Ep. 35: CBD Pillow is the ‘world’s most relaxing’ Ankit Podcast

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Ep. 35: CBD Pillow is the ‘world’s most relaxing’

In this episode of The WTiN Podcast, we talk to Michael Howe, co-founder and managing director at Distrobros – the UK’s exclusive distribution partner for the CBD Pillow.

Jessica Owen
Hello. My name is Jessica Owen, and I am the Deputy digital editor at WTIN, and this is the WTIN podcast. 2020 has been a challenging year for everyone so far. Therefore, for this series, I'll be exploring the innovative ways in which companies are using Textiles and Apparel to improve our health and well being. This week, I am joined by Michael Howe, who is the co founder and Managing Director of Distrobros, the CBD pillows, exclusive distributor in the UK, how talks about how CBD can benefit people, how this ingredient is infused into the pillow using a patented process, and how the CBD industry has seen a huge spike in demand in recent months.

Hello and good afternoon, Michael, and welcome to the WTIN podcast. How are you today?

Michael Howe
I'm good. Thank you. How are you,

Jessica Owen
yeah, not bad. Thank you. Are you based in London? Is that right?

Michael Howe
I am, yeah, yeah.

Jessica Owen
So are you enjoying the heat wave?

Michael Howe
I enjoyed it for about the first day. Come day four, it was a bit unbearable. I was just trying not to move as much as possible. I know

Jessica Owen
I think my family are from down south, and they were all saying it was about 36 degrees. So I was, like, quite thankful that up north is a little bit fuller for once,

Michael Howe
for one day, either it was like four days of that temperature, so you kind of didn't get a chance to cool down.

Jessica Owen
No, no, it's not. It's not fun, not unless you're in a beach anyway, but no one can go there at the moment. So right then, so I've invited you on the show today to talk about the CBD pillow. But before we get into that. Do you mind just sort of explaining the link between the pillow and the company that you work for, which is called distro rose. I think you pronounce that right? Yeah,

Michael Howe
that's correct. So I'm one of the co founders of distro rose. We're a young distribution company in the United Kingdom, and we kind of specialize in the CVD space. Really focused on looking for new and exciting brands that are driving excitement around the globe, and working with them see how we can break them into the UK market. And that's how our relationship with CBD pillow started. So CBD pillow is an American company based in California, and we we entered into some discussions with them. The start of the year, we came across them through social media. Found the product quite exciting, looked into it a bit more, really like the technology behind it. Really liked everything that they were doing, and really their drive for what, what, what caused them to create this product. So we partnered up with them, and we are now the exclusive distribution partners of CBD pillow in the United Kingdom, so we pretty much take care of everything over here for them, so they don't really have to worry about things, and they can focus on their local territory. Okay,

Jessica Owen
right? That makes a lot more sense. So you've only been working with the company for a year then or since beginning of this year. Yeah, right. And so how long has the company actually been around itself, and who founded it, and what was the reason for them, sort of starting it up?

Michael Howe
Yeah. So CBD pillow actually was founded very shortly before we found them, and before we got in touch with them. They were founded in February 2020. Actually right, just right before COVID hit. But the owner of CBD pillow is the owner of a larger company called plush living in the United States, big furniture company, and they've been really, they're really focused on, you know, kind of bedding, getting people a good sleep. That's always been their focus. And that's where CBD pillow came from. Owner has been in the sleep and text sleep industry in the textile business for over a decade. So CBD pillow is kind of the latest venture as part of that, but there is about three years of research and development behind it before it came to fruition. So what

Jessica Owen
was the idea for it? I mean, you said there that the guys have been in this industry a while. Was it consumer demand and that sort of thing. It sort of sort of provoked them to have a look at sort of sleep problems and how they could find a solution for that.

