Ep 267 – Hemp Entrepreneur Building a Global Hempire

paul benhaim elixinol

The hemp and CBD market are going global in a big way, and renowned hemp pioneer Paul Benhaim is here to help us navigate the waters.

Now the founder and CEO of CBD brand Elixinol, Paul has been involved in the hemp industry since 1993. His first commercial endeavor in the space was a hemp-based nutritional bar that quickly moved from a few thousand bars per year to multi-millions and is now sold under numerous labels across the world.

This lead Paul to found the industry-leading brand Hemp Foods Australia, which continues to provide the highest quality hemp food products available.

In this episode, Paul shares with us his insight on the market and the products he sees gaining momentum worldwide, including CBD powders and liposomes.

Learn more at https://elixinol.com

Key Takeaways:

  • Paul’s personal journey through the hemp industry and how he came to start Elixinol
  • An inside look at Elixinol and its mission to provide the highest-quality CBD products in the world
  • The most profitable products around the world and Paul’s predictions for future bestsellers
  • Japanese customer behavior versus that of American customers
  • Paul’s insight on different markets including Latin America
  • How Paul believes 2018’s Farm Bill will significantly change cannabis’ global mobility
  • Where Paul sees the price of hemp shifting in the next 1-3 years, especially as more and more companies move online
  • New hemp-based protein and food innovations Paul is developing through his Hemp Foods line
  • Paul’s advice on how to build customer interest and loyalty through packaging without overspending
  • Paul’s insights on what the cannabis and hemp landscape will look like globally over the next 5-10 years
Read Full Transcript

Matthew: Hi, I'm Matthew Kind. Every Monday, look for a fresh new episode where I'll take you behind the scenes and interview the insiders that are shaping the rapidly evolving cannabis industry. Learn more at cannainsider.com. That's C-A-N-N-A insider.com. Now, here's your program. The Hemp and CBD market are going global in a big way. Paul Benhaim, founder of Global Hemp and CBD brand, Elixinol, is here to tell us how the market is evolving and what to expect. Paul, welcome to CannaInsider.

Paul: Good day. Nice to meet you.


Paul: Today, I'm in London, England.

Matthew: Okay. And what is Elixinol at a high level?

Paul: Elixinol is the number one provider of hemp-derived CBD products on a global scale.

Matthew: Okay. And Paul, can you share a little bit about your background and journey, and how you got into the hemp space and came to start Elixinol?

Paul: Sure. Love to do that, Matt. I started off in the hemp industry about 25 years ago in the early '90s where I developed the first commercial hemp food product, actually in the United Kingdom where I am today. Which kind of feels like a roundabout place to be in my journey right now. So, when I developed that product in the early '90s, there was no commercial hemp products or cannabis products that existed.

And I saw the benefits of the nutrition from the hemp seed itself, containing omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids, as well as a very high-quality form of protein which, and I was studying food and nutrition at the time, and that's how I discovered hemp. Then I discovered all of its many different uses, and I decided to make it my mission to take high-quality hemp products to as many people around the world as possible.

So, I've done that through my journey, from the hemp snack bar that's now in all the supermarket chains around Europe. I created the first hemp milk, which was turned into a hemp ice cream in the early '90s. And then I created hemp pastas, hemp breads, hemp sauces, hemp tea, hemp soups, hemp everything, basically. Until I moved to Australia at the turn of the century, where I was headhunted to come and create the industry there from scratch. Which, after working with some politicians, I thought wouldn't be such a hard thing. It wouldn't take long to persuade them based upon the science that I was aware of to allow hemp as a food.

That journey took a little longer than expected. It took 17 years, in fact, to allow hemp as a food there. And that little pause, I guess, in my commercial career did allow me to write nine books on industrial hemp and continue to support others around the world in becoming experts at communicating and creating the highest quality hemp products. That led me to creating Hemp Foods Australia, which is one of the companies that we own today. Before, it was actually legal as a food, it was completely legal business. And what we recognize is that we could grow the seed, we could produce the product, and we could sell the product as long as we didn't sell it for human consumption.

