Ep 75: Inside the Kratom Industry: Emy & Oshin of Jaya Kratom Share Their Journey

Emy and Oshin of Jaya Kratom share their journey from Borneo field research to building a Portland, OR shop, debunking myths, and showing how small-batch sourcing benefits people and planet.
In this episode, Emy & Oshin of Jaya Kratom share an insider view of the industry, from their field research in the rainforests of Borneo to building a Portland shop dedicated to education and transparency. They open up about what it was like living with farming communities, how Kratom supports families and preserves the rainforest, and the challenges they’ve seen firsthand in an industry often clouded by misinformation.
We also dive into myths about “strains,” the difference between large container shipments and small-batch sourcing, and why freshness and single-origin practices matter for consumers. Emy & Oshin’s journey offers a rare perspective that connects the roots of Kratom in Southeast Asia to its impact here in the U.S., making this conversation both eye-opening and inspiring for anyone who wants to understand the plant more deeply.
🍃 RELATED LINKS
Jaya Kratom - get 10% off with code KratomStories
Jaya's Blog - it's filled with great info!
See photos from the trip discussed in this episode
The Kratom Gals livestream
STAY CONNECTED with us by subscribing to our newsletter! Sign up at KratomStoriesPodcast.com
JOIN OUR VIBRANT KRATOM REAL TALK COMMUNITY ON SKOOL:
Skool.com/KratomRealTalk
🍃 MADALYN'S RECOMMENDED VENDORS 🍃
Christopher's Organic Botanicals - 10% off with code: KratomStories
New Hope Botanicals - 10% off with code: KratomStories
Super Speciosa - 20% off with code: KratomStories
Tap here for full list of Madalyn's recommended vendors along with coupon codes!
🍃 FOLLOW US
THE KRATOM GALS is a dose of real talk, real stories, and relentless advocacy. Every week, we dive into the latest Kratom headlines, react to videos, and call out misinformation with facts and fierce passion. It's not just a show, it’s a movement to protect the plant we love and the people who rely on it. YouTube.com/@KratomStories
Please note: The views and experiences shared in this episode are personal and unique to the guest. Kratom, while featured prominently in these stories, is a botanical substance that is unregulated in the U.S. and various countries around the world. The Kratom Stories Podcast and its host, Madalyn Sklar, do not endorse, promote, or encourage the use of Kratom. We simply aim to shed light on personal experiences and narratives related to this plant. If you're considering using Kratom, we strongly urge you to seek professional medical advice, conduct thorough research, and comply with all local laws and guidelines.
00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:02,160
So kratom strains really do not
exist.
2
00:00:02,160 --> 00:00:05,040
There is just one type of kratom
tree growing fundamentally.
3
00:00:05,320 --> 00:00:08,640
I think one of the most kind of
funny and evocative stories of
4
00:00:08,640 --> 00:00:12,600
that was when we first went out
and we first arrived out in the
5
00:00:12,600 --> 00:00:15,200
middle of Borneo.
And we're with these, you know,
6
00:00:15,240 --> 00:00:17,360
some of the first kratom farms
that we were on.
7
00:00:17,720 --> 00:00:21,840
And we're talking to these old
Indonesian guys that were the
8
00:00:21,840 --> 00:00:24,840
kratom farmers there.
And we're saying like, so OK, so
9
00:00:25,040 --> 00:00:27,200
tell me about your land here.
Tell me what's going on.
10
00:00:27,200 --> 00:00:29,680
What what are the different
strains you're growing?
11
00:00:29,680 --> 00:00:30,880
You know, what do you have
growing here?
12
00:00:30,880 --> 00:00:33,320
What do you have growing here?
Like, you know, give us a tour
13
00:00:33,760 --> 00:00:37,280
of, of your operations and these
old Indonesian, you know, kratom
14
00:00:37,280 --> 00:00:42,160
growers looking at us very
confused, like silly foreigners.
15
00:00:42,160 --> 00:00:44,480
What are you talking about?
Like, this is an old kratom
16
00:00:44,480 --> 00:00:45,760
tree.
And they're like, yeah, those,
17
00:00:46,040 --> 00:00:47,840
those are our neighbors kratom
trees.