Michael Howe
Yeah, so everything they've really always done, and everything the owner has always done, has always been around sleep, getting people a good sleep, but getting it to them in the safest, most natural weight they can. That's been, that's kind of been the driving force behind everything that they do. Now, CBD pillow really came about whilst trying to search for natural, the natural ways in which they could provide people with a good sleep. And obviously they they knew about CBD. They came across CBD, but they wanted to find out what is the. Least intrusive way of delivering CBD to people and also delivering it to provide it to them whilst they sleep. There's not many things out there that can that can provide you with CBD whilst you sleep, throughout the night, without you having to get up and constantly take some tincture drops, for example. And that's where this came from. It was, it was all about delivering the best possible sleep, improving people's improving the quality of people sleeps, but doing it in the safest, most natural way possible. So

Jessica Owen
you must know a bit about CBD, then, what exactly is it and where does it come from? Because I think there's, well, I think there's some confusion over this product, really, yeah, yeah,

Michael Howe
yeah. I mean, naturally, obviously, people can be a little wary about CBD. It's still fairly new, if you look at it in the grand scheme of things, but it's starting to break its way into the mainstream a bit more, and with that comes a bit more education for people, and people start to understand a little bit more about it. So a high level, really, what's what CBD is, is it's extract from the cannabis plant, but non it's non psychoactive, but specifically it comes from hemp. So it's hemp derives to CBD, and I think that's probably where some of the confusion comes from for people. So when you have the cannabis plant, you have hemp, which is a type of cannabis plant that has less than nought point 3% THC, THC being the psychoactive part of the cannabis plant. Now there's there's loads of other there's loads of other compounds within the cannabis plant. Obviously, one of those is CBD. There's an extraction process that they go through in order to take it from the raw plant format and extract these individual compounds. In this particular instance with CBD pillow, what they've done is they've isolated the pure CBD and infused that into the fabric of the pillow case. So that's where it comes from. There's a there's a very it's all, it's all done in the lab. The extraction process, it's nice and clean and safe. And what you end up at the end of it is you end up with, for this particular extraction method, you ended up with an isolated form of the CBD part. And of course, CBD is associated with a huge, range of benefits. But lots of people, lots of people use it for very different things as well. You have some people who use it for things like anxiety, kind of stress relief, relaxation and focus. You've got other people who use it to kind of relieve chronic pain, muscle aches, joint joint pain relief. Other people use it to help them sleep, and then you've also got kind of the cosmetic benefits as well. You know, people use it in things such as skin cream. It's got lots of anti inflammatory properties and healing properties that they're great for the skin as well. Well, you

Jessica Owen
just mentioned there that there's the pillowcase, and so they, I think there are two products aren't there. So there's that pillowcase, and there's also the pillow itself, and you've just explained, sort of how it's extracted and it's then added into the material. But do you mind just telling me a bit more about that? I think when I looked on your website, it's to do with, like, a micro encapsulation process. And, yeah, just explain that a bit more, please. Yeah, so

Michael Howe
that's, that's pretty that's, like, the that's probably the really interesting part of this, and how it works, is the actual delivery mechanism and how the CBD is infused, and how it's then delivered to a person whilst they sleep. So this use this pillow case. So it's the pillow case itself, rather than the pillow that is infused with CBD. What you'll typically find is there are other products on the market that are a CBD pillow. When you look at the science behind it and the methods used, what they've essentially done is sprayed the pillow with CBD. You're not probably going to get what you're thinking out of it. That was why this took some serious research and development, essentially, what they've got is a patented technology where CBD is encapsulated into these tiny, little micro capsules. Those micro capsules are infused into the fabrics of the CBD pillow case, and they vary in size and thickness, and as such that they are timed to kind of burst over different intervals. But what causes them to burst is friction, friction from movement through the night. So and as you move, as you turn your head, if you toss, obviously, if you're quite a restless sleeper, you're going to get a slightly higher dosage, because you're going to move around a bit more. And if you are one of those rest of the sleepers, you probably do want the higher dosage, because the idea is that it will sustain higher levels of CBD and and help you have a less restless sleep as time goes on. So as you move around and you're bursting those micro capsules, the CBD is then absorbed for. Through your hair and skin fonacles, and then it reacts with the CBD receptors under your skin. So it's a transdermal application of CBD, and that's how it works.

Jessica Owen
Okay, that's very interesting, actually. I mean, as those sort of capsules break on the surface. I mean, does the pillow feel wet. Does it smell at all? I mean, would the person actually notice anything other than sort of those benefits they'll get?

