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CHESTER — When the retail cannabis industry was paving its way in 2019, advocates for the drug steered away from the stereotype of a reclining, Cheetos-eating stoner and instead promoted the idea that cannabis is a cure-all for a variety of ailments. “It’s natural” was a common mantra.
The Lupario brothers, Michael and Brian, have taken that “natural” mantra to heart at Western MA Hemp, a company they founded six years ago that grows its cannabis plants at a farm in Chesterfield, and makes its products at a commercial kitchen at 11 Main St. in Chester.
“People are hysteric about psychoactive affects,” said Michael Lupario, referring to the products sold in the retail market designed to cause changes in mood, awareness and feelings, among other behaviors.
The brothers, however, say the products at Western MA Hemp aren’t designed with psychoactive effects in mind. Instead, says Michael, “this is intended to be used daily like a multivitamin.”
“We want people high on life,” said Mike Robinson, who entered into a joint venture with the brothers in the past 60 days and has long been an advocate of the medicinal qualities in cannabis, more specifically hemp.
Hemp and weed are both derived from the cannabis plant, but differ in their THC content — the compound that arouses psychoactive experiences. Legally defined, hemp has a THC content of 0.3% or less. Marijuana, on the other hand, can have 25% or even much higher levels of THC.
The effect of hemp as a result of low THC levels? Not a high, but a pleasant uplift in mood, the brothers explained. Their hemp products, such as oils, lotions and creams, are effective in stabilizing the endocrine system, and in turn help with anxiety issues, nervous tremors, or other ailments, including epilepsy or gastro conditions, as well as other health complications.
Hemp and marijuana also differ in legality. All hemp products were legalized following the passing of The Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, while marijuana remains illegal federally and in many states.
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The brothers aren’t looking to extract or process their cannabis to isolate compounds such as THC and CBD, which happens at other marijuana operations. Rather, they aim to offer a “photocopy” of the hemp plant itself, in the form of oils, pills, joints, and other hemp products.
“The cannabis is the source of the medicinal qualities, right? It’s in the plant as it exists in the fields … You know, the markets are just looking for CBD, or just THC,” said Brian Lupario. “We’re looking for all that non-homogenous essential oils, terpenes — everything that makes that flower unique. We’re trying to capture that and really extract a photocopy of the plant itself.”
Hemp advocate
A cannabis advocate for decades, Robinson, of California, is a “cured” epileptic and four-time cancer survivor who has created a line of products called Genevieve’s Dream. He partnered with Western MA Hemp, which is manufacturing the cannabis used for his products, because the Lupario brothers best fit his philosophy.
The three ignited a connection on LinkedIn as Robinson was looking for a manufacturer for his line of all-natural cannabis. Robinson, who founded the Global Cannabinoid Research Center, interviewed dozens of growers across the country.
“They were all about money, money, money, that’s all they talked about,” he said.
While making money is important in any business venture, Robinson was looking for more.
Just a decade ago when he was riddled with cancer, he decided to become a “missionary” of sorts to advertise the marijuana plant’s healing affects. This is how he met his now wife and her daughter Genevieve, an autistic epileptic who’s life has been changed because of medicinal cannabis.
Robinson judged the Luparios shared a similar love, and the same dedication to have life-changing products on the market.
“The heart that they have — it matches what I was trying to do. I talked to Michael, he was about the beauty of cannabis,” said Robinson in a phone interview. He was officially sold when he asked Michael whether they had any intoxicating cannabinoids in their products, to which Michael responded, “We’d rather go belly up.”
On their farm earlier this month, the brothers explained that industry grade weed sold in retail shops is far from a photocopy and more like an AI recreation of the weed plant.
“They grab some ground up leaves and stems, treat it with a bunch of alcohol heptane, distill the crap out of it to get the poison out of it, but leave a little bit of it that makes me feel different,” said Michael.
Meanwhile, his brother explained, “We see ourselves as stewards in the process — the plant is really what we’re trying to highlight.”
To illustrate the difference, they said, a recommended serving is usually 2 milligrams of THC per dose for their products, whereas a regulated dispensary gummy is approximately 5 milligrams.
The Luparios are UMass graduates, Easthampton natives, and first generation farmers and business owners with split skill sets — Michael majored in soil management and Brian in business. Their venture began in 2019 right out of college at the threshold of a “turbulent industry” after hemp products were legalized nationally in 2018.
“Everybody jumped into hemp in 2019. We got out of college, we knew the plant really well. We wanted to apply ourselves to the industry,” said Michael, who also explained how they moved their market to the U.K. at the time, where the industry was a less saturated than in the United States.
The business venture was rough going at first, as the brothers accrued six-figure debt and moved their operation four times as competition for the product was fierce. Over time, other companies folded, but the Lupario brothers say despite the challenges they remained confident in their product.
“We produced a flower that was well above what the market was looking for as far as quality was concerned,” says Michael, adding that “we’ve been here since 2019, that’s important to us.”
Thanks to the partnership with Robinson, coupled with product sales on their website, the Luparios are feeling confident about the future of their venture, and the brothers hope to attract more partnerships in the future.
“We want to be the authority in hemp wellness. We want to be in everybody’s medical cabinet,” said Michael, speaking on his ambitions for the future.
Samuel Gelinas can be reached at sgelinas@gazettenet.com.“}]] CHESTER — When the retail cannabis industry was paving its way in 2019, advocates for the drug steered away from the stereotype of a reclining, Cheetos-eating stoner and instead promoted the idea that cannabis is a cure-all for a variety of ailments. “It’s natural” was a common mantra. Read More
