First generation hemp farmers Scott and Megan Booher, rural Homestead, are bringing their Four Winds Farm’s line of organic edible and body care hemp products to Amana. Four Winds Farm Apothecary, located at 5404 220th Trail, across from the Amana General Store, held a soft opening at the end of April, with a grand opening planned later this year.
After selling their products at NewBo City Market in Cedar Rapids and at farmers markets around the state, the couple decided it was time, literally, to set up shop. With an established customer base in Iowa, Johnson and Linn counties, Amana was the perfect fit.
The small retail location in the west end of the Catiri’s Art Oasis building felt custom made for Four Wind’s needs, Scott notes. A few cosmetic renovations and the addition of shelving in the display area provided the couple with a brick and mortar site to sell the products they craft themselves. As Four Winds Farm Apothecary expands its product line, they will also carry wares by several other local herbalists. The store’s common thread will be a focus on locally made products by people who grow or wildcraft their own ingredients.
Product line
Four Winds Farm specializes in both edible and topical body care products containing non-psychoactive cannabigerol or CBG. CBG is a type of cannabinoid derived from the cannabis plant. It is completely legal, providing it is derived from cannabis plants that contain less than 0.3 percent THC, the compound that causes people to get high.
Flowers from the hemp plants at Megan and Scott’s farm are harvested, dried and sent to a facility in Wisconsin for processing. The resulting distillate and isolate are returned to the Boohers as concentrates to be added to their various products.
While the FDA prevents the Boohers from making medical claims in the print labeling on their products, Megan says people have found the edibles useful in easing stress and anxiety, lowering blood pressure and helping with sleep. Topicals have properties that aid in treating inflammation and have hydrating properties. The Four Winds line includes body salve blended with herbs and essential oils to ease inflammation from arthritis or sore muscles; a solid lotion bar crafted with lanolin and beeswax; massage oils and an after-sun oil to relieve topical pain.
“People report CBG benefits that exceed what CBD (the more familiar cannabidiol) can do,” Megan says. “It’s up and coming. You’re going to see a lot of it in the future.”
She equates the body’s response to the edibles as what one might experience from taking ibuprofen.
“Everyone responds differently,” she explains.
Opening the shop allows the couple to reach more people face to face and help shoppers decide what products are the best fit for them.
“We’re available to the customers,” Megan said. “You get to talk to the people who grew it and made it.”
The Boohers rent a commercial kitchen in Iowa City to process the edibles. The remaining skin and body care items are crafted at their home.
New this year, the couple are starting a line of herbs and also growing flowers to be dried and used in crafts.
Additional products
Joining Megan and Scott in their shop will be Emma Barber, Rhubarb Botanicals, Mount Vernon, and Mandy Dickerson, Plantchanters Garden, Iowa City.
“We want to share the space with people who grow the products used in what they make,” Megan says.
Barber specializes in herbalist-formulated tinctures and elixirs, therapeutic salves and balms, tea blends and additional small-batch seasonally-inspired creations. Her herbal remedies are crafted from planted tended and harvested on her medicinal herb farm.
Dickerson’s homemade apothecary and culinary goods are crafted from her home garden, as well as local wilds. Her product line includes botanical soaps, herbal kitchen items, infused vinegars and salves and body balm.
Store hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday. Look for Four Winds Hemp at farmers markets in Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, Des Moines and possibly Davenport this year.
To learn more about the Boohers and their farming practices, visit www.fourwindsfarmhemp.com. You can also find them on Instagram and Facebook at fourwindsfarmhemp.
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