18
00:00:47,840 --> 00:00:50,440
And that's a big one.
That's a small one.
19
00:00:50,720 --> 00:00:54,160
This one is flowering.
And this notion of there being
20
00:00:54,160 --> 00:00:57,400
different strains just
completely was was was going
21
00:00:57,400 --> 00:01:10,200
over their head.
So I'm here with Emmy and Ocean,
22
00:01:10,880 --> 00:01:14,360
a couple who are doing an
amazing job in the kratom
23
00:01:14,360 --> 00:01:17,400
industry.
Been super excited to bring them
24
00:01:17,400 --> 00:01:22,520
on to share their message about
kratom and the really amazing
25
00:01:22,520 --> 00:01:24,600
things they're doing.
Emmy and Ocean, thank you all
26
00:01:24,600 --> 00:01:27,840
for coming on the podcast to
come share your incredible story
27
00:01:27,840 --> 00:01:29,880
with us.
Hey, thank you so much.
28
00:01:29,880 --> 00:01:32,040
We're so happy to be here.
We've been following your work
29
00:01:32,040 --> 00:01:35,040
for a long time and are just
really, really impressed by all
30
00:01:35,040 --> 00:01:37,520
the advocacy you've been doing
in the atomosphere and are so
31
00:01:37,520 --> 00:01:39,640
happy to speak with you today.
Yeah.
32
00:01:40,160 --> 00:01:43,600
To share our share our story and
have a conversation with you.
33
00:01:44,240 --> 00:01:46,320
Absolutely.
And I'm so glad you all reached
34
00:01:46,320 --> 00:01:50,920
out several months back.
You know, it, I went, I mean, I
35
00:01:50,920 --> 00:01:54,080
get contacted by a lot of
companies and I'm very
36
00:01:54,080 --> 00:01:58,760
particular about who I ever want
to be aligned with and, and talk
37
00:01:58,760 --> 00:02:01,080
to you because, you know,
honestly, in this industry,
38
00:02:01,080 --> 00:02:04,680
there are a lot of shady
companies out there and people
39
00:02:04,680 --> 00:02:07,720
that don't care about consumers.
They just care about making
40
00:02:07,720 --> 00:02:10,080
money.
And when I went to your website,
41
00:02:10,080 --> 00:02:13,600
I was super impressed by your
story and what you guys are
42
00:02:13,600 --> 00:02:16,160
doing in this industry is, is
phenomenal.
43
00:02:16,160 --> 00:02:18,840
And I want to help spread that
message far and wide.
44
00:02:19,040 --> 00:02:22,440
So that's why I'm just so
excited to have you here to, to
45
00:02:22,440 --> 00:02:25,760
talk to us today.
And why don't we start with with
46
00:02:25,760 --> 00:02:30,600
y'all sharing a little bit about
yourself before Kratom, your
47
00:02:30,600 --> 00:02:33,480
life before Kratom, and then how
kratom came into the picture.
48
00:02:34,040 --> 00:02:36,640
Yeah, absolutely.
So yeah, my name is Osheen.
49
00:02:36,640 --> 00:02:41,560
I am the Co founder of Jaya
Kratom along with Emmy here.
50
00:02:41,960 --> 00:02:46,120
And so I've lived all around the
world in a number of different
51
00:02:46,120 --> 00:02:50,960
places, but have spent a lot of
my formative years here in
52
00:02:50,960 --> 00:02:54,080
Portland, OR.
So that is where we have our our
53
00:02:54,080 --> 00:02:57,120
headquarters, we have our brick
and mortar Cortana dispensary,
54
00:02:57,160 --> 00:03:00,160
and we also have our warehouse
and all our operations here in
55
00:03:00,160 --> 00:03:02,720
Portland.
And yeah, spent a lot of years
56
00:03:02,720 --> 00:03:05,320
here throughout high school and
university.
57
00:03:05,560 --> 00:03:09,040
And now we've been back here for
about 5 years.
58
00:03:09,040 --> 00:03:15,200
And yeah, absolutely love the
Pacific Northwest and we have an
59
00:03:15,200 --> 00:03:18,400
incredible kratom community out
here as well.