So we told people to rub it on their skin, and that seemed to work very well, with politicians coming to our factory, congratulating us on how many jobs we had created in the local area and region. We won export awards, all for a product that wasn't allowed as a food that everyone was eating quite knowingly, it seems. So, that irony obviously ended with a change in legislation, better late than never. And it was during that time actually that I founded Elixinol.

Elixinol is more focused on the cannabinoid content of hemp products. And those hemp products now are 45 different SKUs in the market with Elixinol. Elixinol was actually founded in Boulder, Colorado. It seemed the most sensible place five years ago, and we started that business mainly because of the support of legislation, and I had enough of, I guess, changing laws.

Even though I still find myself doing that today, and employing regulatory and compliance people who continue to lobby around the U.S. in the states as well as having similar people here in Europe where we are based today. So, that company in Boulder, Colorado really has spread out globally. We now have subsidiaries that we partly own in Japan, we have subsidiaries in the Netherlands, Spain, United Kingdom, and other places now in Europe where we're just entering. Which is two out of the three companies under Elixinol Global. The third company is a medical cannabis startup for pharmaceutical-grade high THC products for Australia only. And those three companies were all rolled up under the Elixinol Global banner in an IPO to become a public company in Australia just over a year and a half ago.

Which has been a journey in itself, of course, moving into the public arena. Working with tier one companies such as Deloitte's and the like, to ensure that our company not only produces the highest quality products, but actually has the highest quality systems, which I fully support to know that we can grow around the world to continue my mission of ensuring everyone has the benefits of the natural hemp plant.

Matthew: Okay. So, 45 products. That's a lot of products. Can you give us a sense of what your best selling products are in the U.S., U.K., Australia, and Japan on a high level?

Paul: Sure. Well, maybe we'll start off in Australia, because that's relatively easy. Because of the legal situation, there are no medical cannabis products yet, so they are coming soon, we believe. There are no CBD products because that's considered medical cannabis in Australia. So, hemp foods are our best selling products. And we think the newest product that we've recently launched which is frozen hemp burgers are expected to be our best-selling product here in Australia right now.

In the U.S., obviously, the hemp-derived CBD products are our best selling items, and our classic capsules and tinctures are very popular. Capsules, because a lot of people still don't like to taste what they're having, which is fair enough. And our tinctures are very popular because they actually taste good. So we have different flavors like cinnamint, which is a mixture of cinnamon and mint, and due to our production methods we are able to ensure that you don't have that really super bitter taste that some people get from CBD.

Our latest products that look like they may take over in the not too distant future include our high bioavailable liposomes. So, that liposome is basically our way to ensure easy access for our body to absorb the cannabinoid content from those products. And the other product that is now launched in Albertsons and Safeways around the U.S. one of 13 products in that chain, U.S. national retail chain, is our CBD powders.

So, that's a very easy way for people just to enter into the world of CBD, for like $2 or $3, you can buy a sachet of powder that's also high bioavailable and water-soluble powders that taste really great. You just mix it with water, and can have it any time of the day or night. So, we think that is probably heading into that number one or two spot. We'll see how that goes over time, of course. Hope that helps.

Matthew: I'm curious, do the Japanese take a different approach to trying and then regulating CBD, adopting it into their culture, because, I mean, we kind of have this in the Western world, or the, I guess, the former British colonies. And it's kind of like something that's evil that's now becoming not evil. Do they have that history with the plant, or how do they look at it?

Paul: Well, the Japanese culture is quite different and is very unique in itself, of course. So, cannabis actually has a super long history in many cultures around the world is what I've discovered in my studies. And one of those cultures is in Japan. Where hemp has been very much revered, particularly for the emperor, which is the equivalent of the royal family, I guess, in Japan. And the use of hemp or cannabis in ceremonies, in temples as well. So, hemp is really seen as this thing that's nearly untouchable. It's only for the very special people. But that means that it is in their culture. Sadly, the mainstream culture in Japan is still very much against anything that relates to the drug. So they're very anti-anything THC at this time.

