Danielle Buntyon.Photo Contributed By: Danielle Buntyon.
Danielle Buntyon brings hemp back to the South through her company Jades Elevation, and helps other entrepreneurs follow in her footsteps.
She is the founder of Jades Elevation, a hemp farm and retailer, based in Memphis, Tennessee. However, she is also much more than that.
Buntyon is a woman of color, a mother, farmer, mentor, product developer and entrepreneur.
She is a part of every aspect of creating her products, from seed to experience.
Post from @jadeselevation on Instagram.
The Products
Jades Elevation products include an energizing tincture, pain cream, flower, relaxation tincture, bath salts, moon rocks and hemp concentrates.
Buntyon’s personal favorite is the Soothe Cooling Pain Cream. She uses it for everything from mosquito bites to menstrual cramps to strained muscles to headaches. Customer favorites include pre-rolls, moon rocks and flower.
Buntyon creates her products from start to finish. This ensures the products are up to her high standard. It also allows her to experiment with different cannabinoids.
“We do it from start to finish, basically creating a product based on the experience we want customers to have,” Buntyon told Emerald.
For example, the Chill TFO tincture is formulated specifically for self-care and relaxation.
Post from @jadeselevation on Instagram.
Buntyon is a firm believer that each cannabinoid provides a unique experience. She also believes in the entourage effect, or using the plant’s compounds — including cannabinoids and terpenes — together rather than isolating them to enhances their effects. Consequently, she uses full-spectrum hemp in her products.
Along with good genetics and experimentation, Buntyon uses minimal pesticides and chemicals to ensure her products are top notch.
“We try to use as little and natural pesticides, really focusing on the organic practices,” Buntyon said.
Chemicals and pesticides, even in small amounts, can show up in product testing and decrease the overall quality and safety of her products, she explains.
Jades Elevation performs third party testing through New Bloom Labs in Tennessee. This ensures quality and transparency for customers. Results of all tests are readily available on her website.
Buntyon is also conscious of how she performs extractions. Jades Elevation uses Everclear and CO2 to perform solvent-based extraction. This combination is food-safe and produces a purified product.
She also uses solventless extraction methods including cold water washes, heat and pressure.
Bringing Cannabis to the South
Buntyon’s involvement in creating her own products makes her a great advocate for hemp.
She views her products and hemp as a way the South can be included in the cannabis industry.
Many Southern states still outlaw cannabis, however hemp is legal nationwide. Tennessee is one of only 13 states where medical cannabis is still illegal. Possession of any amount of cannabis in Tennessee can result in one to six years of jail time. However, Memphis and Nashville’s cannabis laws are slightly less strict.
In order to educate Southern consumers, Buntyon highlights the ways hemp can be utilized.
“I try my best to push that it’s more than about getting high,” she said. In fact, hemp is low in THC and high in other cannabinoids like CBD, which do not have psychoactive effects.
Buntyon explains that hemp can be used to produce textiles; it also has regenerative properties and it is great for composting.
While hemp is a cousin to cannabis (which is the THC-rich variety that produces a high), she focuses on educating people about both forms of the plant.
“I try to push a lot of the benefits of the plant. Just the whole plant itself, rather than separating out the hemp or cannabis or the marijuana. Just really focusing on everything you can do with every part of the plant, no matter the THC content,” she explains.
Mentoring Minority Entrepreneurs
As a woman of color working in an increasingly male-dominated industry, Buntyon has succeeded despite some setbacks.
She said that when she first launched her business, people were shocked but supportive. However, she also realized that oftentimes she was the only minority in the room.
Buntyon now mentors budding minority and female entrepreneurs in hopes that her expertise can help them find a seat at the table.
Her youngest mentee is her daughter Jade. She named the company after her, and includes her in all aspects of the business.
Post from @jadeselevation on Instagram.
“Crazy as it may sound, she comes to events with me and she has picked up the selling of the products. She can really explain dosing a lot better than me even. She can just explain it in a friendly way that everybody gets,” Buntyon said.
Jade even uses some of the products herself. While Jade becomes more involved, Jades Elevation also continues to expand.
As the company expands, Buntyon also gains more access and opportunities within the cannabis industry.
“As more and more people recognize me in the field, they trust my expertise, they give me a lot more access to things that if you were new to the industry you wouldn’t be privy to,” Buntyon said.
She explains that women and minorities, including herself, struggle the most with launching their business. But if they can get past that hump, they often succeed.
“As you get deeper into the industry, the color [of your skin] doesn’t affect you as much, because I try to really push the knowledge aspect of what I know and what I do as a business owner. [I really try] to highlight the skill sets I have rather than the color of my skin,” Buntyon said.
Advice from Buntyon
Buntyon encourages women and minorities to seek out grant opportunities in cannabis, rather than seeking traditional investments.
“Open your eyes to all forms of capital as a woman and be willing to pivot with nos that you may get solely because you’re a woman,” she said.
Buntons says if she could go back and tell her younger self anything, it would be “to balance out enough capital to cover your dreams.”
Currently, she hopes to expand her mentorship program in the future to reach more emerging entrepreneurs. She is raising funds so that she can provide mentees with free career advice.
Looking Forward
Post from @jadeselevation on Instagram.
Jades Elevation is in the process of creating a beverage line, and new THC and CBD lines.
The company is also moving into nearby Arkansas, expanding the brand’s presence in the South.
Currently, Jades Elevation products are offered online for Tennessee residents. Consumers can also purchase their products at farmers markets near Memphis during the summer.
But aside from the business itself, Buntyon expresses her desire to expand the company’s social responsibility sector and mentorship program.
“The mentorship program is for anyone who wants to get into the industry, but is having problems doing it,” Buntyon said.
Learn more about Jades Elevation mentorship program, products and social responsibility here.
Written by Maggie Horton
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