60
00:03:18,600 --> 00:03:21,280
There's a huge kratom community,
a lot of people that are turned
61
00:03:21,280 --> 00:03:25,960
onto the plant.
And yeah, very happy to to be
62
00:03:25,960 --> 00:03:30,160
home here.
And my kratom story actually
63
00:03:30,160 --> 00:03:33,440
begins quite a long time ago in
Portland.
64
00:03:33,440 --> 00:03:38,600
It's been a part of my life
since I would say at least 2012,
65
00:03:38,600 --> 00:03:42,720
if not before.
And I had the good fortune of
66
00:03:42,720 --> 00:03:46,800
finding kratom way back then in
a small herbalist shop in
67
00:03:46,800 --> 00:03:52,160
Portland.
And I went to university at Reed
68
00:03:52,160 --> 00:03:55,560
College here, which is a very
academic super, you know,
69
00:03:55,560 --> 00:03:58,920
rigorous kind of life of the
mind school, a lot of hours in
70
00:03:58,920 --> 00:04:04,160
the library and found that to be
super challenging and really was
71
00:04:04,160 --> 00:04:09,760
looking for something to help me
with long hours in the library
72
00:04:09,760 --> 00:04:13,880
and writing huge papers.
And, you know, that really
73
00:04:13,880 --> 00:04:17,480
rigorous academia side that I
found to be quite challenging.
74
00:04:17,720 --> 00:04:21,680
And I had read about Katam and
some old botany books, had
75
00:04:21,720 --> 00:04:24,120
heard, you know, a little bit
about it here and there in the
76
00:04:24,120 --> 00:04:25,760
library, was trying to find
information.
77
00:04:25,760 --> 00:04:27,880
It was, there was not too much
about it, but I'd heard about
78
00:04:27,880 --> 00:04:31,360
how it had been used for, you
know, working and productivity
79
00:04:32,280 --> 00:04:35,800
as a kind of a caffeine
alternative in addition to a
80
00:04:35,800 --> 00:04:40,240
number of other uses.
And yeah, managed to find some
81
00:04:41,400 --> 00:04:45,000
and was blown away by how much
it helped me and, and you know,
82
00:04:45,000 --> 00:04:49,640
made spending 8 hours in the
library working fun and
83
00:04:49,640 --> 00:04:52,600
engaging.
And I found it to be just
84
00:04:52,600 --> 00:04:56,960
invaluable in my life for
working productivity.
85
00:04:56,960 --> 00:04:59,280
And then found it, you know,
really, really useful in a
86
00:04:59,280 --> 00:05:03,240
number of other ways from doing
things with sports or recovery
87
00:05:03,240 --> 00:05:06,840
or, you know, just socializing
and with friends in a healthier
88
00:05:06,840 --> 00:05:10,480
way than than alcohol.
And, and yeah, I found it to be
89
00:05:10,480 --> 00:05:13,520
just a huge really beneficial
part of my life from from then
90
00:05:13,520 --> 00:05:17,640
on, so.
And then on my side, I'm Emmy,
91
00:05:17,640 --> 00:05:20,520
I'm British, as you may be able
to maybe out to hear.
92
00:05:21,680 --> 00:05:25,560
And so growing up in England,
kratom was actually banned in
93
00:05:25,560 --> 00:05:29,280
the UK quite a long time ago.
So it never really entered the
94
00:05:29,280 --> 00:05:33,560
public consciousness in the way
it has here.
95
00:05:34,400 --> 00:05:37,360
So I actually didn't encounter
kratom until quite a lot later
96
00:05:37,880 --> 00:05:40,560
when we were actually living in
Indonesia completely unrelated
97
00:05:40,560 --> 00:05:44,800
to kratom in 2019.
And so I was really lucky in
98
00:05:44,800 --> 00:05:47,000
that way that my first
introduction to Gratan was
99
00:05:47,040 --> 00:05:51,640
really like in the source and
straight this beautiful, fresh,
100
00:05:51,640 --> 00:05:54,840
lovely green, bright, like
beautiful Gratan.
