The Los Angeles-based CBD company goes big on dosage for half the price.
Joseph Caruso wasn’t at all daunted from entering the crowded CBD market. The founder and chief executive of Los Angeles-based Green Helix had a few aces up his sleeve. Three aces, in fact: price-to-dosage ratio, a super-high-end look and feel, and, most noteworthy, GH’s proprietary formulations engineered to provide fast-acting relief for a multitude of ailments.
Caruso, 46, also projects an unwavering confidence, which makes sense considering his background. He spent the first part of his career in finance learning about fiercely competitive markets from global banks like United Bank of Switzerland and Lehman Brother. “I gained the survival skills that I implement as a CEO and working entrepreneur during those years,” he said. “I’ve also worked in Hollywood, software, and the luxury goods sector.”
It added up to Green Helix becoming a force in the CBD market. Caruso believed that founding any venture requires a discerning, unwavering, and relentless vision, and his vision for Green Helix was of a luxury experience with a value-add pricing model.
“Given the fact that this overall industry should be considered a close relative to healthcare, the need to provide affordable wellness burned a hole in my psyche,” he noted.
Four years ago, Caruso went on a fact-finding mission in Colorado and there he came up with Green Helix’s tag line: nature with purpose. The driving force behind the brand came next: triple the value for half the cost.
“One of our most noteworthy differentiating factors is the overall dosage-per-bottle compared to price,” Caruso noted.
During his research, Caruso observed that many companies had similar pricing but significantly less CBD, and decided as a result that the entire initiative of the company would be to create proprietary plant-based formulations as a natural alternative to traditional medicine. “There is a raging epidemic going on in this country and people need healthy and natural alternatives,” he said.
Caruso spent more than two years on research and development, curating the line he now refers to as the “Trifecta Company.” It includes the Full Spectrum CBD Capsules, Helix Beauty, and a Fur Baby Fix pet elixir. Full Spectrum Super Pure Capsules and Sleep Capsules are the company’s best-sellers, now offered in on-the-go mini travel packets.
During the research phase, Caruso paid close attention to the combination of ingredients being proposed. For the capsules, he settled on a few common ingredients including full spectrum cannabidiol (30 to 50mg), coconut oil, non-GMO sunflower lecithin, and vitamins B6, B12, and B1. For Helix Beauty, he fell in love with lemongrass, aloe, and organic Shea butter combined with up to a whopping 2000 milligrams of full-spectrum CBD.
Getting the word out in a new and over-crowded market has been a challenge. Caruso has gone with a marketing and distribution strategy that is multi-faceted: search engine optimization paired with social media marketing paired with traditional P.R. His distribution strategy is two-fold: online commerce paired with a precision sales team selling door-to- door and via distribution partnerships. He also just hired his 15th employee.
On the retail front, the company will debut the Helix Sanctuary on Melrose Avenue in West Hollywood sometimes in the second quarter of 2018. Caruso’s vision for the store is simple and ambitious: a CBD retail experience in a spiritual, Zen-like atmosphere focusing on the who, what, where, when, and why of the cannabidiol market. Admittedly a big expense and gamble, Caruso figured if it hits it could be the beginning of a chain. “Only time will tell,” he added. “But that is certainly the long game.”
Caruso said one of two meanings of the acronym C.E.O. applies to every chief executive. They are either “Chasing Every Opportunity” or “Constantly Enduring Obstacles.” He prefers the former, of course, but knows the latter are part of the game. He employs an effective and simple mantra to deal with obstacles when they arise: Do not give up.
“You do whatever it takes,” he said. “The key to overcoming anything is to have a very healthy dose of self-love.”
