By Sheldon Baker, Baker Dillon Group LLC05.03.21
With nearly two decades of experience advocating for and producing CBD oil, Harvey Craig is a leading expert in the production of high-quality, terpene-focused CBD hemp oil. In 2015, Craig founded Harvey’s All Naturals, a producer of premium farm-to-table full spectrum CBD products. The Leadville, CO-based company is supported by a network of small-scale farms from across Colorado. Craig is responsible for leading the company’s development of long and short-term strategies, product development, resource management, and being the primary voice of the company. Craig’s hemp industry experience includes co-founding Boot Ranch Farms in Colorado’s San Luis Valley. His transition from a job in energy efficient building to a career focused on alternative medical solutions found with CBD oil derived from hemp and cannabis, was due in large part to seeing others suffer from severe health issues. As a founder of two companies producing CBD hemp oil, he is committed to CBD oil production consistent with a respect of the plant philosophy and the social justice movement associated with hemp and cannabis plants.
Area Code 420 (AC 420): Seems your entry into CBD was personal.
Craig: My introduction to the health benefits of CBD oil was prompted by a friend’s diagnosis with Parkinson’s disease in 2002. I was getting his feedback on specific strains I was growing. I sent these strains to our lab and I found ones that worked to help his pain and inflammation were high-CBD strains. And that really turned my role from the cannabis side to the hemp side, to create more high CBD strains. We started doing more research and found studies by Israeli chemist Raphael Mechoulam supporting our findings that different cannabinoids, such as CBDA and CBG had the potential to reduce health issues like pain and inflammation. Over the years, we have stuck to minimal processing and created a natural full-spectrum product that is meant for consumers to use long-term for the best result and we have received testimonials that attest to the product helping with pain, inflammation, arthritis and more.
AC 420: Is your growing process unique?
Craig: There are a lot of things that I have learned over the years which create a high-quality cannabis plant. Many companies use hemp that comes from large-scale industrial grows. We use small farms and small batches, and in that way, we can give our plants the human attention and love they need. The main thing is we do not just grow for hemp. We also grow for terpenes, which are the essential oils of the plant. At the end of the day we have a really great smelling plant with all the original parts and pieces of the plant.
AC 420: Explain your entourage effect?
Craig: The entourage effect is using everything the plant, or mother nature, has to offer including natural terpenoids, cannabinoids, essence oils and more.
AC 420: The product seems quite pricey. Why?
Craig: Our product quality is through the roof. We start with the soil. We get the best genetics, and we grow the best plants. We have a special, unique cold process to capture the oils and because our yields are not as high, that all reflects in the price. In addition, it takes a lot of money to support a farm. We are not merely creating a product. We are putting love and time into it. At the end of the day, we have to support that small farm, including the workers and everyone involved, and it is not cheap. You can buy oils on the wholesale market for ridiculously cheap and producers can make a cheaper product, but I do not even worry about competing with those folks anymore because their products do not come close to the effects that we have experienced long-term.
AC 420: Because of price, will a little go a long way?
Craig: Yes, a little will go a long way, but it is not because of the price. It is because of the quality. We do not use any unnecessary filler, so you only need to use a few drops a day, which will essentially last you twice as long as other products will.
AC 420: It appears technology has played a key role in product development.
Craig: In many ways no. There are really three parts of this business: farming, extraction, and the product line. On the extraction side, many are using new technology to increase processing, and the more processing that goes into these oils, the more product degradation we tend to see. If you have a philosophy like ours—and that is grow the highest quality hemp plant—you do not want to degrade these oils with all the technology that can separate the terpenes and THC to create isolates. So, in a way, I feel technology can really hurt the end-user, the people who need these products to help them for long-term medicinal reasons. Being an engineer, I am all for technological advancements. But for us, we really try to stick to the basics that allow the plant’s natural benefits to thrive.
AC 420: Do you recommend CBD products for animals?
Craig: Absolutely. We have been having phenomenal success with animals, especially older animals with conditions such as hip dysplasia and things of that nature. The biggest thing I have seen with our CBD in animals is it really comes down to the same element as with humans, which is improved quality of life. Older or sick animals that just want to get out and take that walk to start to get their spark back and feel better. It is great to see.
AC 420: What are you doing to ensure your company continues to grow?
Craig: I am keeping my focus on quality. I feel that in the long run, it will position us as a major player in the industry and it will keep people coming back for more of our products because it actually works.
AC 420: Who has had the biggest influence on your life and business?
Craig: My dad, Fred Craig. He was a mechanic, and he was not the type of person that came home from work on my birthday and showed up with a new bike. Instead, if I found a bike and I was in the garage working on it, he would look over my shoulder and the next day he would show up with the parts he knew I needed. He taught me to look at the world, use my resources and not waste things but instead to fix them and recycle. In addition, my brother-in-law Leo taught me, in business, to do what I do best and then surround myself with other people that could help me with the things that they do best and pay them well. That is the philosophy that I have stuck with.