101
00:05:56,600 --> 00:06:00,040
And actually remember the first
time trying for Tom and the
102
00:06:00,280 --> 00:06:03,000
first time really feeling its
effects, just drinking a tea
103
00:06:03,000 --> 00:06:06,880
with Osheen one day and then
going out on a walk by myself
104
00:06:06,880 --> 00:06:09,960
and just walking through the
beautiful Indonesian countryside
105
00:06:09,960 --> 00:06:14,480
and just felt like absolutely
fantastic and like myself on my
106
00:06:14,480 --> 00:06:17,480
very best day where I was so
chatty and feeling really like
107
00:06:17,480 --> 00:06:21,000
social and positive.
And just remember being like,
108
00:06:21,000 --> 00:06:23,920
wow, this is something new.
This is something I've never
109
00:06:23,920 --> 00:06:26,480
experienced before with a plant.
And it's just a really
110
00:06:27,520 --> 00:06:30,680
incredible and mind blowing
experience.
111
00:06:30,680 --> 00:06:35,800
I'd never heard of it before.
So that's where, you know, went
112
00:06:35,800 --> 00:06:38,360
back home, wanted to research it
and find out some information
113
00:06:38,360 --> 00:06:41,960
about it.
And back then in 20/20/18, I
114
00:06:41,960 --> 00:06:47,760
guess 2019, the information that
you could find on kratom was
115
00:06:47,760 --> 00:06:50,960
just so limited.
There were barely even any
116
00:06:50,960 --> 00:06:54,520
photographs online.
And I was top photographer at
117
00:06:54,520 --> 00:06:56,600
the time.
So this really triggered my
118
00:06:56,600 --> 00:06:59,560
interest that you didn't really
have any images of this plant.
119
00:06:59,560 --> 00:07:01,760
That was just seemed like so
exceptional that everybody
120
00:07:01,760 --> 00:07:03,240
seemed like they should know
about.
121
00:07:03,240 --> 00:07:06,960
And in my mind, it's like, it's
like I stumbled upon coffee for
122
00:07:06,960 --> 00:07:10,200
the first time, but nobody had
told me about it until I was in
123
00:07:10,200 --> 00:07:13,840
my 20s.
So, yeah, that really just LED
124
00:07:13,840 --> 00:07:17,800
us down this rabbit hole of, of
research and LED us to putting
125
00:07:17,800 --> 00:07:24,280
together project because being
in Indonesia, we're like, hey,
126
00:07:24,280 --> 00:07:28,160
we're only like 2 hours away by
flight from Borneo.
127
00:07:28,400 --> 00:07:31,640
She's also part of Indonesia and
we're so close to the source.
128
00:07:31,640 --> 00:07:33,920
And so all these questions that
were coming up and we're unable
129
00:07:33,920 --> 00:07:36,400
to answer at the time, we're
like, hey, we can go and answer
130
00:07:36,400 --> 00:07:38,800
those for ourselves.
And so, yeah, we put together a
131
00:07:38,800 --> 00:07:42,600
research project and everything
kind of LED from there.
132
00:07:43,440 --> 00:07:45,160
That's incredible.
So you're like, let's just go to
133
00:07:45,160 --> 00:07:47,320
Borneo.
Let's go to the source.
134
00:07:47,680 --> 00:07:50,960
Yeah, we really say that it's
like, it's kind of like the
135
00:07:50,960 --> 00:07:56,680
energy that we got from Cortana,
the focus and the the positive
136
00:07:56,680 --> 00:07:59,600
feelings and uplift that we got
from it was really the the
137
00:07:59,600 --> 00:08:02,720
essence of what made us be
capable of putting together this
138
00:08:02,720 --> 00:08:04,840
project.
So we really say that we've been
139
00:08:04,840 --> 00:08:08,960
carried by this leaf around the
world to to research it and then
140
00:08:08,960 --> 00:08:13,040
to open a company.
That is incredible.
141
00:08:13,040 --> 00:08:16,640
So I bet you'll have amazing
stories of your research.
142
00:08:17,320 --> 00:08:18,440
How?
How much time did y'all spend
143
00:08:18,440 --> 00:08:23,520
over there doing all that?
So we've spent probably pushing
144
00:08:23,520 --> 00:08:29,800
8 weeks actually out in remote
Borneo, sleeping on katam farms,
145
00:08:29,800 --> 00:08:34,600
travelling all over, really
ingrained in the community, way
146
00:08:34,600 --> 00:08:37,640
out in the Borneo rainforest.
