Talking Delta-8 THC with The New York Times & The Aftermath
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February 2021, was a major turning point at Hometown Hero. It was when a feature from the New York Times brought us, and Delta-8 into the national spotlight, which forever changed this little Austin, TX hemp company.
So if you’re curious about this pivotal moment in Hometown Hero history featuring a legendary journalistic institution, the Texas snowpocalypse, and helping veterans in need, then get comfy, and have a read.
Delta 8 THC in the New York Times
What started as a simple phone call turned into 401,720 Delta-8 gummies being packed up and shipped out along with twenty new hires for our small business in just a week.
When one of the oldest journalistic institutions in the country starts researching a compound like Delta 8 THC, you know this once hardly-known was making it big time.
So when that institution gives your company a call for your expertise and insight into Delta 8 THC products, you answer that call. Here is our story of working with the New York Times.
Texas Hemp Company Featured in the New York Times
So there we were in February, stuck in a freakin’ snowstorm in the heart of Central Texas. With the roads covered in ice, the team working remotely and orders were stuck on the shelf. It was a total mess for all small businesses in Texas.
And then…we got a phone call.
On the other side of the line was Matt Richtel, a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter from the New York Times. He was writing an article discussing one of the latest breakthroughs in cannabis—Delta 8 THC. He had already heard the rave reviews about how delicious our Delta 8 gummies were and needed an expert’s perspective on this rising hemp-derived cannabinoid.
After speaking at length with our CEO, Lukas Gilkey, Mr. Ritchel was thoroughly informed about our Delta-8 products. He then sent over a top-notch photographer to our facility to get some live shots of us hard at work to add some imagery to supplement his stellar article.
And we greatly encourage you to give it a read when you get a chance!
Upon publication of the article, Hometown Hero CBD was changed forever. We received 10 times our average daily orders in a single day. And the deluge of sales didn't stop for the next three days. It was the ultimate stress test for us.
To make things worse, Texas was still recovering from the impacts of winter storm Uri, and logistics were slowed down all over the state.
USPS was taking days to update tracking information and standard delivery timeframes went out the window. While all of this made the entire process much more complicated, it did have a massive silver lining.
This newfound brand awareness allowed us to hire 20 new and fantastic team members, who were crucial in keeping the chaos at bay.
With all of these issues, our most popular products started flying off the shelves faster than we could restock. Luckily, the team prevailed and got all of these orders out as soon as they could.
It was such a surreal experience for us. The massive influx of orders allowed us to donate $10,000 to a local veterans charity, Soldiers’ Angels and if you want to learn more about it, you can check out the video below:
2021, A Year To Remember
Although the chaos died down, the boost from the New York Times article kept snowballing throughout the year. We also got several shoutouts from the press through being featured in:
And not only we were able to grow our staff, but we were able to offer a wider range of Delta-8 products such as our Cinna Crunch Squares, Rainbow Squares, our Party Pack, and Delta-8 Max Gummies.
Plus, we expanded into offering hemp-derived Delta-9 products such as our Select Spectrum and Live Rosin lines.
But the single greatest achievement from this Delta-8 hype built by the New York Times?
After donating to Soldiers’ Angels, we were able to make even more donations. In September, we donated $25,000 to Operation Finally Home which builds mortgage-free homes for our nation’s heroes.
And then, at the end of the year donated $65,000 to the Texas Veterans of Foreign Wars.
This brought up our total contributions to veteran-supporting nonprofits to $100,000 in 2021.
Who is Hometown Hero CBD?
We started back in 2015 and then got into the hemp industry about four years later in November 2019 with HometownHeroCBD.com. In our first year as a CBD company, we even placed in multiple categories for the High Times Hemp Cup 2020 for our outstanding CBD products!
From the very beginning, we had two missions as a business:
- To do whatever we could to support veterans in need.
- To provide the highest quality hemp products to our amazing customers.
Since our founding, we’ve donated a portion of proceeds from every product sold to a nonprofit that helps veterans in need. And you can check out this video of an earlier donation we made to the DAV and VFW!
We are proud to be based out of the city of Austin in the great state of Texas but do ship nearly nationwide. In states where it is legal, we work with your favorite local head or smoke shops to offer the best possible CBD and Delta 8 THC for sale. But we also ship it safely and discreetly right to your door.
And if you can’t get Delta-8, don’t fret. Our hemp-derived Delta-9 products are legal in all 50 states.
As we continue to grow our brand, we are even more excited to continue to grow our team and extensive catalog of Delta 8 THС and hemp-derived Delta-9 products.
Every single member of our team matters and is a massive contributor to our success. And all of our products are tested for quality and purity and we cut no corners to provide you with the best possible hemp-derived THC products we possibly can.
What is Delta 8 THC?
Not to toot our own horns or anything, but we do consider ourselves experts on all things Delta-8-tetrahydrocannabinol or, for those without a Master’s in chemistry, Delta 8 THC!
The Delta-8 THC that Hometown Hero uses is 100% hemp-derived, which is why it’s legal in many states and on a federal level. The hemp plants we derive our Delta-8 from are grown right here in the beautiful state of Texas.
Delta 8 THC was discovered decades before the 2018 Farm Bill, but at the time, it was not commercially available. Thanks to recent years of cannabis legalization and new research, it comes to you in everything from gummies to flower.
Delta 8 THC’s effects can be described as familiar to Delta 9 THC, but with lower potency, and different effects. The similarity between these two chemicals leads the body to interact in similar ways, but Delta 8 binds differently to cannabinoid receptors, thus producing noticeable differences in effects.
Become an expert on Delta 8 today with What is Delta 8 THC?
The Future of Delta 8 THC
It was an absolute honor talking to the New York Times about Delta-8 and all of the great things that come from this cannabis compound. We hope that the information provided can help lay the groundwork for safer cannabis consumption nationwide and more information about Delta 8 THC and hemp.
With so much promising research being done on Delta 8 THC and other cannabinoids from hemp, it’s going to be exciting to see what the future holds for cannabis.
With more and more states slowly legalizing marijuana and possible federal legalization looming, the industry is seeing a massive spike in development and cannabis research as a whole. We are excited to see what further research on this miracle plant will bring.
Buy Delta 8 THC Online
One of the most incredible things about Delta 8 THC is that it is federally legal under the 2018 Farm Bill. Many states even have their own version of the Farm Bill so we can ship all of our Delta 8 Products safely and discreetly right to your front doorstep.
All of our hemp products are grown naturally in the great state of Texas, and we are constantly looking to expand our extensive library of hemp products! Don’t be afraid to let us know what you want to see from us next!
If you ever have any questions, comments, or concerns, we highly encourage you to reach out to us via our customer service through:
- Email - store@hometownhero.com
- Phone - (512) 551-0345
- Or find us on social media (@HometownHeroCBD,@HometownHeroATX)
Our experts are standing by to help you start your Delta 8 THC adventure!