Michael Howe
No, yeah, they really shouldn't notice a thing, and they won't notice a thing. There's no kind of physical after effects on the pillow itself or any kind of scent that's produced as a result. It's all very much. It's very it's not an intrusive process at all in any way, and you won't really notice anything other than the end result.

Jessica Owen
And what materials is the pillowcase and also the actual pillow itself made from. I mean, is it is it cotton or what works best? Yeah,

Michael Howe
so the pillowcase itself is cotton. So what you'll see is you've got a few elements of the pillow. You've obviously, you've got the pillow itself and the film, the fill of the pillow. Then you've got the outer liner of that, and then you've got the pillowcase, and each has its own set of materials that it's made out of. The CBD pillow itself. Inside, you've got a medium firm, customizable blend of hypoallergenic, shredded memory foam, and that's combined with alternative down microfibers as well. So that's what gives you kind of that support, that neck support, that spinal alignment when you're sleeping. And that's, I said, customizable as well, because you can add and remove the fill out of the pillow. So if you're someone who prefers like a slightly softer pillow, then you can take some out and see how that feels. But if you prefer a firmer pillow, you can just keep it all in, and it should give you the kind of the neck and head support that you really need, which is probably more ideal for side sleepers, then around that you've got the outer liner, which is another machine washable material, is made from cooling bamboo derived rayon, and that's what's used on the outliner. And then the pillow case itself is cotton, and that's where the CBD is infused. Okay,

Jessica Owen
right? I'm with you now, um, and it's actually interesting that so much thought has been put into the actual design of the pillow as well, because, well, I mean, you want something that's comfortable at the end of the day as well. It would be very easy to just create an average pillow and then just say, Oh, well, it's got CBD, and so it's amazing. But actually, the comfort is such a huge element as well to a good night's sleep.

Michael Howe
That's it. I think it would be, you know, I think it would be a bit, it would be a bit silly for us to say, you know, we've put some CBD on this pillow now it's going to be the best pillow in the world. It that's not what makes it that's not the only thing that makes it so great. It's everything else that's gone into it. You can tell there's a lot of thought and a lot of experience from the owners and the founders being in sleep industry for so long, in kind of what makes this pillow great. You've got the customizable fill they've there's thought that's gone into what they've used as the fill, the kind of gel memory foam gives it that cooling the, you know, the cooling technology, and those cooling properties that you get from other gel memory foam pillows as well, that help kind of absorb the heat when you sleep. Because there's nothing worse than, you know, midway through the night and your pillows boiling hot. You got to flip it over. I do that all the time before I have this. Okay,

Jessica Owen
and so where is the pillow manufactured? Actually? Is it done in the US, where the company's based, or is it done elsewhere? Yeah,

Michael Howe
all manufactured in the US. So they've got their own factory in California, and each pillow is handmade in that in that California factory,

Jessica Owen
okay? And the testing as well. Then I think, I think you said it takes a lot of research and development to come up with a product like this. So, I mean, did you have to go through lab testing? I mean, how difficult was it to sort of get this thing sort of on the market? Yeah,

Michael Howe
so with any CBD product at all in the UK, and this applies to the US as well. But really in the UK, you know, if you're looking to buy CBD in any format, whether that's something that's like orally ingestible, or if it's something like this, which is a transdermal application of applying to the skin, then you always want to look for a lab certificate. And any reputable brand should have labs, lab tests done at the minimum to show that there is the actual quantities of CBD in there and the quantities of the other components of the cannabis plant, such as like THC and other terpenes that would be in there. That's that will show you the levels, and that will verify that you know you are getting what you're expecting. So that's what we have. That's what you get with the CBD pillow on the website, you can see all the lab testing results from the CBD lab testing. They use a ISO accredited third party to do all lab testing, which is important, because you don't want to do that kind. Of stuff in house you want to use a third party then, as well as that, they test for pesticides as well. That's another important thing. Because, of course, what this all comes from at the beginning is plant, so that's an important part of the part of the testing process.

