Highland Pantry is a line of organic wellness edibles designed for the health conscious consumer. Its range of delicious CBD and THC infused almond butter products are inspired by the multifaceted and healthful properties of the cannabis plant in promoting wellness and pain management.
Here is the inside scoop on, Suzanne Shpall, the woman behind Highland Pantry:
Let’s start with your life before cannabis. What is your professional background?
I am a former art turned philosophy / comparative literature major with a background in fashion and food. After working for over 10 years in the fashion industry, I jumped ship from a buying position to pursue my passions and desire to be my own boss.
How did you transition from fashion to food?
The transition from fashion to food was a bit of a strange one and it did start with the cookie business [named Rosewood Pantry] a few years ago. I was actually designing a clothing line but half way through, just didn’t feel inspired. I wasn’t excited. Around the same time, I developed a gluten allergy and I started experimenting with bread recipes. My family has a lot of amazing recipes in our repertoire. We have these beautiful little tin boxes all over the kitchen filled with hand-written notes that are half recipe, half story. It was the right step to bring the family history with my love for aesthetics and food.
I had been working with Rosewood Pantry, and realized there was a real opportunity for products with the same integrity in the Cannabis space. Looking at the edibles landscape, we realized the space was already saturated with sweets! We knew there was a need for something new, something healthy, something organic and sugar-free. So it seemed natural for us to merge our love of food with the desire to create products that are organic pantry staples anyone can enjoy while helping them build a nutritious snack or meal.
“Food is about people, it is about connecting with people and nursing your body and your soul…”
How do you describe your products?
Healthy, organic, delicious. These are the core values of the products we make. Our specialty is Wellness Edibles (or “Wellibles”) and our best seller is our 10MG CBD Organic Almond Butter. Almonds are a non-mold, healthy fat that makes a perfect conduit for the absorption of cannabis in the body. Packed with protein and nutrients, each packet of HP almond butter is the perfect on-the-go snack to keep you balanced throughout your day or night.
On keeping it within the family:
Highland Pantry is truly a family run business. The love and care that goes into our products is a reflection of the awesomeness of our teamwork. Though I handle the bulk of the branding and strategic decisions day-to-day, my partners provide amazing high -level guidance to make sure the business is always moving in the right direction.
What challenges have you encountered in running your business?
There was certainly a learning period getting dosage and packaging just right when we first started testing recipes. We are so happy with what we’ve come up with and are excited to be sharing clean medicine with patients who not only love to eat our delicious edibles for the taste but also truly find relief from our products.
“Understand your customers.”
What is the secret to a successful edible business?
Edibles are often the only way some patients can find relief from their pain, anxiety or discomfort. If their ailment is also keeping them from eating, a protein-based edible serves the dual purpose of relieving their symptoms and delivering nutrients at the same time. So my advice is to keep in mind the whole well-being of your patients.
What the future holds:
We are excited to be adding new products and lines to our assortment in the upcoming year and are looking toward developing a “complete wellness” program to truly help our patients attain their optimal wellness.
With the paradigm shift toward canna-acceptance, we have a very optimistic outlook that the industry will move in the direction toward complete openness and focus on the wellness benefits of this amazing plant, and that the industry will bolster, rather than persecute, those people who aim to do good.
Moonman’s Mistress
