When ebbu Founder and CEO Jon Cooper began to explore the possibilities of a launching a new cannabis business, the seasoned entrepreneur’s first thought on the plant’s chemistry was: “We’re dealing with lots of chaos here.”
As he learned more about the species cannabis sativa L., he realized variability was a key issue. Each plant contains dozens of active chemical compounds in each trichome, creating competing reactions in the human body. And not only that, the levels of compounds differed widely depending on the strain. He decided that developing products that focused on particular strains was the wrong direction to go.
“Different plants, different strains, different products sold in different dispensaries in different states,” Mr. Cooper said. “You can never have a direct relationship between a strain and a consistent experience and product, because the plant itself is inconsistent.”
So when he founded ebbu in 2013, Mr. Cooper’s vision was to solve the uncertainties surrounding cannabis consumption. He knew that getting consumers to trust that they would have a consistent experience was the most critical path for mainstream adoption of cannabis products.
He tapped into his two decades of experience in entrepreneurship, business strategy, planning and product management to chart the course for Colorado-based ebbu to help brands develop cannabinoid products that delivered a reliable desired outcome. The challenge he presented to the team of biochemists and pharmacology and genetics experts he recruited was simple yet infinitely complex: “We need to come up with a path that will allow us to create consistency everywhere, every time.”
But to do that, he realized his world-class team of experienced scientists would need to take cannabis research to a new level.
“You take the plant and tear it apart, and the question was: Could you put it back together? We spent a lot of R&D trying to figure that out,” Mr. Cooper said. “Now we have a process in which we can choose the different compounds and put them back together for a specific, exact, consistent formulation.”
Based on ebbu’s scientific discoveries, the company has filed upwards of 40 patents related to more than 1,500 inventions, including water-soluble cannabinoid technology and the development of cannabinoid formulations that produce consistent mood effects, such as stimulating creativity or relaxation.
“Really we’re in the cannabinoid business, not the cannabis business,” he says.
Mr. Cooper manages company operations and oversee all aspects of ebbu’s business and strategy, including negotiations and ongoing partnerships with manufacturers and brands. Mr. Cooper’s vision to revolutionize the industry with specialized cannabinoid formulations is becoming a reality, as evidenced by a recent partnership with CERIA Beverages—a company founded by the creator of Blue Moon beer—that will bring a first-of-its-kind craft beer to consumers, one that is THC-infused and non-alcoholic.
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