22 Amazing Things that Happened at Populum in 2020

It’s often easy to forget all the progress you’ve made over a year. Especially after a year like 2020, it’s a lot more exciting to just look ahead. Yet, looking back can offer some sweet reflection on all that's been accomplished.

As we [gladly] say goodbye to 2020, our team compiled some of the things we are most proud of from the year. I’d like to thank all of our wonderful customers and partners. With your help, we were able to achieve some amazing milestones, many of which involved working closely with our local community and delighting our customers. Here are just a few I'd like to highlight:

Our Customers

From the ideation of our name “Populum,” derived from a Latin phrase meaning “for the people,” our goal is to put our customers' needs first. Before COVID19, the Populum office had a doormat that read “Good Humans Welcome.” The Populum team embodies this phrase, and it is (hopefully) apparent through our interactions with customers. We see our customers as part of our business and community and we hope that in addition to being your reliable, trustworthy source for CBD, we are also just people that you can turn to for questions, conversations or just to say “hi.” Here’s how we worked with our customers in 2020:

1. We've served more than 25,000 customers, delivering quality, reliable CBD wellness. Our team is proud to help those new to CBD on their journey. We offer a 30-day risk free trial that allows for individuals to test CBD before committing.

2. We improved our subscription program through website enhancements, allowing 100% flexibility to our customers. We also added more benefits to our subscription program including gifts, exclusive discounts and more.

3. We had customers in all 50 states in 2020 (plus Puerto Rico, The Virgin Islands and a few military bases around the world). With our home office located in Omaha, NE and our fulfillment center in Tempe, AZ, we’re familiar with having friends across the country.

4. Over 100,000 emails were responded to by our Customer Experience team. We take communication with our customers seriously, which is why we handle all emails with thought and care.

5. We spent over 10,000 minutes talking to customers on the phone. (That's 166+ hours speaking 1-on-1 with our valued customers). Whether it’s dosage recommendations, order support, or those just wanting to learn more about CBD, we love answering your questions and hearing our customers’ stories.

6. We’ve received more than 920 customer reviews with an average rating of 4.6/5 stars. We love hearing the stories of how CBD has helped our customers. It’s why we come to work everyday. Please keep the stories coming!

7. We launched our Populum Ambassador Program designed to help our loyal customers easily share their love of Populum with friends and family. In its first year, we had more than 250 applicants and 150 active ambassadors. Notably, we worked with ambassadors like food-blogger Lindsey Viker and lifestyle expert Madelana Escudero to tell their real life CBD journey.

Our Products

The CBD industry is like no other. It’s one of the few times in the U.S. that a historically prohibited product was legalized to sell on the open market. And while the industry has quickly become saturated with CBD-infused {you fill in the blank}, Populum focused on creating products based on customer feedback and needs. Here’s what we did in 2020:

8. We made our Cold Therapy Hemp Rub vegan and paraben free. When we received feedback to remove animal-based ingredients and parabens, we took heed. We updated our formula to make sure our customers are getting the cleanest, most effective topical CBD product on the market.

9. We introduced 7 new products this year. Populum’s mission is to keep our products clean and simple because we believe in the pure benefits of hemp CBD. As we grow as a company, this will always be our priority which is why we created products like our 2000mg Full-Spectrum CBD Tincture and our Unflavored Full-Spectrum CBD Oil Tincture in 2020.

Our Partners

2020 threw us some curveballs, but we found ourselves collaborating with our partners more than ever. Here are a few of the amazing partnerships we formed in 2020:

10. We are now sold at Anthropologie. Populum’s CBD skincare line hit shelves at national retailer, Anthropologie. As a thriving online and brick & mortar retailer, Anthropologie now sells Populum’s Lavender + CBD Face Oil and the Cold Therapy Hemp Rub. *Note: they’re currently sold out of Populum online!

11. Populum was sold in more than 200 brick and mortar stores across the U.S. We focus on trying to find like-minded brick and mortar partners to allow for day-of access to products in select cities across the country. Check out this page to see where you can find Populum near you.

12. We partnered with Phoenix’s Sweet Summer Farms to create a CBD Honey. Partnering with a small artisan business like Sweet Summer Farms was particularly special, as the farm is just a short drive from Populum’s headquarters. Located in the foothills of Phoenix, AZ, the farm specializes in creating raw, organic, honey-infused products.

13. We partnered with Omaha’s Hardy Coffee Co to create a CBD Coffee Syrup. Made in partnership with small-batch Omaha coffee brewer, Hardy Coffee, our limited edition holiday Hazelnut + CBD Coffee Syrup transformed cups of joe into a perfectly balanced coffeehouse drink packed with benefits of 100mg hemp CBD.

Our CBD Education

There are all kinds of stories in the market, and it’s difficult as a consumer to sort through fact versus fiction when it comes to CBD. Which is why we have made it part of our job, to not only provide you with trustworthy products, but also with trustworthy factual education about CBD. Our mission is to destigmatize hemp CBD and make the astonishing benefits of pure, high-quality hemp accessible, affordable, and truthful to everyone. Here’s how we did that in 2020:

14. Our most popular video has over 38,000 views on YouTube. Check it out to learn how to use a CBD tincture.

15. We added 4 new CBD recipes to our blog to help you establish a CBD routine in a fun way! Notably, we worked with a Michelin Star pastry chef to create a recipe for a Lemon CBD Blueberry Pie (which was our most popular recipe of the year!)

16. We added 35 educational blog posts to our site that answer questions to our customers' top questions like “What Is Full Spectrum CBD Oil? Understanding the Entourage effect,” ''How Long Does It Take for CBD Oil to Work?,” and “How Much CBD Should I Take?”

Our Community

Leading psychologist Jamil Zaki said, “Empathy is a skill, and volunteering can teach it. Volunteering pushes us to be kind and empathetic.” Volunteering helps our mental health and overall well-being—something all Populum employees' believe. Here’s how we gave back in 2020:

17. Our team devoted more than 100 hours to local community service. Populum is committed to community service. This year we volunteered for Omaha Public Parks, Paralyzed Veterans of America, and Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) — to name a few.

18. We donated more than $10,000 in products through fundraisers for COVID19 and giving free hemp rub to healthcare workers.

Our News

It’s always rewarding to see our products being touted as the best out there. Our media accolades continued to pour in over the course of 2020 with some new and unique features including:

19. Populum was rated as a “Top Company To Work For Remote” by the groundbreaking work platform, Rise.

20. Greg Parker, Populum’s founder, was featured in a full-length article in Omaha Magazine.

21. The Cold Therapy Hemp Rub was featured on Best Products in the “I Tried It” series.

22. And Populum’s was featured in more than 30 publications including Thrillist, Refinery29, Popsugar, Total Beauty, Forbes and Luxury Portfolio Magazine.

Thank you again for your support for small businesses like ours, and we look forward to what’s to come in 2021!