Annie D'Angelo has spent more than 30 years looking after country music legend Willie Nelson, her husband since 1991. That is one of the main reasons she is curating a line of conventional CBD loose leaf teas in tins. CBD is the non-psychoactive legal component of hemp said to have curative qualities.
Annie has baked Willie THC chocolate edibles and used CBD for years, initially as a balm she concocted in her kitchen to relieve the anxiety and wear and tear of travel and touring. The 86-year-old Nelson, who suffers from emphysema, still plays 100 shows per year.
“It’s not about getting high... Willie and I are proud to offer quality, American-sourced hemp wellness options for people of his generation, our kids’ generation, and everyone in between,” said Annie. The CBD (cannabidiol) teas are “a purposeful departure from Willie’s Reserve,” said Annie in a statement from her publicist.
Willie launched his reserve line, which contains THC, in 2015 and last year introduced a CBD infused coffee.
“Hemp isn’t just good for our farmers and our economy, it’s good for our soil, our environment—and our health,” according to Willie, a champion of rural life who lives in an expansive cedar log cabin near Austin, Tex. “Hemp production in America was stifled for so long, but it could now make all the difference for small independent farmers,” he wrote.
Annie told Forbes that consumer demand has grown since the launch of the coffee. Annie curates both the CBD coffee and tea line as well as tinctures and her original balm, with plans for branded confections and topicals. Annie’s Edibles, made with THC, currently includes artisanal chocolates and infused hard candies.
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“Willie’sRemedy is all about giving people easy access to the healing benefits ofhemp in the same way we look to other plants for wellness,” Annie said. “Byexpanding our product line to include a topical, tea and decaf coffee we hopeto bring this amazing plant to new audiences.”
Willie’s Remedy Teas are infused at a ratio of approximately 2 milligrams of CBD per gram of tea leaves. This results in a serving of approximately 10 milligrams per cup, according to the company’s website. The teas can be prepared hot or cold. Botanical versions include hibiscus, peppermint and chamomile.
Annie explained the amount of CBD ingested in brewed tea varies. The amount of leaf used “will greatly affect the average dose of CBD in a serving of Willie’s Remedy Tea.” A 3oz tin contains 300 milligrams. Extracts are full spectrum. The black tea is a blend of Ceylon and Assam in the style of a classic English breakfast tea. The green tea is made of Chinese gunpowder sourced in Zhejiang, China. The teas sell for $18 for a 1.5oz tin or $32 for the 3oz tin.
Annie doesn’t disclose her age, but Willie’s been around since April 1933. They have two children, Lukas and Jacob. They live on their Luck Ranch with 60 horses near Spicewood, Texas (with a vacation home in Maui, Hawaii)
Several well-known actors and musicians and even Martha Stewart are either endorsing or launching their own product lines. Stewart plans to launch hemp-based CBD food and drink line (for animals and humans) next summer. Seth Rogan is following Willie’s lead and creating a line of THC active products with cannabis-company Canopy Growth.
Hundreds of CBD products launched in the past year including several hemp teas and cold brew coffees. Forbes reports more than 100 CBD kiosks opened in shopping malls around the U.S. this year.
The U.S. legalized hemp cultivation last year. Regulations governing the sales of CBD-infused edibles, including beverage tea, remain murky. CBD sales totaled $350 million in 2018. Market research by Nielsen conducted in March shows 34% of Americans were interested in consuming legal CBD/Cannabis for the Memorial Day holiday. Nielsen predicts the food and beverage share of hemp-derived CBD products will reach $6 billion in sales by 2025. Sales of beverages will account for $1.6 billion of this total with foods and stacks (including confectionery) accounting for $950 million in annual sales. Although currently, a small segment compared to powders, oils for vaping and supplements, Nielsen predicts CBD food and beverages will account for a 44% share of CBD sales years to come.
Source: Willie’s Remedy, Forbes,RollingStone