Austin-Based Hometown Hero Plans for International Expansion

BY RACHEL NELSON

Founded in 2015, Austin-based CBD brand Hometown Hero began its journey manufacturing e-liquids in the nicotine space. After hemp production was federally legalized in 2018, the company ditched nicotine and fully transitioned into hemp.

“Hemp by leaps and bounds was something the team saw more opportunity in,” Curtis Chouteau said.

Chouteau manages internal compliance and does government affairs work for Hometown Hero.

“We dedicate more resources than anyone we know of to battling bad legislation and creating good legislation,” he said. “Texas did a great job creating the consumable hemp program that created labeling and packaging requirements, which we all understand is needed for us to become a big boy industry. I absolutely love Texas regulation. We feel like it does a great job of balancing consumer protections while not being burdensome to small businesses.”

Hometown Hero’s products can be found in around 7,000 stores across 49 U.S. states, plus Guam and Puerto Rico.

“We’re currently looking to expand internationally,” Chouteau said.

As a veteran-founded company, giving back to veterans has been a big part of Hometown Hero’s mission from the beginning.

“Veterans are an extremely underserved part of our community that sacrificed a lot for us to enjoy the things we do,” Chouteau said. “There are so many testimonials with veterans and other groups who see cannabis as a wonderful alternative to opiates.”

Besides manufacturing quality CBD products, Hometown Hero provides support for groups like Canines for Warriors and Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW).

“The VFW is the bread and butter when it comes to supporting veterans with their benefits and a place to call home,” Chouteau said.

According to Chouteau, the brand’s commitment to customer service also sets them apart.

“Customer service is becoming a lost art,” he said. “We don’t outsource any of our customer service or sales. Every sales member we have has been here for years. Live people answer the phone, and we take pride in the fact that we believe we can fix any problem you have within 5 minutes.”

Among Hometown Hero’s best sellers are its naturally pressed live rosin gummies that are derived from homegrown flower in Spring Branch, Texas.

“We have eight proprietary hemp strains that produce very distinct terpene profiles for our live rosin gummies,” Chouteau said. Hemp’s true potential is just now coming into the limelight, according to Chouteau, ”and I’m not even sure we’re scratching the tip of the ice berg,” he said.

“Typically when people think fo cannabis, they think of recreational markets leading the path. We believe hemp will lead that path. It’s hemp where we see concrete and cannabinoids. We have more than 100 different cannabinoids that have never been marketed in other states. We might see twice as many discoveries over the next 24 months.”

While hempcrete and hemp plastic are gaining in popularity, Chouteau said it’s not yet graded and rated for commercial applications.

“There’s all these hurdles to get it utilized in that way, but we have to keep the farmers fed. This is how we all stay fed until the next innovation,” he said.

Businesses that are interested in carrying Hometown Hero’s products at their locations should email support@ hometownhero.com or call or text the wholesale line at 512-387-1613. Visit hometownherocbd.com for more information.