Grower Stories #57: Laurel (Lo) Friesen

Smoking in Seattle: An Interview With Laurel Friesen of Heylo Cannabis

Seattle-based cannabis brand Heylo Cannabis is dedicated to greater cannabis education and top-notch extractions. This 100 percent women-owned cannabis brand sits down with AskGrowers about their top-notch products, their origins, and unique products.

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I am a chemistry nerd with a passion for cannabis. After working in medicine for a couple of years, I was inspired to explore the cannabis industry after learning how some patients were using cannabis to help treat symptoms. I immersed myself in cannabis white papers and couldn’t stop reading about all of the ways cannabis interacts with the human body. This industry combines all of my passions into one incredible career!

My chemistry background has given me the strong foundation to produce incredible cannabis products that ultimately help people get more out of life. At the same time, I love to share the knowledge we’ve accumulated over the past 5+ years. Education has helped us continue to show the community how incredibly beneficial this plant is and all the beautiful ways it can amplify life’s experiences.

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Tia (AskGrowers) : What’s your brand story? How did you start the brand?

Laurel (Lo) Friesen : I love chemistry and the sciences because inherently they help us understand why and how the world works down to a quantum level! Naturally, I wanted to know why when I would try the same cultivar from two different brands and I’d get 2 different experiences. I generally ask a lot of questions and, as a curious cannabis consumer, I wasn’t able to find much information from cannabis shops or brands. I sought out the why and, to simplify it, it came down to the chemistry of these products.

After digging through research papers, Leafly, forums, and beyond, I was amazed by all the information that was available and yet so difficult to find. Simultaneously I lost trust in the products I was consuming because of the lack of information and the reliance on an outdated “Indica/Sativa/Hybrid” classification system.

And so, Heylo was born on a foundation of education, transparency, community, and respect for the cannabis plant with a mission to help anyone get more out of life with cannabis.

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Tia : Do you position Heylo as a sustainable brand? If so, what do you do for that?

Laurel : Heylo is a sustainable brand in business and with respect to the earth, which we believe go hand in hand. We are as “no waste” as we can be. Everyone at the company understands that we individually can make a difference in minimizing waste and takes that into account at every step of the process. Here are a few things we do to minimize waste and contribute to sustainable practices:

• Reuse our CO2 and ethanol
• Work with a grow partner, Cascade Gnome, who takes our post-extracted biomass and reintroduces it into their soil and compost to enrich their land
• Use recyclable packaging, some of which is produced by wind power
• Create lasting partnerships with growers and retailers that share similar values and vision for this industry to ensure that all of us will be in business for a long time.

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Tia : You mention that your CBD-infused lubricant is, “Made with safe, lab and real-world tested ingredients you can trust.” Do you make it yourselves or order somewhere else?

Laurel : It is important for lubricants to be formulated properly, so we decided to pursue a partnership with a highly regarded manufacturer to make sure our customers are getting the best experience and best product on the market. It took a long time to find the right partnership and we’re proud to be producing Loud with this base.

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Tia : How do you think it’s different from other lubricants on the market? In fact, are there other CBD-infused personal lubricants on the market?

Laurel : So many lubricants are made with cheap sticky ingredients that actually cause dryness. People are used to the stickiness and side-effects of dryness and itching of the most common lubricant products on the market. Our product has been formulated with the highest quality silicone, supplemented with high-quality aloe, and CBD. This translates to a moisturizing, long-lasting, smooth, and highly pleasurable experience! Most customers say they’ve never felt a lube this good. Pair that with CBD, which amplifies pleasure, and you’re sure to find your best orgasm.

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Tia : Are your products eco-friendly? If so, explain how!

Laurel : Our products are produced using sustainable cannabis grown with organic methods. Our packaging is recyclable and made with wind-power. Our process uses sustainable solvents, like CO2, and certified organic and kosher ethanol. We’re always working hard to find even more ways to make our products eco-friendly!

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Tia : Why do you think people should choose your brand over others? What sets you apart from the competition?

Laurel : 

• Heylo is mission-driven - to help anyone get more out of life.
  • We take it upon ourselves to ensure our customers and community are getting the best experience possible.

• Our products consistently deliver on the experience!
  • We convey how the product will make you feel and what activities pair well with it by putting those descriptions on the front of our packaging. Those descriptions come from actual product feedback, we’re proud of how consistently our products deliver on the experience.
• Heylo is 100% minority and woman-owned
  • I’m proud to be a woman in this space and my Hispanic heritage
  • Diversity is important to us, not only serving a diverse community but also growing our diverse team! Having different perspectives within our team and alignment on our mission all offers us the advantage of thinking outside the box and truly serving our community.

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Tia : What are your personal favorite strains to smoke?

Laurel : My favorite of all time is our CBG Blend vape - it’s pure happiness! Other favorites are Apricot Moonshine, anything with Aliens in it, and Durban Poison!

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Tia : Are there any brands/growers you appreciate and follow?

Laurel : I love working with Cascade Gnome - they have some of the best flower I’ve ever smoked and it is backed up by the amazing extracts we produce with their flower. They embody everything I love about this industry! Other favorites are Washington Bud Co., Gold Leaf Gardens, and Sky High Gardens.

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Tia : If you could smoke with anyone on this planet, living or dead, who’d that be and why?

Laurel : Can I name 3? First would be [tooltip title="Marie Skłodowska Curie" content="Physicist and chemist, known for research on radioactivity."]Marie Curie[/tooltip], she’s a hero of mine and I’d love to talk about all things chemistry and discovery with her! I’d also love to smoke with [tooltip title="Marguerite Ann Johnson" content="American poet, memoirist, and activist."]Maya Angelou[/tooltip], what a powerful creative and inspiration for change. Last but not least, I’m hoping one day to smoke with some of my favorite people - the members of [tooltip title="The Strokes" content="New York indie rock band."]The Strokes[/tooltip]. My brother and I met [tooltip title="Julian Fernando Casablancas" content="Singer and songwriter of indie rock band The Strokes"]Julian Casablancas[/tooltip] once and had a blast chatting with him...

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Thank you so much, Heylo team, for taking the time to do the interview. To learn more about them, head on over to their website.