SaintGene CBD has deeps roots in Oceana.

Chris Moorman, founder of Saint Gene CBD.

SaintGene CBD has deeps roots in Oceana.

By Allison Scarbrough, Editor.

HART – You may have noticed that Hometown Pharmacies in Hart and Shelby now have SaintGene CBD products on their shelves, but what you may not have realized is that the company has deep roots in the community.

The company is named after founder Chris Moorman’s 86-year-old grandfather, Gene Moorman, who resides in the Silver Lake area.

“Grandpa has been up there for just about 50 years,” said Chris. “He bought an old orchard and started farming Christmas trees. He typically can be found at the Eagles,” Chris said with a laugh, referring to the Fraternal Order of Eagles in Hart.

“My brother Erik and I would have been the first Moormans in seven or eight generations to never make a living in agriculture. That changed when we started our first business, building shipping containers into automated hydroponic growing units.

“After Grandpa’s wife died about three years ago, we started doing hemp experiments up on the farm. Erik was using the GI bill to pursue a horticulture degree at the time, and it was important to us to make sure that Grandpa had some support.

“Erik and Gene then lived a ‘cannabis comedy’ for about two years. Erik learned a lot about the plant. We learned how to make a great CBD hemp product the right way, starting in the sandy soil of Oceana County.”

Approximately 60-80 percent of CBD products sold in the US are derived from Chinese hemp, said Chris. “Hemp is a bio aggregator – it sucks whatever is in the ground out of the ground.” So, consumers should be extremely conscious of where the hemp for their CBD is grown. That is why SaintGene promotes a “seed to sale” philosophy.

Chris explained that if hemp is grown at the site of an old car manufacturing factory, it would pull the metals out of the ground and into the hemp plant. “They do not make anyone test anything for metals,” he said. “There is also no regulation requiring CBD producers to test for pesticides or molds either.”

However, SaintGene tests its hemp to make sure it is completely safe. “It costs us several thousand dollars to test,” said Chris. “We want to make sure we give our neighbors the safest product on the market.”

SaintGene CBD products are sold at Hometown Pharmacy stores in Hart and Shelby.

Chris partnered with a pharmacist friend to launch SaintGene. “Josh Anderson is a third-generation pharmacist in Indiana, working ironically along side his 85-year-old grandfather, Ralph Anderson. We developed SaintGene specifically for independent pharmacies because we wanted people to have a conversation with a health care professional about how CBD can fit into their wellness routine.”

So, you will not see SaintGene sold at pharmacies owned by large corporations, like Walgreens and Rite Aid. Nor will you find their products for sale at gas stations or at Family Video – where a lot of the “less reputable” CBD is sold.

SaintGene believes in independent pharmacies because the pharmacists often develop personal relationships with their customers. This level of familiarity and trusted advice is needed in an industry that often evokes a lot of confusion.

SaintGene CBD products are a supplement – CBD is not a drug. So, no prescription is needed. It does not make you feel high – as opposed to products with THC.

Cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) are two natural compounds found in plants of the Cannabis genus. Hemp plants are cannabis plants that contain less than .3 percent THC, while marijuana plants are over .3 percent THC.

THC is the main psychoactive compound in marijuana that creates the high sensation. Both CBD and THC interact with the body’s endocannabinoid system, but have different effects. CBD is not psychoactive, and unlike THC it doesn’t interact with your endocannabinoid system directly, so most people don’t “feel different.”

CBD products have been shown to affect many bodily functions, but three things have been repeatedly seen by SaintGene customers: reductions in inflammation, pain and anxiety, explained Chris.

“It modulates the endocannabinoid system, which is the railroad conductor for the immune system and brain. It improves quality of life and puts your body back in balance,” he explained.

Chris recently did a testimonial video with a 42-year-old father with diabetic neuropathy who can now play with his kids aged 6 and 13 again thanks to CBD. “He was told he could never run again, and he can run now. His quality of life has drastically improved. He was going to be on a morphine drip rest of life. The doctors couldn’t believe it.”

“My grandpa also has diabetic neuropathy, and CBD has made a huge difference,” said Chris.

Chris reached out to Fred Grice of the Grice Family about selling SaintGene products on their Hometown Pharmacy store shelves. Fred was attracted to the local aspect of the brand.

“We are a “Born in Michigan” brand,” said Chris. The company currently has hemp farmers on approximately 100 acres in Indiana. “Future plans are to have a hemp operation in Oceana County hopefully next year.”

SaintGene offers CBD tinctures, capsules and topicals and pricing is anywhere from $40-$100 per product. The tinctures are most popular as they raise CBD’s bioavailability and give the consumer more value. They come in a glass dropper similar to essential oils. Consumers place a full dropper underneath the tongue.

All the products are available at the Hometown pharmacy Hart and Shelby stores.

“The Grice Family and Hometown Pharmacy have been great partners for us,” Chris said. “We want to work with independent pharmacies that invest in the community, because that’s where our heart is as well.”

This story is copyrighted © 2019, all rights reserved by Media Group 31, LLC, PO Box 21, Scottville, MI 49454. No portion of this story or images may be reproduced in any way, including print or broadcast, without expressed written consent.