Of course, there's a movement like everywhere else that is moving to change that, and I have no doubt that that will change over time. But I think that will take quite a way. So, for us to get CBD into Japan, it took a number of years to work with the authorities to get all the tests and proof that our products were basically THC free.

So, we only export our completely THC-free products into Japan, and we have very special licenses and paperwork to ensure that those products are of the highest quality. Japan is known for very stringent import regulations. So, we worked very closely with the government officials for many years, which led me to actually meeting the first lady of Japan, which was an excellent opportunity for Elixinol to, you know, connect itself with, I guess, the people most respected within the country. That's probably why we've been in the Vogue Magazine and Elle Magazine many times now. We were recently on the Tokyo train stations, and now sold in, you know, you can even buy Elixinol CBD products in the Tokyo Airport. It's promoted as a jetlag reliever over there.

But, the Japanese I think, really use CBD mainly for relief of stress and anxiety because it's a very fast-paced culture. It's very active. And I think anything that brings the population into more balance or homeostasis is very healthy for them. So we very much support that use over there. So, I really do feel that there is a tipping point being led in Japan right now. And a number of other Asian countries are watching very closely and feel like they will be hot on the toes of that country also.

Matthew: Can you give us a high-level overview of your revenue now that you're a public company just to give us a sense of scope and scale?

Paul: Sure. Last year, in 2018, we turned over nearly $40 million. And that was more than double the year previously, and we're on a continually steep growth curve as we move through 2019 now. In my opinion, we're just beginning our journey and we really feel that 2019 is the transition year. Since President Trump signed the farm bill at the end of 2018, the kind of conversations Elixinol has been having have really increased in their significance.

So, those conversations and due diligence with these companies is a process, we say, for this year in 2019. And I think you'll see some of the results of that before the year end, which I think, ultimately, will lead to significant increases in revenue in 2020. I don't think we'll be the only people that will be benefiting from the interest, but I do believe that we're one of the few companies, because of our vertical integration, high-quality systems and controls for stable and safe products, that we will be taking advantage of that more than most.

Matthew: And what about the Latin American market? How do you see that?

Paul: I think Latin American market is very interesting. And we've had definitely a presence in that market for some years now. We see a lot of press about different businesses looking to rely on the Latin American market particularly for the low-cost supply chain. And, don't get me wrong, I'm sure Latin American countries have that ability. We believe everywhere has that ability including in the U.S.A. We're using, I guess, scale high technology and efficient systems that we can meet or match, you know, even Chinese prices, who we also see as competitors in the global scale of things.

So, I think, for us, Latin America is more access to the markets that will open up in Latin America, because, like everywhere around the world, is that there is a need for these hemp-derived CBD products for many different uses. So, I think we're looking at it from that perspective and have been having some very long conversations for quite some time with some great organizations there. Again, similar to everybody else, everywhere else in the world waiting for clarification of legislation before any really big moves are made. So, we generally don't talk about Latin America and what we're doing there in detail, but I hope that we can do that one day in the near future.

Matthew: Okay. And you've been educating people about hemp for a long time. How has that changed over the last few years and contrast that to previously?

Paul: I think, you know, previously, my education was really on, you know, what is hemp, all of its different uses, and actually people understanding, you know, everything about a plant, really. Most people didn't know, even today, there is still, you know, some clarity required. You know, what's the difference between hemp and marijuana, for example. So, you know, I still explain to people that it's actually still the same plant. They're both Cannabis Sativa. And the main difference is really from a legislative perspective, which is related to the tetrahydrocannabinol or the THC content. So, those conversations still indeed happen.

But I think, you know, generally, the conversations are much more move towards inspiring people about how they can be successful in this industry and why it's still worth getting involved, in any level, even if you're, you know, just a reseller. The growing market and demand for this is still very significant. So, I'm very happy to move more to the inspiring stories of our success rather than just the basics, which a lot more people really do seem to understand these days.

