Photo courtesy of Torch CBD
Until Kai Trimble-Lea, her brother, Jeremy “Jay” Trimble and long-time friend Lynell Norton opened Torch CBD (3419 W. State St.) in August, there was a dearth of cannabidiol (CBD) retailers in the Concordia neighborhood. The three co-owners had long been interested in natural health and had personally experienced how well CBD had helped them and their families with various health ailments. With additional wellness challenges brought on by COVID-19, Trimble-Lea says they felt a need to bring CBD to the community so that people have an alternative to prescription medications. They chose a centrally located area near I-94, Downtown and college campuses.
Trimble, who works in law enforcement in Dane County, notes that CBD has been particularly effective in helping officers with trauma, anxiety and sleep issues. The Torch CBD partners worked with a Colorado farm to create their own line of flavored full spectrum tinctures, along with lip balms, capsules and salves. “Colorado is the birth place of today’s cannabis movement as a whole, so that led us to seek out a farm there,” Trimble-Lea says.
They also partnered with Jennifer Polak, of Canna Infuzions to craft a line of Torch CBD tea. Varieties include chamomile lavender, peach rooibos and simply lemon, all infused with hemp flower grown in Wisconsin, and chai tea mix infused with CBD. Polak uses Wisconsin-grown hemp in her teas. Trimble-Lea says they will soon add more teas formulated to help combat colds and flu.
Building From Personal Experience
Torch CBD also carries other lines for people that might want a broad-spectrum product. Trimble says they built off their personal experience and carry products that worked well for them. They also use customer feedback to help determine what to carry. They carry JuJu Royal, a line of CBD topicals, edibles and creams, formed by Julian Marley, son of reggae legend Bob Marley. CBD skin care products include Premium Jane.
They also carry CBD-infused cooking oil, honey and coffee. “We consider ourselves a boutique style store, and we wanted to carry something for everyone,” Trimble-Lea says. They also have strains of smokable flower from Wisconsin-grown hemp. She says they also have a growers license and sell some flower they grow themselves.
As Wisconsin’s hemp industry grows, Trimble-Lea says they hope to grow along with it and continue to partner with Wisconsin-based hemp companies. Norton cited an article she read that predicted that CBD industry sales will reach multi-millions by 2022, due to people seeking alternative wellness products.
“The sky’s the limit for CBD products,” adds Trimble. “They’re now in natural food stores, beauty aisles and cafes. It’s an option to be used along with natural health and wellness as an aspect of healthy living.”
Trimble-Lea also sees full cannabis legalization in neighboring states such as Illinois as testament to the growing trend of people seeking alternatives to pharmaceuticals that can be habit forming or have side effects. She hopes to plan educational and community events as soon as it’s safe to do so in a post-pandemic world. In the meantime, Torch CBD is open with social distancing precautions, masks and frequent sanitizing. They also offer curbside pickup, shipping and free delivery of orders over $25.
For more information, visit torchcbd.net.
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