Jessica Owen
It's funny, there's just so many other things that come into this that would never have crossed my mind originally. Yeah. And so I understand actually, that the pillar has just won an award. I think it's like the 2020 a winner of the most innovative CBD product. I think, I mean, how does that feel? And what was that sort of process? Well,

Michael Howe
that's really that was really exciting to us was that something that really drew us towards the brand as well. So that's an award that they were accredited before we started working with them. But of course, that's one of the things that really provided it with the credibility that made us go, Okay, let's, let's look a bit deeper into the CBD pillow see what it is that's that's so special about it. And this, it was awarded this award for most innovative product at the 2020, hemp and CBD Expo in the United States, those kind of places, if you if you ever go to one full of people who are mad about CBD and mad about benefits of CBD, and it's all about innovation as well. What cool products for people coming up with that really do work, you know, that aren't gimmicky, they're things that really deliver benefits. So when you get an award presented to you from from a place like that, that that would really feel good, and you know, it gives it, it gives it the real credibility that you know, this is actually something that delivers benefits to people, and it's being recognized for that.

Jessica Owen
And I mean, this award, then, does that cover products similar to yours? Are we talking more like, I can't think of any off the top of my head, but even just the oils that you might put on your wrists or something like that. I mean, it's one out of sort of everything, yeah.

Michael Howe
So it's one out of all categories, out of, out of everything that would have been at the expo, which would have been, there's a huge range of stuff you would have had, like CBD treats, you know, like sweets, chocolates, drinks, soft drinks, alcoholic drinks, even as well, that are coming through. You would have had your kind of cosmetic rains, like your balms, your oils. Then you've got things like sleep drops, moisturizers. And then obviously you've got your traditional method, the traditional CBD products, like the tinctures, things like that, gummies,

Jessica Owen
well, I've never even heard of chocolate with CBD and gummies with them as well.

Michael Howe
It's interesting what you can get. There's a lot, if you kind of, if you're not sure about, well, how you would like to try it. There's many different ways that would agree with so many different people.

Jessica Owen
And I mean, considering that, there's a whole sort of show dedicated to this over in the US, and there's so many different products as well that you can try. I mean, is this something that's here to stay? Then you don't just think it's a trend or a fad.

Michael Howe
Yeah, I think it's definitely here to stay. I just think it provides far too much benefit to too many people for it to just fade away as some sort of trend. And I think the reality is that kind of the cannabis plant, should I say hemp? Really? It has a huge amount of benefits, and we're now kind of starting to see its place in society become a bit more widely accepted. Of course, it's always had, like this negative stigma attached to it. Oh, it comes from. Comes from. Cannabis. Must be bad. But I think as it starts to as it starts to take various different formats, and it starts to become more popular amongst the mainstream, then really, we see it just kind of be start to become more widely accepted. People open their eyes to the benefits and what they can get out of it. And it just doesn't have this bad stigma attached to it. People, you know, people don't think it will get you high, which is probably the main thing that's now made people realize, oh, okay, there's, there's benefits to it. So I think, I think that it's here to stay. I just think that we're only at the beginning really, of the possibilities, right?

Jessica Owen
Interesting and, well, I mean, this whole idea of about accepting CBD was something that I was going to ask you about. I mean, the product's only been on the market for a few months, but have you seen that customers have been really interested in and demand is picked up, or what's the feedback you've had so far? Yeah. So

Michael Howe
we've definitely since, since it was launched in the US, there's been huge uptake. It's done really well. We've got some great media coverage at the start and first week sales, the salesman in the first few weeks exceeded all expectations in the US. We've we've only just launched recently here in the UK, and we're currently kind of now in the process of getting out there, getting the brand in front of. People, whilst, of course, we have the success of the in the US to ride off. We want to, we want to build a an audience here in the UK who can really get benefit from this product. We are seeing a lot of interest, and we're confident that it's going to be a big hit here as well. But, yeah, the uptake of it has been brilliant. And,

Jessica Owen
I mean, have you had any comments from people? Have you people been saying, I'm sleeping so much better now. Can't believe I didn't have this before. I mean, what are people saying?