Matthew: Where do you see the price of hemp moving in the next one to three years? And in your mind, do you see it as kind of an international price and then you break it down by countries, or do you look at it with kind of a country view and then say, "Well, this makes sense in the context of a global hemp price."?

Paul: That's a good question there, Matt. And I think the answer is not clear yet. And the reason it's not clear yet is because we don't know how fast or how big this industry will grow to. All we know is that it's growing fast, and it's growing a lot bigger. And what we can see is blue sky. We don't know where that ceiling will be. But at some point, there will be a ceiling. I don't think that will be in the next year.

I think it will be more in the three to five-year range, if I had to put a number on it, but please don't hold me to that because, you know, there is a lot of disruptive technology in hemp and CBD products. But when that ceiling is reached, I think you will see more of a commodity-based price. But at least in the farming side and the raw material side, I think there will always be a space for high-quality branded product goods and that's where Elixinol has positioned itself.

Matthew: Okay. And so, just in terms of the mechanics of how you get the hemp, are you contracting with farmers then, and they produce the hemp for you, and you just have a relationship with a bunch of different farmers? Is that how it works?

Paul: Well, something like that, basically. You know, with 25 years of experience in growing hemp around the world, one thing I have learned is to respect farmers. And I think we all need to respect farmers for the food and anything that they grow. And that comes out of me recognizing how hard it is to actually farm in this world, particularly if you're naturally farming.

So, all of Elixinol's products are farmed without chemicals. Most of it is certified organic. But all of it is without chemical farming. And that's not an easy thing to do anywhere around the world. So we continue to ensure that we don't put all our eggs in one farmer's basket we'll say. But we also want to have a control. So, the way we've done that is we've invested in a partnership with one of Colorado's largest water rights holders. Water is the equivalent of insurance policy in farming.

So we have a 50% stake in that farming venture. As well as that farming venture, you know, obviously knowing the cost of farming, making sure others know that we know the cost of farming, we're able to negotiate excellent contracts with other partners. And one of those other partners we've worked with for nearly four years I think now. This is our fourth year that we've been contracting out to them. This year, we're actually contracted out to a number of different farmers throughout different states in the U.S. as well. Mainly so we don't have to deal with that farming risk.

You know, we think we've got some of the best prices for farming that exists, even though we're contracting those out rather than owning all the farms ourselves. But the most important thing is that we don't have to focus on that risk. Ultimately, the raw material, you know, is not a major part of our costs still. You know, it's all in the formulation and creating the high-quality products, where we add our value in the most way.

Matthew: Do you feel like there's a need yet or in the near future for a hemp futures market where you can kind of hedge your risks, or you can lock in prices, and another side of that coin that the farmers can also lock in their harvest and have some sense of a sureness that they'll get a profit, and that type of thing, or is that just not a necessary component or talked about much yet in the hemp community?

Paul: There are some people who have pitched that business model to me, and I actually do find it an interesting business model. I think it requires the entire industry to jump on that to make it viable. And I think that is a possibility in time. But, again, it's like, you know, when is that time? Is that in 1, 3, 5 or 10 years? So, I don't know where that is. And, again, you know, right now, that's not how it's done in the industry. There are a lot of people promising many years, in the last few years I would say, many people have promised that they're gonna be growing tens of thousands of acres of hemp and be able to produce it far cheaper than anybody else.

And most of those people who've made those claims to us have failed. And I don't hold it against them. I think, you know, I actually kind of try to warn them to be careful not to scale up too much, because, you know, I don't wanna see farmers being hurt. Anything new, even, hemp is known to grow as a weed and it does grow excellent when you know how. But it's like, you know, it's getting a relationship with the plant that does take some years. So, that's why we're focused on, I guess, the people that have been growing for a number of years rather than the people who say they're gonna grow the most and the cheapest. In a few years, we'll see where that leads us, of course.

