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CBD Center part of new industry in state

Staff photo by Clay Schuldt The New Ulm CBD Center opened for business on 700 N. Broadway last month.

NEW ULM — The CBD Centers at 700 N. Broadway, Suite 2 is not just a new business it is a brand new industry in Minnesota.

The CBD Centers opened its storefront on Thursday, March 28. Four months earlier, it would not have been legal to sell its product line in the state.

CBD is an abbreviation of cannabidiol, which is a natural compound found in cannabis, also known as marijuana. The passage of Minnesota’s Agriculture bill last December paved the way for CBD Centers to open. The first CBD Centers opened in Mankato and the New Ulm store followed a month later. The business officially started during The Home Show in March. Their store opened on Broadway a week later.

The New Ulm CBD Center has two full-time employees, owned by Heather Mangen and manager Chris Rathman, as well as three part-time employees.

All the products sold at the center are infused with CBD oil, which is extracted from industrial hemp.

Staff photo by Clay Schuldt CBD Center employee Sam Poquette works the front desk at the New Ulm location. Poquette says he is happy to sell a product he believes in.

Mangen said CBD has been known to help with a wide range of health issues. Typically it is used to help with aches and pains, but it has also been shown to help with the treatment of anxiety, seizures, fibromyalgia and Parkinson’s disease.

The customer base for CBD products goes beyond humans. Rathman said the benefits of CBD works on other mammals as well. The center does carry products for pets. Separation anxiety is a problem with some animals and CBD can manage the symptoms.

Mangen said they received several calls from animal owners during the recent thunderstorms.

The center sells CBD products in a variety of forms including, tincture oil, topical lotions, gels, edible gummies, inhalables and bulk hemp flower.

Mangen said all products are Spartan Wellness brand and all the hemp used was grown locally in Minnesota.

Mangen said education is a big part of the business. A lot of customers come in the store to determine if CBD products can help them.

Once a client finds a product they like, finding the right delivery method is the next step. CBD can be taken through edibles, oils or inhalation. Mangen said the oils were the most popular with inhalables as a close second. These two methods were the fastest delivery method for CBD.

Since the CBD business is brand new to Minnesota, there was a question of whether people would accept the business, but Mangen said the word of mouth has been positive.

Mangen said the greatest challenge they had was finding a merchant process willing to take credit cards. She said many banks were skittish about working with a CBD business. For the first week they could not do credit card sales. This issue has since been resolved.

There is a difference between The CBD Centers’ products and illegal marijuana. The amount of THC in CBD Centers product line is well below the legal limit. Rathman said they do have products with zero THC.

Rathman said the store has been open just long enough to start seeing repeat customers and even begun to see customers come in on medical referrals.

Sam Poquette works the front desk at center and said it was great to see returning customers come in with positive results after using their product. A woman came in saying she was out of pain after using the product and would go off other pain medications.

“It is cool to see a product you can believe in,” Poquette said.

The staff agreed the best part of the job was seeing clients come back after trying a product and experiencing relief.

The CBD Centers hours are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.

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