Cornbread Hemp

Fastest-Growing CBD Brand in America

Company Information

Website:

https://www.cornbreadhemp.com/

Sector:

Cannabis

Location:

Louisville, KY

Cornbread Hemp is the fastest-growing cannabidiol (CBD) brand in America.

This company was co-founded by Jim Higdon, who grew up in the small town that served as the headquarters for the “Cornbread Mafia” — a group of Kentucky men who created the largest domestic marijuana production operation in U.S. history during the 1980s.

It was this background that led Higdon to publish a nonfiction account of his hometown in 2012, a book whose success launched him into a journalism career. While reporting on the 2018 Farm Bill that would re-legalize hemp, Higdon realized that there were no companies making authentic, high-quality CBD products.

So he decided to start such a company with his cousin. And in 2019, Cornbread Hemp was born.

Two years after launching, this company reached two million dollars in revenue. And in 2022, revenue grew to five-and-a-half million dollars, while margins on its products reached ninety percent. Cornbread Hemp also acquired a hemp processing company to vertically integrate its business. Now it’s seeking additional capital to keep growing.

The market for Cornbread’s products is growing significantly. The CBD market in general is projected to reach fifty-five billion dollars by 2028.

According to a recent study, only five percent of CBD brands are USDA certified organic. That puts Cornbread Hemp in a prestigious group. More than fifty percent of the company’s monthly revenues come from return customers, many of whom have left five-star reviews. For example:

“Stop looking for another brand to try, these are the best.”

“I have tried several different CBD oils… but Cornbread exceeded my expectations.”

As mentioned, Cornbread is the fastest-growing CBD brand in America — growing 300% year-over-year.

This year, the company projects to generate twelve million dollars in net revenue, with projections reaching thirty million dollars in 2024 and nearly fifty million dollars in 2025.

Team Background

Eric Zipperle - Co-Founder & CEO

Eric is a serial entrepreneur. Prior to starting Cornbread Hemp, he launched a pair of e-commerce startups.

He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and an MBA from Bellarmine University.

Dr. Leslie Mudd - Pharmaceutical Advisor

Dr. Mudd advises Cornbread’s team on CBD drug interactions and product development.

In addition to her role with this company, she is Director of Eisai Oncology Medical, a pharmaceutical-manufacturing business. Prior to that, she was a medical-science liaison with Kite Pharma, a pharmaceutical company.

Earlier, Dr. Mudd was a medical liaison with Celgene, a pharma company acquired in 2019 by Bristol-Myers Squibb. She previously worked for five years with Bristol-Myers as an oncologist.

She began her career spending twenty years as a clinical oncologist at the University of Louisville and led the oncology pharmacy team at the university’s Brown Cancer Center.

Dr. Mudd earned her Pharmacy degree from the University of Kentucky.

Jim Higdon - Co-Founder & CCO

Jim started Cornbread Hemp after a long career in journalism.

He began as a producer with the New York Times, and then wrote a nonfiction book on the “Cornbread Mafia,” a group of men who created the largest domestic marijuana production operation in U.S. history.

More recently, he was a writer for Politico, a news-focused media outlet, where he wrote on topics including marijuana legalization.

He earned a Bachelor’s degree in English from Centre College and a Master’s degree in Writing from Brown University.

Co-Investors

Raising
$2 million
Committed
$1.943 million (97%)
Current Valuation
$9.998 million
Min. Investment
$100
Deal Type
Title III
(For all investors)
Offering Type
Equity
Finance History
Notable Investors
Learn more on WeFunder