Matthew: What has been harder than you thought it would be managing a business on multiple continents. So, when I've spoken to you, you've been in different places, and I've spoken to a few people at Elixinol and they're in different places. You got a lot of moving parts. What's been trickier as you kind of, the business grows, than you had anticipated?

Paul: Well, I never anticipated anything to be easy to be honest. But, you know, there continue to be a challenge apart from the legislative environment, which I wish there was one form of legislation globally. But it's extremely complicated in that form. You know, and we're trying to be a global brand, so, that brings its challenges in itself, of course. Where being a global brand means global teams. So, actually managing four global teams has its own challenges. Because it's not just about replicating a structure in one country in another country, because, I guess, those teams, you know, for example, the European team has to speak with the U.S. team to understand where they're going with their brand, and same with the European team.

You know, so, Europe, U.S., and Japan are on three time zones. So, how do we all connect together regularly to ensure that we're all headed in the same direction? And that, from, you know, an executive level is the biggest challenge. So, you know, I always anticipated that people are the most important part of our business, because they make that high-quality product. By having high-quality people, you will create high-quality systems and products. So, they are all connected. But it continues to be, you know, not always that easy to find the best in the world, which is what we aspire to in every aspect of our business.

We have recently brought on a new board member, you know, to the global level, who has had experience about building global, I guess, structures in a similar way for very large multinational companies. One of them based in Japan, actually, a multi-trillion dollar business over there that had, you know, entities all over the world. So, you know, when I find those problems, I find the best possible people I can, and I do my best, you know, to bring them on with the team so that we can grow with the best experience that we can possible.

Matthew: Okay. I've been following a trend in terms of the plant-based mimicking-type meats, where they taste like meat but they're plant-based, like the incredible burger and so forth. And I know you're big in the hemp-based proteins and so forth. How do you see that evolving to kind of replace meat in the diet?

Paul: I don't know if it's about replacing meat in the diet. And I think that's the myth that we have to bust here. Is that there is definitely a growing vegan and vegetarian interest in the world, and it's been there for a long time, and it is growing. But I think there's a bigger segment of the market that continues to eat meat but wants to eat less meat, and wants to eat more healthy foods. And I think it's that market that's looking for a more of the plant-based protein alternatives, is where this trend is growing from.

So, yes, we are seeing some successes with beyond meat and incredible burgers, but, you know, the incredible range, I believe, is genetically modified. So, you know, we think that we can create a plant-based alternative that is still completely natural, and that's the hemp burgers that I mentioned earlier that we've just recently launched in Australia and expect to take global at some stage also.

Matthew: And can you tell us a little bit about Nunyara. Is that what you're referring to? Or, what's Nunyara?

Paul: Nunyara is a medical cannabis startup. And the reason most people haven't heard much about Nunyara is because it is relying on the Australian government office of drug control giving us licenses that they told us would be about 20 working days over a year and a half ago. So, nearly coming up to two years now, in fact, I think. So, you know, when we get those licenses, I'm sure we'll talk about that more. But, basically, it is a business that we have only one employee for right now, that has very advanced plans. We've bought land, we have super advanced plans for high-tech cultivation and manufacturing of pharmaceutical-grade medical cannabis of all forms.

And just like Elixinol, we're not following what other people are doing, we're not following the Canadians or the Europeans. We actually have our own plan. Of course, we watch what everybody else is doing, and we think we have some novel and very interesting and unique ways of doing that. We're not trying to be, you know, the largest entity in the world making medical cannabis. We think we have a very strong niche in what we've developed, and I hope to be able to talk about that. Again, dependent on what the Australian government allows.

Matthew: Okay. With so many products, and a direct-to-customer brand, packaging has got to be a big part of what you're thinking about, packaging and marketing. How do you think about communicating your message so it resonates with customers in the packaging and branding?