But then we've also done a lot
147
00:08:37,640 --> 00:08:43,159
of other katam research in
Thailand and Malaysia and other
148
00:08:43,159 --> 00:08:46,920
parts of Southeast Asia.
So All in all, we've been at it
149
00:08:46,920 --> 00:08:49,360
for, you know, kind of years in
total.
150
00:08:50,640 --> 00:08:54,600
But yeah, in that the bulk of
our research and, and where we
151
00:08:54,600 --> 00:08:56,920
source all of our Katam from is
coming from, from out in the
152
00:08:56,920 --> 00:08:59,520
Borneo rainforest, from
communities that that we know
153
00:08:59,520 --> 00:09:02,680
really well and from, from
people that we really regard as
154
00:09:02,680 --> 00:09:05,080
friends.
And yeah, we just had the the
155
00:09:05,080 --> 00:09:09,640
great fortune to to get research
funding to go out and, and study
156
00:09:09,640 --> 00:09:14,120
Katam cultivation.
And in fact, our whole initial
157
00:09:14,120 --> 00:09:17,840
research was, was way before we
were involved in the kratom
158
00:09:17,840 --> 00:09:22,640
vendorsphere whatsoever and was
just a passion project for us
159
00:09:22,640 --> 00:09:27,000
because we loved the plant.
And we saw that there was a lot
160
00:09:27,000 --> 00:09:31,640
of misinformation about it or a
lot of conflicting information.
161
00:09:31,960 --> 00:09:34,640
There were just a whole lot of
questions that we had and we saw
162
00:09:34,640 --> 00:09:38,120
others had about the kratom
industry and, and where it's
163
00:09:38,120 --> 00:09:41,160
coming from and what makes good
kratom, what makes bad kratom,
164
00:09:41,800 --> 00:09:44,280
all of that.
So that's really what motivated
165
00:09:44,280 --> 00:09:48,080
us to, to get out there and get
into the field.
166
00:09:48,080 --> 00:09:51,720
And I myself had had a, you
know, a huge number of questions
167
00:09:51,720 --> 00:09:58,320
about the plants from from 2012
to, you know, 2018-2019 when we
168
00:09:58,320 --> 00:10:01,320
were getting out there in
Indonesia, because I, like many
169
00:10:01,320 --> 00:10:05,440
people had, you know, fallen in
love with kratom, have some
170
00:10:05,440 --> 00:10:08,240
amazing batches.
But then I think especially back
171
00:10:08,240 --> 00:10:11,280
in the day, it's still now
there's, you know, this constant
172
00:10:11,280 --> 00:10:14,840
discussion of, of, of, you know,
why are there occasionally these
173
00:10:14,840 --> 00:10:17,120
batches that have very little
effect or don't have very nice
174
00:10:17,320 --> 00:10:19,600
effects?
What, what is the difference
175
00:10:19,600 --> 00:10:21,480
between these batches?
What are the agricultural
176
00:10:21,480 --> 00:10:26,200
practices that go into creating
really, you know, high alkaloid,
177
00:10:26,200 --> 00:10:28,880
really nice feeling for Tom and
it, you know, again and again
178
00:10:29,320 --> 00:10:32,240
found amazing for Tom in
Portland and then very poor
179
00:10:32,240 --> 00:10:33,800
quality for Tom.
And that raised a lot of
180
00:10:33,800 --> 00:10:36,200
questions on my mind about, you
know, what's going on out there.
181
00:10:37,560 --> 00:10:41,200
Yeah, we have to.
We have to go and and get out
182
00:10:41,200 --> 00:10:43,240
into the Borneo rainforest and
figure it out.
183
00:10:43,960 --> 00:10:46,880
That is so interesting.
So what was it like being in the
184
00:10:46,880 --> 00:10:50,200
rainforest and doing that
reason, You know, majority of us
185
00:10:50,200 --> 00:10:54,120
here in the USI mean we just buy
our Kratom, it's in a pouch and
186
00:10:54,120 --> 00:10:57,480
we scoop it into our tea or toss
and wash or whatever we do with
187
00:10:57,480 --> 00:11:00,720
consuming it.
