Farm to Skin

 

When’s the last time you considered where the ingredients in your favorite skincare product come from?  Be honest….. Maybe never…?

If you are anything like me, you might have wondered... Are they grown in the US or abroad?  Are the farmers treated fairly and adequately compensated for their work? Is the raw plant material sprayed with copious amounts of chemicals??

The truth is, most people do not know where their skin care ingredients come from. Bella Botanicals isn’t afraid of doing things a little different and wants to change the way consumers think about their products.

Today, we want to take you on a journey from the farm to your skin. We want to show you the process of taking a raw botanical ingredient and turning it into a consumable product. In doing so, we will showcase the value sourcing locally can have for you, your community and the planet.

Step #1 - The Farm: Frazer’s Farm

 

Frazer's Farm is a small husband and wife team dedicated to growing a high quality, organic crop. Their hemp is grown on fertile land that hasn’t been farmed previously, and doesn’t contain heavy metals or pesticides.  Only Certified Organic Fertilizers and products are used to grow and produce their hemp. Only the best available genetics are selected which means a higher CBD content, superior growth and healthy happy plants!  

It all starts in late fall after the previous hemp plants are harvested, when we plant cover crops  to add back fertility to the soil.  We plant the seeds in our own organic potting mix in early April and give them daily care until planting time.  The real work starts in May when the cover crop and any organic soil amendments are incorporated into the soil.  Some of our amendments include worm castings, humate, lime and composted heat treated chicken manure pellets.  The young hemp plants are then individually hand planted and watered.  

These plants then require daily attention throughout the growing season.  Tasks such as watering, weeding and pruning take up many hours of the Frazer’s time throughout the season.  They feel the time, energy and care these plants are given reflect in the quality of their end products. 

 

Meet the makers…. Scott and Jeanette Frazer

“We believe strongly in farm to table and practice this principle as much as possible in all we do from sourcing our organic fertilizers to choosing the awesome people and companies we choose to work with.”

 

 

 

Step # 2 - The Processor: Carbon Cannabis

Carbon Cannabis is a Wisconsin DATCP Industrial Hemp Processor specializing in high quality CBD extracts.  All of their products start as organically grown Wisconsin hemp. Every yield of hemp they work with has passed 3rd party testing for heavy metals, pesticides, and yeast/mold. Carbon Cannabis uses supercritical CO2 extraction and natural refinement techniques to create high potency, pure, cannabis extracts. 

In 2019 Carbon Cannabis began working with approx 20-30 farms for source material. Throughout the year owner Austin Wszolek toured farms, spoke with farmers and extracted many different strains of material. From these early explorations, he was able to align his business with farmers that share both a vision and value for high quality cannabis and material that fits within his strict requirements for the company formulations. “The Frazers were one of the first farmers to reach out and have constantly been one of the easiest and detail oriented we have had the pleasure to work with. Their organic procedures and small scale, high yield format is a great fit for Carbon Cannabis and our entire downstream line of oils,” Austin said of his partnership with Frazer Farms.  Throughout the growing season, Austin and the Frazer’s speak  frequently and periodically take trips to the farm to provide input on Carbon Cannabis’ needs as an extractor. 

Meet the Maker - Austin Wszolek

“As consumers ourselves, we brought our knowledge and passion for hemp, cannabis and natural healing with us to La Crosse to develop a unique product line that puts the needs of both the farmer and the consumer first.” 

 

www.carboncannabis.net

Step #3 - Finished Skincare Products with CBD: Bella Botanicals

Finally, at Bella Botanicals we manufacture high quality natural and organic skincare products infused with CBD.  The CBD extract, called a distillate, is a highly refined cannabis extract derived from high CBD hemp flower and hemp biomass that comes from Frazers’ Farms. The raw hemp material then goes to Carbon Cannabis where it’s processed into a distillate.  Since 2019 Bella Botanicals has been using that distillate to create a few special products including  our Natures Kiss Lip Balm and our Organic CBD Salve.   These products have been both helping and wowing customers. 

 

Nicole - Nature’s Kiss Lip Balm

“I love this stuff! It feels so natural, it's nourishing, and it adds just the right amount of color to my lips without being too much!!”

 

Amanda Wilson - Organic CBD Salve 1,000mg

“I’ve been having shooting pains in my hand. This product has worked great to ease the discomfort. Smells fantastic too! It even helped with a sinus headache!”

 

Meet the maker… Leslie Reichgelt

“I love creating natural and organic skincare products that nourish and renew the skin. I value sustainability, and do my part by sourcing close to home, using only high quality CBD.” 

 

The Benefits

These days loads of people are making pledges to shop small because they understand the benefits it provides to their community and business owner friends. They choose indie bookstores over Amazon and farmers market’s over Walmart. Did you know this approach works when it comes to your skin care products too? We’re guessing you might not have even known it was an option, but it is! 

As you’ve seen in this post, purchasing products grown near your home, processed locally, and formulated just down the street DO exist. The benefits of this local collaboration stretch far and wide. Sure, Bella’s customers are getting high quality products that improve their skin and add comfort to their daily lives, but the goodness doesn’t stop there. Sourcing products locally means that consumers are getting the freshest products possible! Rather than use something that has been sitting in a warehouse or on a store shelf for months, customers can treat their skin to something fresh. Additionally, using products and ingredients close to home cuts down on transportation distance and consequently, fuel emissions. Creating products in this sustainable fashion is good for the planet and also supports three local businesses!  

Imagine all the good you are doing, just by purchasing a tube of chapstick or tin of salve! Don’t you feel powerful? 

Plus, working with friends, makes any job more fun, right?!?

 

 

So whether you are looking for the freshest products on the market, want to buy a sustainable product that decreases negative impacts on the environment or support a local business, head over to Bella Botanicals online shop or make plans to meet us at one of our many local events. We’d love to help you accomplish your skin care and sustainable shopping goals.