Paul: Well, that's a very large subject that we are actually in a significant process for, mainly because, you know, we started off very small. We had some great packaging, great ideas, great branding at the beginning. But we've grown kind of organically in a lot of ways. So we've added a product on, added another product on. And we recognize that we've got to a stage now where we have to come back and relook at the entire range. Not just that we've got publicly today, but all of the many new products in development that we have in our pipeline, and look at them and going, "Okay, what is the overall message that Elixinol wants to portray and who to?"

So, we've spent some significant resources in defining the answers to those questions. And, again, 2019 for us is in that process of internal change. And I think you will see the results of that coming out next year. And it is a science and an art together. So there is a lot of science. There's a lot of data that is required to make those kind of decisions, and there is a lot of creatives that happen in the background.

You know, without giving away any of what's coming, I can say that, you know, the video that my team pitched to me for the changes that we intend to come brought a tear to my eye, not just the first time I watched it but even the second time I watched it. So, I think it was very powerful and I think will reach a lot of people, and really does resonate with the massive global change that hemp CBD products are making on the world.

Matthew: Now, where do you see the industry in 5 to 10 years? I know, with regulators, it's very difficult. But, I mean, can you paint a picture of what you think it will look like and how it will be different that it is 5 to 10 years from now, not necessarily your products, but just the marketplace and consumers in general?

Paul: I think in 5 or 10 years, we'll see much more of a big picture, where hemp and CBD products, or cannabis products, or probably most forms are widely accepted. They are known, you know, and people know what they're for, and there'll be a couple of, a few maximum winning brands, we'll say. Some brands will be known for, I guess, you know, more of a gimmick. So, you know, if you read it, you know, like a tiny amount, say a few milligrams of CBD to, you know, a two-liter bottle of water. Well, you know, it's probably not gonna give you any effect but makes you feel good that you're taking a bit of CBD mainly. So, there'll be maybe a brand like that. And then there'll be brands like Elixinol that, you know, are known for their high-quality products.

So, you know, it's like, if you wanted like an ibuprofen for a headache, you wouldn't go for a Nurofen or Advil or something. You'd going for a brand name that you would respect. I think when people choose to have CBD, they'll also choose to have a brand name. And I think there'll be more than one or two brands mainly because there are more than one or two uses of hemp-derived CBD. So, I think, you know, there will be different brands focused on different aspects of the market. But there will no longer be, you know, hundreds or if not thousands of brands trying to grow as there are now. And that gap is already, you know, expanding from the top, say, 20 companies to the other thousand or so companies out there in the world.

I think there'll always be, you know, your small mom-and-pop brands. It's a bit like, I guess, microbrewery, that always be lots of microbrewing maybe like wine, fine wines. There'll always be those forms of hemp and cannabis products. But I think there'll also be a few major brands that really can just get it right and do everything on a very scalable level, you know, on a global scale particularly. And I think that long-term picture and that long-term vision is truly what we continue to workout on a daily basis.

We're not trying to cut corners, or just get large amounts of revenues quickly. We are focused on ensuring that we have that long 5 to 10-year plan in process. And I think, you know, we'll see results of that before that time, of course. But I look forward to it just being an everyday products, you know, not too dissimilar to how Colorado is starting to see these products today. I expect that will happen globally.

Matthew: Paul, in this point in the interview, I like to ask a few personal development questions to help listeners get a better sense of who you are as a person. With that, is there a book that's had a big impact on your life or way of thinking that you'd like to share?

Paul: I mean, there's probably been many books...not so much. I mean, maybe at the beginning the first books that I read on "Fats and Oils" from Udo Erasmus were very inspiring to me personally, and that's what led me on the journey which brought me to hemp. So, I guess that definitely had a very significant effect on my life. But at that time, I was also reading many books. I was actually studying in the Himalayas. So I was reading lots of different books about different religions particularly about the Buddhist and Hindu religions and many others.

