KACTUS had the privilege to visit one of Hong Kong’s first ever CBD cafes tucked in a hidden corner of Sheung Wan – Found. This is truly a rare gem in the city as it is unheard of to incorporate CBD oil in coffee and juices. When people hear about taking or using CBD nowadays, they still think about the “high” they may get since it comes from essentially the same plant as weed. However, that is not the case.
Found is here to shed some clarity into the positive effects of this soothing oil and how it will help people who suffer from anxiety to chronic, physical pain. We were able to ask some pressing questions around CBD and why Honkies could benefit from this.
K: Can you describe the concept of CBD for beginners out here and how it works?
F: CBD is one of the two most well-known compounds of the hemp and cannabis plants. The hemp and cannabis plant are actually the same thing. Many people don’t realize it, but hemp is also of the plant family cannabis sativa. Hemp refers to cannabis, which generally has low levels of THC. CBD stands for cannabidiol, which is one of the non-intoxicating compounds in hemp. It is not intoxicating (doesn’t get you “high”). It’s considered therapeutic and helps balance the body’s endocannabinoid system (ECS). The body’s ECS helps regulate everything from rest, appetite and mood to sleep, amongst other things. Everyone’s ECS is in a different state of imbalance and long story short, taking CBD can be a good way to rebalance your ECS. In a roundabout way, CBD is the thing that balances the system which in turn, keeps you balanced – kind of a funny way to think about it.
K: What is a common misconception of CBD? Does it make you high like weed does?
F: I guess the common misconception about CBD is if it makes you high. Only two of the cannabinoids from the hemp plant are considered intoxicating – THC and CBN. All of the other cannabinoids from the plant, CBD, CBG, CBT, there’s quite a few and you might hear more and more about the others over time, are all non-intoxicating. While non-intoxicating, they are still psycho-active, which means they still have an effect on the brain. Though, things like sugar and caffeine are psycho-active. Saying something that is psycho-active is not that controversial, they are not intoxicating. So, one of the most common misconceptions we have to clear up about CBD in Hong Kong is that it is not intoxicating and it won’t change your mental state, like in terms of how traditional cannabis would.
K: What made you want to start Found HK?
F: The reason we started Found is connected to the reason we started our company, Altum International. Altum’s mission is to bring the life-changing benefits of cannabinoids back to Asia Pacific. The history of hemp and cannabis actually began in China and Taiwan thousands of years ago, which is interesting to think about because something like cannabis is very sensitive in China, particularly. Asian Pacific people from places like Japan, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Thailand, South Korea and many other places in the region, including Australia and New Zealand, have been without the benefits of cannabinoids for decades after the second World War and the war on drugs carried out in the ’70s. So, Altum is here to bring cannabinoids back to the region and make them accessible to everyone. We are over two years old and we took about eight months to begin importing CBD into Hong Kong, which is our home market. We began selling our CBD products in Hong Kong in January of this year.
The reason we started Found was that we realized even though we were selling online and to retailers around Hong Kong, we weren’t enabling people to learn more about CBD and ask the really hard, sensitive or tricky questions and get satisfying answers. Thus, we realized we needed to create a safe space where people can come and learn more about the plant and more about CBD in particular, and make it a space that would take away the stigma that is still very strongly associated in Hong Kong, the mindset connected to the cannabis hemp plant. Hence, we called it Found, which is the first space we’ve created where people can find the life-changing benefits of cannabinoids.
K: Was it hard to bring this idea to life in Hong Kong?
F: It was pretty hard to do this in Hong Kong and as I said earlier, we’re about two and a half years old as a business, but we didn’t start selling our CBD products until January of this year. It took us almost 18 months to find the right manufacturing partners and to become confident in the lead status of our business plan in Hong Kong. We got a lot of very senior legal advice and we spent a while on licensing to make sure we have the right export from our manufacturing locations and import our CBD products into Hong Kong.
K: Where do you source your CBD from?
F: Our products are mostly manufactured in the USA. We will soon be sourcing some from Europe and Canada but today, we are mostly selling exclusively US manufactured CBD products. The US does have the most sophisticated and well-developed manufacturing base for CBD products in the world just because it’s been a place where it made it legal for the longest period. It took us almost a year and a half to be comfortable enough to import our first batch of products into Hong Kong. We do have a lot of intellectual property or unique know-how locked up in the business that relates to how to bring CBD products into Asia and to Hong Kong specifically, so we’re proud of having a team to achieve that the last two years.
K: What purpose are you hoping to serve with this new cafe?
F: The purpose of Found is to help the rediscovery of the benefits of cannabinoids, but really to show people an alternative path to everyday wellness. There are too many solutions today for common problems in life that are pharmaceutical or involve alcohol or say, other non-healthy means to remove stress, anxiety and pain. We feel that cannabinoids can be something to help people discover an alternative, natural remedy for these problems. The three main reasons people take CBD are for anxiety, sleep and pain. Those are what our customers tell us and the main reasons why they buy from us and take CBD. Of all those three reasons, sleep seems to be the biggest reason, followed by anxiety. Pain is probably the smallest of the three.
The purpose of Found is to be a safe space to enable people to find this alternative option for their own wellness. I like to think of my dream customer profile for Found to be a 65 year-old local Hong Kong woman or man who would traditionally be quite worried automatically and think it is “illegal” when they hear the word hemp or cannabis. If I can make somebody like that comfortable to walk through the front door of Found and learn more and better understand that it’s actually totally acceptable and quite beneficial for them to examine CBD in their lives, then I’ve successfully achieved my own mission. Thankfully since we launched just over six weeks ago, we have had many such people walk through the door – we have had young to old Hong Kong locals and international expats of all ages, demographics and sexes come through the doors. We’re really happy and feel like we’ve somehow managed to achieve that goal of making it accessible to everyone and destigmatize CBD for all of Hong Kong.
With the hustle and bustle of a fast-paced lifestyle in Hong Kong, Found is here in hopes to ease hectic routines and help people cope with their physical, mental and emotional pains in a more natural way. They are opening new doors to the medicinal world and its practices, as well as to create a more clear understanding that CBD, though from the same plant as weed, is safe. They even have some treats for your furry friends! If you haven’t visited their shop, do check them out whenever you are in the Sheung Wan neighborhood.
For those of you new to this treatment or doing this for the experience, here are some recommended servings based on your weight:
| Your Weight | Recommended Serving | 300mg Oil | 1200mg Oil | 1800mg Oil |
| 45 – 64 kg | 10mg | 1 dropper | 1/4 dropper | |
| 65 – 89 kg | 15mg | 1.5 droppers | 1/3 dropper | 1/4 dropper |
| 90 kg + | 20mg | 2 droppers | 1/2 dropper | 1/3 dropper |
