Waterbury’s Green Hut CBD Stresses Wellness And Safety Over Hype

There’s a new CBD shop in the town of Waterbury, and it’s serious about selling only pure, organic products made in Vermont. Green Hut CBD opened last week as a kiosk inside the Craft Beer Cellar on Elm Street, and it’s already enjoying heavy foot traffic.

“Our retail model is to have a store inside a store,” explained Meg Burns, CEO. “This has a much smaller carbon footprint than opening and heating a separate shop.”

In line with its environmentally friendly mission, Green Hut CBD’s kiosk is made up entirely from recyclable materials, such as reclaimed weathered pallet wood and a salvaged glass display counter. The rustic backcountry hut theme was fashioned after the many off-the-grid cabins built from whatever materials nature provided along the Long Trail, with the Bryant Cabin, near Bolton Valley Resort, as its prime inspiration.

“We are committed to destigmatizing the cannabis industry by providing a welcoming retail environment that offers extensive knowledge on the benefits of CBD products.”

The sustainable streak runs deep in the shop with every aspect of the business. They don’t hand out bags, they choose products with minimal packaging, and all operating procedures are sustainably minded. At Green Hut, they are trying to lead by example with their sustainable vision.

Burns, with an MBA from Champlain College and many years working in the sustainability aspect of the snow sports industry, is branching out from her cannabis consulting firm, Stone Hut Consulting, to promote sustainability and professionalism in the cannabis/hemp industry. “This is Cannabis 2.0! We’re moving away from the ‘stoner’ connotations and toward businesses that are accessible to people who are not into cannabis but want to benefit from its wellness properties. We are committed to destigmatizing the cannabis industry by providing a welcoming retail environment that offers extensive knowledge on the benefits of CBD products.”

Mark Drutman is the co-owner of Green Hut and the owner of the Craft Beer Cellar where the kiosk is located. He brings a decade of craft beer experience in both Vermont and New York City, and is a Certified Beer Cicerone (the equivalent of a wine sommelier). He feels that the hemp industry in Vermont has the same potential to match the state’s world-class reputation for quality handcrafted beer. “Hemp can be an economic stimulus for Vermont.”

“Using Vermont-made products reinvests money back into our community, allows for closer communication with our suppliers, and reduces the environmental impacts of shipping. We want to lead the cannabis industry with sustainable business practices.”

Drutman and Burns are friends and fellow music-lovers who met as members of the Vermont rock band, Honeytwist (which wrote the Heady Vermont theme song).

Green Hut products are chosen on a number of priorities. They only source from Vermont-based suppliers who follow organic growing guidelines, including refraining from the use of toxic pesticides, fertilizers, harmful extraction procedures, and additives. They also plan to use independent third-party testing of all the products they sell, achieving that next level of quality assurance to the customer.

“Our priority is the health, safety and wellbeing of our customers,” added Burns. “Using Vermont-made products reinvests money back into our community, allows for closer communication with our suppliers, and reduces the environmental impacts of shipping. We want to lead the cannabis industry with sustainable business practices.”

“The hemp scene in Vermont is really special! We got a few years head start on hemp cultivation, and that has produced a new generation of professional, established businesses that have been in the game for a while and are pushing forward to build up the hemp market here. Vermont has a very strong brand!”

Green Hut employees will complete a training program on the science of CBD that was designed by a Physician Assistant, with all content sourced from evidence-based science.

“It closely resembles the quality standard we have set forth in Vermont’s craft beer industry brand, which is known worldwide,” added Drutman.

Green Hut employees will complete a training program on the science of CBD that was designed by a Physician Assistant, with all content sourced from evidence-based science. This will help debunk the myths and political untruths that often gain traction in the news and social media.

Besides CBD capsules and tinctures, Green Hut offers an assortment of CBD products, including delicious chocolates, maple syrup products, honey, lip balms, salves, and even dog treats and pet oils infused with CBD. Burns and Drutman both see CBD being adopted by a wide audience as a natural wellness alternative.

Heady Vermont members can get a 15% discount on all purchases at Green Hut CBD!