And it wasn't that, you know, I don't feel that I, you know, became any, or followed any particular religion, but I think recognizing what was a common message is that, you know, all human beings are connected and ultimately there is no difference between any of us. There is just a different perspective between all of us. So, learning about perspectives from people like Ken Wilber, another Coloradoan, really, I guess, inspired me to see that from a science perspective, and as well as the Buddhist it gets more a spiritual perspective. But they were both two ways for me of saying the same thing.

So, you know, I treat everyone and see everyone ultimately as an equal in this life. And that all opinions, you know, really count, whether it's a person, you know, packing a box at the end of the day, or highly paid corporate advisers. That, you know, everyone has an opinion that needs to be heard. Everyone has a need for food, shelter, and connection. And I think it's always important to remember those things. And that's what I learned from those books.

Matthew: Apart from email and smartphone, is there a tool that you or your team use that you consider valuable to your productivity?

Paul: Yes, eyesight. That's a tool that I find very important, where we look into each other's eyes and communicate that way. I think it seems, you know, something that we often take for granted, but I think actually doing that consciously and actually being present with one another is an extremely important tool. And I think, you know, even though people say, "Oh, well, we always look at each other, and it's just something we normally do." I think bringing consciousness to that, just like bringing consciousness to anything, really, you know, brings more of that connection that I was just talking about earlier.

Matthew: Okay. What is the most interesting thing going on in your field in your opinion?

Paul: That's a very hard question to answer, because everything is so interesting right now. You know, the word boredom seems like this outer space place that I couldn't even imagine in my wildest dreams. So, everything is really very interesting when we're growing at such a high speed, with so many new people joining our team. So many new people, you know, learning great things, with so much development, and pushing boundaries in all levels of our business, not just from systems, or products, or formulations, but people, and places, and feelings. So, there's so much out there to be questioned. And yeah, I think you've just got to. If you're part of the industry, I'm sure you'll get that answer.

Matthew: What's one thought you have that most people would disagree with you on? This is a Peter Thiel question. It can be about anything. It doesn't have to be about the cannabis industry.

Paul: Well, I mean, I think, you know, I'll bring that back to the same answer I gave you before, which, you know, I think is true which is, you know, that we're all the same. All of us human beings, we all have this connection, ultimately, underneath our differences. Whether we're one side or the other. Whether red or blue or from here or there. I think some people would disagree with that. I think Donald Trump would say that the Chinese are different from the Americans. And I say, well, under it, we're all the same. And I think we just got to see everything from each other's perspectives. And that's not always simple. Don't get me wrong.

You know, saying we're all the same, and we can all be connected, and we are all equal is much easier to say than actually to do in different situations. So, I don't envy, you know, our politicians who have to do that on a national scale. But, ultimately, I think we all need to strive to that on a global scale. And whether we manage to get there in this lifetime or the next, it is...and whether people believe me or not, that is definitely what I strive to and I strive Elixinol to stand for as well.

Matthew: Yeah, it's weird how we have this kind of programming that like some other group that has a different color skin, or whose food smells different, they like projecting problems onto them, and then, as I travel around the world in different countries, I see like people are fundamentally the same. They just want good things for their family, and health, and, you know, it's like. There's some, I don't know if it's just background propaganda like, nope, that group over there is different. And they're really not. I agree with that. Well, this is like We Are The World here. This is Kumbaya. That song with We Are The World. No, okay. But, Paul, as we close, let's tell listeners more about how they can find Elixinol online, and follow your work, find your products wherever they are.

Paul: Yep. I mean, our corporate website is elixinolglobal.com, but I think for people who are looking at our CBD products, elixinol.com will lead them to access to the best hemp-derived CBD products in the world. We have elixinol.eu for the European Union, and elixinol.jp for Japan. But we have hempfoods.com.au for hemp foods. But they're all available via elixinolglobal.com, which is our global group. And I look forward to connecting with any one of your listeners and to any of our team so that we can move towards and be that change that we want to be in the world.

Matthew: Well, Paul, thanks so much for coming on. You're building quite a hempire here. And I wish you well with everything you do. And we'll watch closely as this grows.

Paul: Thank you very much, Matt.


