Every business starts with an idea. Ours just isn't the one that actually happened. When Carbon was founded in July of 2019, we had a vision of building a company around hemp. The original plan was to manufacture sustainable hemp-based materials like clothing, straws, napkins, and other everyday products. It was a business we believed in.
But before fully committing to that vision, we did something that would shape Carbon for years to come. We listened. We spent time researching the market, talking with farmers, and learning where the biggest opportunities actually existed within Wisconsin's emerging hemp industry. What we discovered surprised us. The greatest need wasn't another company making hemp products. Farmers needed somewhere to process their hemp.
Listening Changed Everything
Around the same time, the world changed. Like so many businesses in 2020, COVID forced us to think differently. We knew we had to be innovative if we wanted to build something that would last.
Instead of forcing our original business plan, we leaned into what the market was telling us. Wisconsin hemp farmers were growing crops, but many had nowhere nearby to process them into usable extracts. So we came up with a partnership.
Carbon would process and extract hemp for farmers at no cost. In return, we would keep half of the extracted yield from each batch. It was a way for farmers to move their harvest forward without taking on another major expense, while giving Carbon the opportunity to begin creating products of our own.
Looking back, that decision changed everything. Not because it was part of the original plan. Because it was the right plan for that moment.
Our First Products
Those partnerships became the foundation of Carbon's first product line, our CBD line which included our CBD tinctures and CBD balm. Those products weren't created simply because we wanted something to sell. They were created because we believed people deserved access to trusted, high-quality CBD products made with care and backed by a process we believed in. That philosophy has guided every decision we've made since. If we wouldn't confidently recommend a product to our own friends and families, it doesn't earn the Carbon name.
Growing With Purpose
From the very beginning, Carbon invested in CO₂ extraction because we believed quality starts with the extraction process itself. As the company grew, so did our capabilities. We expanded and refined our extraction lab. We continued investing in better equipment, improved workflows, and greater manufacturing capabilities. We built out a production kitchen where we could formulate and produce our own edibles, tinctures, topicals, syrups, and more. Every improvement had the same purpose: to create products people could trust.
Then, in 2022, another major milestone changed the future of Carbon. Stacks Family Farms became part of our family by becoming our exclusive grow partner. With cultivation now working alongside extraction, manufacturing, and packaging, Carbon became what few companies truly are, a vertically integrated, seed-to-sale cannabis company.
As our CEO and President, Austin, says,
"What really sets Carbon apart from most other operators is the way we embody the seed-to-sale vision. Cultivation, through extraction, manufacturing and packaging is all within our four walls."
To us, seed-to-sale isn't just an industry buzzword. It's accountability. It's knowing exactly where our plants are grown. How they're cultivated. How they're extracted. How every product is formulated. How every package leaves our facility. That level of control allows us to create products we're proud to put our name on.
From Cannabis to Community
As Carbon continued growing, another opportunity emerged. More and more people were looking for an alternative to alcohol. Not something that felt intimidating. Not something that sacrificed quality. Something approachable and something social. Something people could trust.
So, in April of 2023, Carbon and Stacks Family Farms partnered to launch Sensi. Sensi was created to bring fast-acting THC beverages to Wisconsin and give people another way to relax, celebrate, and connect without alcohol. While Sensi has become its own brand, every can still begins with Carbon. The fast-acting nano THC that powers every Sensi beverage is extracted and manufactured by Carbon before making its way into every can.
Seeing Sensi grow into one of Wisconsin's leading THC beverage brands has been one of our proudest accomplishments. Not because it's another company, but because it's another way we're able to help people discover cannabis in an approachable, trusted way.
Built by Friends. Grown by Family.
Before Carbon had cultivation teams, extraction specialists, production crews, marketers, and sales representatives, there were just two friends. Austin. And his best friend, Eddie. Long before Carbon looked the way it does today, there were days spent sitting in a garage, hand-trimming flower one stem at a time. No shortcuts. No fancy equipment. Just two people willing to do whatever it took to build something they believed in. That spirit still defines Carbon today. The only thing that's changed is the size of our family.
Today, Carbon is made up of growers, lab techs, production teams, sales representatives, marketers, and countless people working behind the scenes who genuinely love helping others. Everyone here believes in the same mission. Build products we're proud of. Help people feel better. And leave this industry better than we found it.
Raising the Standard
As our manufacturing capabilities continued to grow, we realized something. We weren't the only people with great ideas. There were other brands looking for a manufacturing partner they could trust.
Someone who cared as much about quality, consistency, and transparency as they did. So we opened our doors.
Today, Carbon proudly manufactures products for other brands through white-label partnerships, helping entrepreneurs bring their products to life using the same extraction processes, manufacturing standards, and attention to detail that go into every Carbon product. Because if we can help raise the standard of the cannabis industry as a whole, everyone wins. Especially the people using these products.
More Than Cannabis
People often assume companies like ours simply sell cannabis. We've never seen ourselves that way. To us, these products represent relief. They represent better sleep. They represent an alternative to alcohol.
They represent another option for someone searching for natural wellness. Most importantly, they represent trust. Trust that quality has never been compromised. That has always been the mission. Not simply making products. Building products people can believe in.
Looking Ahead
This July, Carbon celebrates seven years. Like every year before it, the industry continues to evolve. New opportunities. New challenges. New regulations. If the last seven years have taught us anything, it's that the companies willing to listen, adapt, and evolve are the ones that continue moving forward.
Carbon exists today because we were willing to change course when the market needed something different. That mindset hasn't changed. The products may evolve. The laws may evolve. The industry certainly will. But our commitment won't. We'll continue supporting local farmers. We'l no l continue creating trusted CBD and THC products. We'll continue innovating. We'll continue educating.
And we'll continue doing everything we can to make cannabis more approachable, more transparent, and more trusted for the communities we serve.
Because after seven years, one thing has become incredibly clear. Carbon was never defined by our original business plan. We've always been defined by what came next. Here's to every farmer who partnered with us. Every customer who believed in us. Every employee who poured their heart into this company. Every partner who has grown alongside us. And every chapter still waiting to be written.
Happy Birthday, Carbon!
