you’ve applied that, you know, love for cannabis and your background as a food scientist and, and married it together to come and, and Bill Xi. So it, it’s great to see, and we really appreciate you taking the time to speak with us today.

28:43 Breanna Neff
Yeah, well thank you guys so much for having me again. And yeah, can’t wait to, to speak more and I know that we’re in the area, so hopefully we can, you know, com combine at some local cannabis events soon.

28:55 Eric Schneider
Absolutely. Well have a great rest of your day. Thanks again. Another great one in the books. I loved the heavy science component and, and really just trying to understand and get a better sense for like the foundation of, you know, why Breanna created Bixi, the reasoning behind it and you know, how she listens to her customers and has adapted the product. And so, you know, very, very excited to see what’s on the horizon for 2024 and, you know, other potential product lines that, that she has in the hopper.

29:29 Isaac Bock
No, definitely. I think, you know, giving her, you know, overall background and just the conversation on the science behind everything, it was interesting to hear, you know, how the cannabinoids interact with the different adaptogen and cognitives, you know, that help enhance the experience. So we haven’t had that conversation. So that was a very, you know, unique insight, obviously with her being local in New York, I’m sure, I’m sure you’ll run into each other, you know, over the next couple months, so that’ll be good as well.

29:57 Eric Schneider
Yeah, absolutely. And I always love when someone comes from like a more traditional, let’s say, you know, either pharma background or more like consumer packaged goods background and applying that knowledge to the cannabis space. I, I think we’re, we are starting to see it more and more and people that have a passion for the plant and that type of skills to, to rely on, you know, is, is definitely the wave of the future and just creating safer, more approachable, consumer friendly products, especially for those that have not been traditionally cannabis users.

30:33 Eric Schneider
Right. You know, which she mentioned a lot as we continue to destigmatize the industry and destigmatize cannabis overall, you need to create products that are more approachable for those consumers that have, you know, traditionally not ingested cannabis previously, whether it be CBD or or THC. So I just love, you know, seeing that overall and it just shows more and more that, you know, this industry is here to stay and, and people are continuing to exit more traditional spaces, come into the cannabis space and bring that unique expertise.

31:09 Isaac Bock
Yeah, absolutely. I think she provided great insight on what the, the future of, you know, this category in specific has, and, you know, the, the tidbit about total lines in their entrance into this space is definitely good to know for mass adoption. So excited to see where, where the industry as a whole goes, especially on the, the adjustable side of things.

31:30 Eric Schneider
Absolutely. Well, until next time man.

31:32 Isaac Bock
Alright. Another good one.

 

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