Michael Howe
Yeah, it's great. Actually. Even on the on the website, you can see some, some of the video reviews and also just text reviews from customers who have tried it, and they're great, great across the board, really, really good, really good feedback. And it's not just about the CBD element of it. And a lot of these people who have left reviews are people who have never really dabbled in CBD before. This is their first time. Feedback has been great. They say they sleep better. They sleep longer. A lot of people previously getting shortened sleeps, you know, kind of interrupted sleeps, or just waking up and just not feeling 100% rested. And the feedback that we've had is that the pillow really has made a difference. And not only that, it's been the it's been great for them to be able to, you know, adjust it to their needs and find what works for them. It's different for different people. You know, if you're a side sleeper, if you're a breast sleeper, if you're someone who sleeps just completely still laying on your back, and they've all had really, really positive experiences. And

Jessica Owen
it's funny actually, that the companies launched it this year, because obviously COVID 19 is still in full swing. And I imagine this. I mean, there's just that, not only is there the worry of, Oh, am I going to get it? Is my family going to get it? What if someone passes away that I know of? I mean, people are losing their jobs because there's just not enough work going around. I mean, there's just so many things to stress about, and I imagine that there must be so many people losing sleep over it as well. So it's funny that it's been launched at a time where people really need it. I mean, has that sort of demand come across? Do you think, yeah,

Michael Howe
so it's a bit just coincidental, really, that they kind of the product was launched as COVID hit, and that wasn't intended. It was just pure coincidence. So it's hard to say, what if, like, if the pandemic has had any kind of effect on people's interest in the product, or people's requirements, but what we can say is that it definitely hit the ground running, and I think that probably speaks for itself in that, yeah, you're right. I think people are worried about things and and they are looking for things to help, almost not take their mind off things, but just help them relax, kind of ease things we've in the CBD industry as a whole in the United Kingdom has seen a huge, huge spike during the pandemic. In fact, I think the statistics are in the first quarter of 2020 the sales of CBD were quadruple that of the whole of the 2019 sales. So already you're looking at an increase four times within the first quarter, which is, you know, an astronomical increase. And that really has, I mean, other people in the industry that I speak to have witnessed the same kind of rise in demand. So it's definitely the two things have gone hand in hand really,

Jessica Owen
like I say, it's not really surprising either. I mean this whole topic of health and well being, whether it be through getting more exercise, more sleep, eating healthily, just going for a walk, for example, I think people have really started to value that this year, and maybe it's here to stay. So maybe actually these products, they really aren't going to be a fad. They are going to be here to stay. But I guess only time will tell. Really.

Michael Howe
Yeah, exactly. And I think this is the thing as well. I think we were already like we were already seeing people start to take much more of a vested interest in their their health and their work, their general wellness. And I think it almost got, it almost got accelerated by the pandemic and people realizing, God, I want to be fit and healthy like I want to look after myself and give myself, you know, the best fighting chance against anything that, anything that might come up. So I think that's what, that's part of, part of why I think, you know, it won't fade away as a trend, is because I don't think health and wellness is going to fade away as a trend. I think now that people are probably starting to take it a bit more seriously, I think that, I think that that's only going to, I don't, I think that's only going to kind of increase in popularity. And

Jessica Owen
I mean, with that might go increase competition. I mean, do you think that you're going to see more brands popping up, like this one or or, what do you think? Yeah,

Michael Howe
I think so. I think that what we're going to see is a lot more innovation, just like this. This product's innovative. I think we're going to see other people innovating. And. And I just, I quite excited to see what other people do as well. For me, I know it brings competition, but there's nothing wrong with that at all. I think for me, the more people that innovate in this space, the better it is. For everyone in the CBD industry, it kind of opens doors a bit more. It opens more opportunities, and it just brings a level of excitement. You know, we don't know what, what someone might come up with that could really be a big game changer. But, you know, we welcome competition. We welcome innovation. And I don't think, yeah, I think, like I said earlier, I think we're at the still really close at the beginning of the development of the CBD industry, and I am excited to see what, what other products start to pop up on the shelves.

Jessica Owen
Yeah, and me, it's, I think it's as well, like it's not that you're stealing people's ideas. I mean, there's things that stop you from doing that, but it does sort of make you think twice about what's possible, but just by having a look around, seeing what other people are coming up with, and maybe there's even the chance for collaboration, or something like that, who knows exactly moving forward, then the company currently offers the pillow and the pillow case. But, I mean, do you know if they have any plans of expanding the range? I mean they, I mean, from what I'm thinking, you could maybe go into bedding or throws or even dressing gowns, for example, yeah.

