Kara Soule and her brothers Kirk and Travis grew up on an organic farm near Northfield with an appreciation for farmers who paid attention to quality and the distributors who got their food to consumers.
Three years ago, Kara used CBD oil to overcome a health challenge and, noticing that quality and pricing varied widely in the nascent industry, spotted an opportunity. She and her two older brothers, all with experience at large companies, decided to start their CBD products firm, called Verdant, as side gigs.
Eventually, Kara began working on the venture full time. Their plan to stand out was to focus on ingredient quality. But as they made the circuit of co-ops and outdoor events in the state, they heard one thing over and over: CBD products were too expensive.