Formulation and packaging culminates months of work from when we first put our hemp seeds into soil. At this point, our hemp has been grown, harvested, extracted, and distilled. Our team in Seattle has created barrels of potent full spectrum hemp oil, CBD distillate, and CBD (or CBG isolate). These cannabinoid-rich concentrations made by our extraction team are shipped south to Portland for the exciting final stage of our internal process - making and packaging our products.
Building the right recipe
The trick to making great tasting, effective products starts in our test kitchen. Whether it’s finding the balance of MCT Coconut oil and Full Spectrum hemp extract for our tinctures, or the more complicated confectionery required for making gummies — building a tasty recipe is the first step. From there we need to scale it. It’s not just a math exercise. Sometimes scaling up commercial size batches of products requires a shift in the PH values or addition of a particular flavor.
Our goal in making great tasting, healthy products often makes for a more complicated formulation process. While it may be easier to use heavily processed or artificial flavors to create gummies, for example, we prefer to use fruit extracts to add natural sweetness to our products. Instead of using petroleum bases for our topicals, we use naturally-derived bulk ingredients that are better for the environment and natural skin barriers — such as beeswax, coconut oil, and lanolin.
Formulating great tasting products
Our formulation team pours a lot of time and effort into making batch after batch of product to get it right. The research and development that began in Seattle helps us to figure out how to turn a recipe for two dozen gummies into a recipe that makes 100,000 in a day. Once we have that recipe built, it’s a careful process of precisely following the formula.
Formulation varies widely depending on the product. Get a little insight into how each stage of the process works, for each of our CBD products:
- Tinctures: Tinctures, our flagship product, are made through a simple blending process. The quality and potency of our tinctures is due in large part to the precision and quality from our extraction team in Seattle. We blend the appropriate hemp extract (depending on the tincture) with selected flavorings and carrier oils to achieve a balanced and enjoyable taste profile. We test at each stage of formulation, and again with the final batch to ensure every serving will be consistent with the label claims. Once the formulation is perfected, the flavored tinctures are bottled and labeled with precision to maintain consistency and quality.
- Topicals like balms or muscle gel: After formulating the ideal blend of ingredients, the mixture undergoes a carefully controlled heating and cooling process to achieve the desired consistency. This involves heating the base oils and waxes to a specific temperature to ensure they are fully melted and mixed with the hemp extract and any additional active ingredients. Once thoroughly combined, the mixture is allowed to cool gradually, ensuring that it sets into the desired texture for easy application.
- Capsules: We start by blending our hemp oils with powdered cellulose, which breaks down easily and uniformly. The oil binds to the tiny crystals and makes a pourable powder. We mix this with other ingredients such as (in the case of our Relax Capsules), ashwagandha, L-Theanine, and B6 powders to ensure accurate dosing and consistent quality. The formulated mixture is then encapsulated using specialized equipment that precisely fills and seals each capsule with the appropriate dosage inside a vegetable-based capsule. Quality control measures are implemented throughout this process to verify the accuracy of dosing and to maintain product integrity.
- Gummies: With gummies, timing is everything. We’re constantly monitoring the temperature, PH, and viscosity (known as brix) of the material to ensure that it’s properly incorporated, and thickening at the right time. Once it’s begun to harden - it’s a race to pour the gummies into molds before it begins to solidify. Within seconds of being poured, the excess begins to harden, which we trim and cast aside so we’re left with hundreds of perfect little cubes.
Once cooled, they head over to the sanding room where they’re tossed by hand with sugar to give the gummies a perfectly firm outer coating and texture (and a bit of sweetness to counteract the tartness of the gummies).
Packaging the good stuff
Now that our products are made it’s time to get them packaged. It’s a methodical (and very visually satisfying) operation to get tincture bottles filled, gummies and capsules into their respective bottles and make sure that everything is appropriately labeled so that products can be packaged and shipped out to customers.
Each of these processes is conducted in accordance with strict quality control standards to ensure the safety, potency, and purity of our products. From formulation to packaging, every step is carefully monitored and documented to uphold our commitment to excellence and transparency in hemp manufacturing.
With our products expertly formulated and meticulously packaged, they are ready to be shipped out and enjoyed by our customers. From our hands to yours, we take pride in delivering premium quality hemp products that embody the dedication and passion of our team in Portland, Oregon.
By the numbers:
- 100,000 gummies made in a day
- 17,632 liters a year
- 10,000 square feet of production floor space
- 35 different products made at LN