Michael Howe
I mean, there's loads you could do. I think I know that there's been various people have tried, have tried to do some, some things with with CBD and textiles, and I don't think they've all worked out clothing. I think got quite a bad image. Someone tried to make some CBD leggings, and I don't think that went down too well. And that was really just because it was, you know, when I spoke earlier about how there have been products where they've kind of just been sprayed with CBD. It's not using this kind of cellular level delivery mechanism. It just it wouldn't really work in the way that it they say it will work. But there are, there are, of course, always plans to expand and to grow the brand. They are in discussions to introduce some new items at the beginning of next year, to add to kind of this sleep collection as they continue to grow. I can't give too much, too much detail on what that might be, but I can tell you that there will be more stuff coming to kind of add to this overall sleep range that they have the the parent company of of CBD pillow. They do do things like mattresses, bed covers, that's kind of their specialty, but without CBD, of course,

Jessica Owen
right? Okay, well, we'll have to keep our eyes peeled then and see what else sort of gets launched and so for you guys, then, I mean, what's the plan for the rest of the year? Is it just about getting that sort of attention and distributing it is that sort of the plan? Yeah,

Michael Howe
for us, we just want to we want to grow the awareness of the product and the brand, and we also want to educate in the process, that's one of the main things that we focus on, is we want to be able to educate people by getting the right information in front of them, helping them understand exactly how this thing works and how any CBD product works, but in particular this one, and we were just working to grow the brand, really get it out there. That's that's the plan for the immediate future. And we just want to work with CBD pillow to grow things as organically and but as well was possible,

Jessica Owen
right? Well, I think we're coming to an end. But before you go, I just wanted to ask you, what are sort of the ways that you look after your health and well being? I mean, have you tried the pillow yourself, or are you interested in exercise, for example? Yeah,

Michael Howe
as I've tried it myself, I've been sleeping with it since I first made an order, and it's been great. It's been really nice. I thoroughly enjoy like it has made a big difference to my sleep. I'm not gonna the pillow that I was sleeping with before weren't great. So obviously this is an immediate improvement, but I it really, really does help wake up just feeling kind of, I don't get any aches. And I was quite often waking up with aches, not not not being able to recover from exercise properly and stuff and and it's really helped with that. I feel like it just supports me a lot better. And I'm definitely, I obviously take other I take other CBD products as well. So I have, like, tinctures before I go to bed, and I just feel like it helps sustain those effects whilst I sleep, which is great, because normally those things, they kind of wear off after about two or three hours. Two or three hours. But the pillow just helps to keep those levels balanced whilst you're sleeping. And then, obviously, in my day to day life, just in in on staying healthy, I try to exercise every day. I go to the gym every day. Drinking lots of water is like the main thing for me, that's one thing that I've noticed makes a huge difference. Drink loads of water, exercise every day, and eat healthy. I'm on a plant based diet, so that's been the change for me that I did in the last few months, and I found that that's that's helped me, generally, in my in my health and fitness. Interesting.

Jessica Owen
Yeah, it's funny. Everyone says to me, because I try and keep a balanced diet and I exercise as well most days, but everyone says to me, you really need to drink more water. And I'm just shocking at it. I mean, I bought a water bottle that even has, like, 8am 9am 10am and I still managed to forget it, or I leave it downstairs. So somehow I'll get onto that one day, 

Michael Howe
you almost have to, you almost have to force yourself at first, until it becomes a habit. And I think one thing I'd say that I found helps is get a really big bottle. Get a really big bottle, because then you don't need to go and keep refilling it, and you end up just getting it, getting through it quite quickly.

Jessica Owen
Good, good tip. I might try that. Then maybe just get a massive gallon. 

Michael Howe
That's like a cake, like a giant cake, exactly,

Jessica Owen
right? Well, Michael, I mean, it's been really great to speak to you and have you on the show. And actually, I'm, I've always been a bit skeptical about CBD, so I might go and try it, actually in future, maybe try those gummies or something, something tiny, and just might work my way up. Maybe we'll see. But yes, thank you very much for joining me. It's been great, no problem.

Michael Howe
Thank you for having me.