Rockin’ Coffee and CBD: A Brand That’s Waking Up a New Market

The global cannabidiol (CBD) market is a multi-billion-dollar industry. Mastermind predicts that by 2032, CBD’s popularity could surge to an estimated $202.45 billion, reflecting the increasing demand and acceptance of these products.

Ready to take advantage of this growing market, Julie Dunnwald now offers her own CBD products line. Beginning in the early 2000’s as Rockin’ Coffee, the brand now sells select CBD products as well as coffee, including powders, topicals, gummies and tinctures.

“We are committed to supporting healing through outdoor adventures and connections, and so we’re looking to share our vision and our products,” says Dunnwald, co-owner of Rockin’. “We are spreading that awareness through our team and our products.”

The Perfect Blend of Sustainability

Prior to Rockin’s CBD offerings, Dunnwald poured her love for coffee into her brand. After consuming CBD on the side and quickly realizing just how much the CBD industry was gaining momentum, she decided to start selling her own CBD line.

Dunnwald blended her passion for quality, sustainability and integrity to create the best products possible for consumers.

“We’re committed to sourcing the highest quality organic coffee beans that are harvested, traded and roasted with a commitment to social responsibility. And the same goes for our CBD products,” she says.

“We’re also certified fair trade, meaning we’re committed to worker’s rights, fair pricing, protecting wildlife and protecting the environment,” she adds. “We team up with small, local farmers to stay fair trade.”

Receiving the certified organic label on consumable products is no easy feat. It means that no unnecessary chemicals or fertilizers can be used. So, with that certification under Dunnwald’s belt, she was more easily able to curate safe CBD products.

This came especially in handy when putting together the certificates of analysis (COAs) for Rockin’s CBD line.

“In order to officially launch and start selling our CBD line, we needed to have COAs for each of our CBD products,” Dunnwald says.

A COA is crucial for any cannabis product, providing detailed information about the contents of the item. It’s essentially a lab report generated by an accredited third-party laboratory that verifies the product’s quality, potency and purity. Since the CBD market is still largely unregulated at the federal level, a COA is the most reliable way for consumers to confirm that a product is safe and contains what the label claims.

The Downfalls of Selling CBD

Since Dunnwald only had experience in selling coffee, she walked into unfamiliar territory when adding CBD products to Rockin’. And while this was a blessing in terms of allowing Dunnwald and her team to be creative and innovate outside of the conventional rules, it was also a curse to find out the hard way that CBD can’t be sold the same way as other products.

“One of the biggest problems we faced was securing a credit card processor. I had no idea how difficult that was going to be,” Dunnwald says. “It took a while to finally secure a company, and once we did, we were dropped shortly thereafter for reasons I still don’t understand.”

Dunnwald isn’t the only cannabis brand facing these issues. Securing a credit card processor is one of the most significant challenges for a cannabis company, with the difficulty stemming from the fundamental conflict between state and federal law in the U.S. Between federal illegality and risky workarounds, many banks don’t want to get their hands dirty.

While traditional credit card processing is still largely unavailable, the cannabis industry is not entirely without digital payment options. A few specialized payment processors and financial institutions have developed compliant solutions. Eventually, Dunnwald was finally able to secure a credit card processor.

“Learning all of that was definitely an educational experience,” she says.

Rockin’s Future Growth

Dunnwald has many plans in store for Rockin’, including expanding its CBD line.

“We are looking to expand our offerings, especially with CBD-infused beverages,” she says. “We’re also very interested in mushroom supplements, organic extra virgin olive oil, and artisanal honey. Those are all products we’re looking to add to our lineup.”

Dunnwald’s main goal is to continue expanding upon her full-spectrum wellness brand, all while staying grounded in the same mission of having organically sourced ingredients and staying committed in the planet.

As a way to market themselves online while also giving back, Rockin’ is partnering with 3 Demons Performance, an organization that supports veterans and children’s groups through fundraising track day events. 

“This is our way of giving back, but it’s also a marketing strategy,” Dunnwald explains. “We’re also bringing Rockin’ to over 200,000 veterans through The Fallen Outdoors, another nonprofit that helps veterans.”

These strategic partnerships allow Dunnwald to not only promote her brand but also give back to the community.

“We’re working on having more of an online presence in terms of social media, so all of that is in the works as we speak,” she says. “We’re also going to be announcing a celebrity endorsement soon.”

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