MOMpreneur: n. defined as a female business owner who is actively balancing the role of mom and the role of entrepreneur.
Welcome to our latest installment of MOMpreneur Monday, highlighting businesses and brands that were founded by female entrepreneurs and fellow mamas!
Today’s featured Modern Boca MOMpreneur is Jenna Harris founder of 420 Brew Street!
Tell us about your background and how 420 Brew Street got started?
I’m Jenna Harris and I’m the owner of 420 Brew Street. I am also a mom of three wildly active kids. I have a Mass Communications degree and have always worked in marketing, sales and customer service.
About five years ago, I made the decision to leave my traditional 9-5 job to raise my son Justin. Two years later, I had my second child, a daughter named Emerie. Then, just eighteen months ago in the midst of starting my own business, I had my third child, another girl Lilah.
Having children while trying to start a business from the ground up is no easy feat. I am stretched thin these days between building a something I’m passionate about, caring for three kids, cooking, cleaning–and now add homeschooling to that list! My days are long and the nights are even longer. But, I love it.
Finding a solution to a problem…
In November 2017, my father passed away. Losing my dad was devastating. At the time, I was caring for my two and four year old kids. I was heartbroken and felt disconnected from everything. I had trouble sleeping and even more trouble engaging. My emotions were all over the place and I knew I needed help. But, I didn’t want to take prescription medications with any side effects.
My friend, who was living in Colorado, told me that I should take CBD. That was the first time I had ever heard of the plant-based cannabinoid. She sent me a tincture and I started researching the chemical compound found in the hemp plant. I was fascinated that CBD had no psychoactive properties (so it would not get me “high”), no concerns about side effects because of its plant-based nature, no reports of addiction, abuse or even overdose!
Over the next six months, I learned everything I could. Based on my personal experience with CBD and how it shifted my mood, promoted better sleep and gave me energy, I believed I found the answer to a lot of people’s problems.
So, 420 Brew Street was born!
With the help of my husband, I decided to go to market with CBD infused coffee. I was in the middle of R&D when I quickly realized that during the roasting process, the coffee beans were reaching extremely high temperatures and the CBD was not sticking to the beans. I couldn’t deliver the amount of CBD I wanted to, so I chose to focus on the health and wellness side of the business.
We developed relationships with farms from Colorado to Kentucky because we wanted to make sure we knew where our product was coming from. We then had to find extraction facilities to turn the CBD bio mass into a usable ingredient in our products. Next came the search for a chemist and manufacturing plant.
What challenges have you faced launching 420 Brew Street?
With each step I experienced setbacks. Trying to navigate these setbacks while caring for three small children was extremely difficult and required laser focus.
On December 20, 2018, President Trump signed the Farm Bill into law which stated that industrial hemp could be grown for research purposes. The market was suddenly flooded with tons of CBD companies and it became the latest and greatest product. Unfortunately, 420 Brew Street was not ready. I faced many challenges from manufacturing, packaging, and website design to marketing, advertising, processing, and ultimately a saturated market.
Did that stop you?
No. I started reading reports that companies were not being honest and the ingredient labels were not accurate. The amount of CBD in the product was fabricated. These companies were clearly in it to make a few quick millions.
I recognized that this was an opportunity. An opportunity to offer our customers an honest, plant-based, purposeful product. It would be created from scratch with intentional ingredients, which could truly help people heal.
All of 420 Brew Street’s products are:
- Formulated by a chemist,
- Manufactured in a GMP certified lab
- Third party tested with a certificate of analysis showing the ingredients and how much of each ingredient there is.
420 Brew Street also has full spectrum hemp extract, so not only are you getting CBD, you are also getting other nutrient-dense cannabinoids such as CBN, CBG, and CBC. All products contain 0.3% THC or less and meet the legal requirement.
420 Brew Street currently has six different flavored teas, three different flavored tinctures, natural tinctures, and a topical Intensive Relief Salve for aches, pains and inflammation. These products have been designed with YOU in mind from the athlete to the 70 year-old grandma with chronic arthritis.
Why should Modern Boca Mom readers become your customers?
420 Brew Street is a local company that is passionate about helping people, giving back to the community, and providing a product that can be trusted. We are customer service-centric and always looking for ways to improve and serve our community better. These products have real ingredients and provide real results. When you become a 420 Brew Street customer, you are supporting a small business with a BIG dream.
What exciting things are coming up for 420 Brew Street?
420 Brew Street is always brewing up new ideas and ways to expand. We have finally cracked the code on the coffee! We will be offering it in the near future. Our featured flavor is called Hammered Hog. It’s a bourbon bacon coffee infused with 420mg of CBD per bag!
We are also working on a hemp lotion called Artic Blaze. Pet products are also in the works as well with a Pet Coat Enhancer to help your furry friends who experience skin issues and sensitivity. We are looking to dive into the beverage side of our business and partner with other local businesses to provide unparalleled brews from tea and coffee to beer. Cheers to 420’s future!
What do you both love about living and working in South Florida?
I was born and raised in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. I have lived here all my life and I love every second of it! The majority of my childhood was spent outdoors with friends, riding bikes, fishing, going to the beach and playing street hockey. I love living in South Florida because you can smell when it’s about to rain, you can wear flip flops year round, the fish is fresh and the seafood options are abundant.
We have a strong community that loves to support small businesses. I’ve met some incredible working mom bosses that manage to raise multiple children, have a career or a business of their own and still manage to show up and support other mamas. I am truly grateful to live and work in a tropical paradise with a supportive community of strong, like-minded women.
Connect with 420 Brew Street Online:
- WEBSITE: www.420brewstreet.com
- FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/420brew
- INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/420brewstreet
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