From CBD to Mushrooms: Grass and Co’s Journey to 1,500+ Stores with Ben Grass

Grass & Co started as a CBD brand and now leads with functional mushrooms — and it's stocked in over 1,500 UK stores. Founder Ben Grass joins Richard Hill to share exactly how that happened. Ben reveals what it really takes to win and keep a national retail listing, from the unglamorous groundwork of getting into Holland & Barrett to the cash flow discipline that comes with scaling into hundreds of stores. We also get into Grass & Co's international expansion into China and Germany, navigating CBD regulation as the rules keep shifting, and why strong products and authentic positioning beat chasing every trend. In this episode: Why over-reliance on a single channel puts your revenue at risk (and how Grass & Co built resilience into its retail mix) The unglamorous reality of getting stocked in major UK retailers Cash flow lessons from scaling with a national retail partner Testing international markets in China and Germany Navigating CBD regulation and what brands can and can't say in marketing The "Touching Grass" campaign and Grass & Co's brand positioning Ben's earlier career producing films with Michael Caine — and what it taught him about entrepreneurship 00:00 Ben Grass on Scaling Grass & Co Into 1,500+ UK Stores 04:55 Launching Grass & Co's First CBD Product Lines 10:44 How Grass & Co Got Into Holland & Barrett 12:41 Training In-Store Staff on CBD Product Communication 16:49 Managing Cash Flow With a National Retail Partner 17:59 Grass & Co's Entry Into the Chinese Market 21:15 Testing the German Market via Distributors 25:10 The Challenges of Financing an Independent Film 28:51 Quick-Fire Round: CBD vs Mushrooms, Toughest Market 30:47 Navigating CBD Regulation in the UK 32:52 What CBD Brands Can and Can't Say in Marketing 36:23 The "Touching Grass" Campaign Against Phone Fatigue 39:28 Expanding Grass & Co's Drinks Range Distribution 40:36 Book Recommendation: The Old Man and the Sea 42:31 Closing Thoughts and Subscribe Reminder 🔔 Subscribe for more eCommerce growth strategy, marketing insights, and expert interviews. eComOne, Mosaic, Thomas Parker House, First Floor, Silver Street, Lincoln, LN2 1DY #GrassAndCo #FunctionalMushrooms #CBDBrand