AC 420: Is there a golden rule by which you live?
Craig: Treat others as you wish to be treated and move on. The ultimate golden rule.
Sheldon Baker is CEO of the Baker Dillon Group LLC and has created numerous nutraceutical brand marketing communications and public relations campaigns for many well-known supplement and food industry companies. For interview consideration or brand marketing consulting, contact him at Contact@The420AreaCode.com.
Area Code 420 (AC 420): Seems your entry into CBD was personal.
Craig: My introduction to the health benefits of CBD oil was prompted by a friend’s diagnosis with Parkinson’s disease in 2002. I was getting his feedback on specific strains I was growing. I sent these strains to our lab and I found ones that worked to help his pain and inflammation were high-CBD strains. And that really turned my role from the cannabis side to the hemp side, to create more high CBD strains. We started doing more research and found studies by Israeli chemist Raphael Mechoulam supporting our findings that different cannabinoids, such as CBDA and CBG had the potential to reduce health issues like pain and inflammation. Over the years, we have stuck to minimal processing and created a natural full-spectrum product that is meant for consumers to use long-term for the best result and we have received testimonials that attest to the product helping with pain, inflammation, arthritis and more.
AC 420: Is your growing process unique?
Craig: There are a lot of things that I have learned over the years which create a high-quality cannabis plant. Many companies use hemp that comes from large-scale industrial grows. We use small farms and small batches, and in that way, we can give our plants the human attention and love they need. The main thing is we do not just grow for hemp. We also grow for terpenes, which are the essential oils of the plant. At the end of the day we have a really great smelling plant with all the original parts and pieces of the plant.
AC 420: Explain your entourage effect?
Craig: The entourage effect is using everything the plant, or mother nature, has to offer including natural terpenoids, cannabinoids, essence oils and more.
AC 420: The product seems quite pricey. Why?
Craig: Our product quality is through the roof. We start with the soil. We get the best genetics, and we grow the best plants. We have a special, unique cold process to capture the oils and because our yields are not as high, that all reflects in the price. In addition, it takes a lot of money to support a farm. We are not merely creating a product. We are putting love and time into it. At the end of the day, we have to support that small farm, including the workers and everyone involved, and it is not cheap. You can buy oils on the wholesale market for ridiculously cheap and producers can make a cheaper product, but I do not even worry about competing with those folks anymore because their products do not come close to the effects that we have experienced long-term.
AC 420: Because of price, will a little go a long way?
Craig: Yes, a little will go a long way, but it is not because of the price. It is because of the quality. We do not use any unnecessary filler, so you only need to use a few drops a day, which will essentially last you twice as long as other products will.
AC 420: It appears technology has played a key role in product development.
Craig: In many ways no. There are really three parts of this business: farming, extraction, and the product line. On the extraction side, many are using new technology to increase processing, and the more processing that goes into these oils, the more product degradation we tend to see. If you have a philosophy like ours—and that is grow the highest quality hemp plant—you do not want to degrade these oils with all the technology that can separate the terpenes and THC to create isolates. So, in a way, I feel technology can really hurt the end-user, the people who need these products to help them for long-term medicinal reasons. Being an engineer, I am all for technological advancements. But for us, we really try to stick to the basics that allow the plant’s natural benefits to thrive.
AC 420: Do you recommend CBD products for animals?
Craig: Absolutely. We have been having phenomenal success with animals, especially older animals with conditions such as hip dysplasia and things of that nature. The biggest thing I have seen with our CBD in animals is it really comes down to the same element as with humans, which is improved quality of life. Older or sick animals that just want to get out and take that walk to start to get their spark back and feel better. It is great to see.
AC 420: What are you doing to ensure your company continues to grow?
Craig: I am keeping my focus on quality. I feel that in the long run, it will position us as a major player in the industry and it will keep people coming back for more of our products because it actually works.
AC 420: Who has had the biggest influence on your life and business?
Craig: My dad, Fred Craig. He was a mechanic, and he was not the type of person that came home from work on my birthday and showed up with a new bike. Instead, if I found a bike and I was in the garage working on it, he would look over my shoulder and the next day he would show up with the parts he knew I needed. He taught me to look at the world, use my resources and not waste things but instead to fix them and recycle. In addition, my brother-in-law Leo taught me, in business, to do what I do best and then surround myself with other people that could help me with the things that they do best and pay them well. That is the philosophy that I have stuck with.
AC 420: Is there a golden rule by which you live?
Craig: Treat others as you wish to be treated and move on. The ultimate golden rule.
Sheldon Baker is CEO of the Baker Dillon Group LLC and has created numerous nutraceutical brand marketing communications and public relations campaigns for many well-known supplement and food industry companies. For interview consideration or brand marketing consulting, contact him at Contact@The420AreaCode.com.