And so incredibly different when
188
00:11:00,720 --> 00:11:03,520
you're actually over there
having that experience.
189
00:11:03,520 --> 00:11:04,760
So talk a little more about
that.
190
00:11:05,440 --> 00:11:06,840
Yeah.
So I think to put it in
191
00:11:06,840 --> 00:11:10,840
perspective, Borneo's an
absolutely massive island.
192
00:11:10,840 --> 00:11:13,760
It's four times the size of the
UK, larger than Texas.
193
00:11:14,600 --> 00:11:18,400
It's absolutely huge, and it's
bang on the equator.
194
00:11:19,640 --> 00:11:22,960
And in Indonesia, Indonesia,
it's called Kalimantan.
195
00:11:22,960 --> 00:11:27,600
Kalimantan in Sanskrit means
land of the burning air because
196
00:11:27,600 --> 00:11:33,280
it's just like 35°C.
So what a 95 Fahrenheit every
197
00:11:33,280 --> 00:11:35,800
single day, day and night, high
humidity.
198
00:11:36,760 --> 00:11:40,480
It's a very, very intense place
to be.
199
00:11:40,520 --> 00:11:43,600
And on top of that, the areas
like kratom is growing and not
200
00:11:43,600 --> 00:11:48,040
at all the the areas where
tourists go.
201
00:11:48,040 --> 00:11:50,000
So there's no tourism
infrastructure.
202
00:11:50,000 --> 00:11:52,680
It's very few hotels or guest
houses.
203
00:11:53,880 --> 00:11:57,360
So when we're spending time out
there, it's really local.
204
00:11:57,360 --> 00:11:59,720
People have put us up and we're
sleeping on somebody's floor for
205
00:11:59,720 --> 00:12:03,800
a week and staying in these
little, like shacks made from
206
00:12:03,800 --> 00:12:07,760
kratom wood often.
And going up, you know, 18 hours
207
00:12:07,760 --> 00:12:12,040
by car to the center of the
island and then three hours on a
208
00:12:12,040 --> 00:12:15,440
rickety little boat to go to the
kratom farms, which were growing
209
00:12:15,440 --> 00:12:18,640
on the kratom on the riverbanks
of the Kapwis River.
210
00:12:20,160 --> 00:12:24,320
So it's a very, very rugged,
intense experience.
211
00:12:24,320 --> 00:12:28,000
But there is really some
incredible communities out
212
00:12:28,000 --> 00:12:32,120
there, very, very remote and
there's a wonderful hosting
213
00:12:32,120 --> 00:12:35,840
culture in Indonesia.
So we're always wonderfully
214
00:12:35,840 --> 00:12:38,800
received and people always
receive us with coffee and katam
215
00:12:38,800 --> 00:12:42,160
and beautiful meals.
And so it's a really, really
216
00:12:42,840 --> 00:12:47,200
wonderful experience.
And yeah, it's it can be
217
00:12:47,200 --> 00:12:52,440
challenging, but in a good way.
Challenging, but in a good way.
218
00:12:53,120 --> 00:12:59,200
Yeah, very, very long boat and
car rides and going way out by
219
00:12:59,200 --> 00:13:02,920
foot and yeah, very challenging.
But everybody out in Borneo is
220
00:13:02,920 --> 00:13:05,640
just, you know, such an
incredible community of people.
221
00:13:05,840 --> 00:13:08,840
And it's just such a pleasure
for us to to to be able to do
222
00:13:08,840 --> 00:13:11,520
this work and this research.
And is, is truly a pleasure to,
223
00:13:11,880 --> 00:13:15,320
to be able to wander out into,
into the forest or to people's
224
00:13:15,320 --> 00:13:18,520
kratom and, you know, eat the
leaves fresh off the trees and,
225
00:13:18,520 --> 00:13:21,400
and interact with folks in that
way and learn about the, the
226
00:13:21,400 --> 00:13:24,280
cultivation of the plants, but
also the traditional community
227
00:13:24,280 --> 00:13:27,320
and, and how people have used it
there for hundreds of years.
228
00:13:27,560 --> 00:13:30,080
Yeah, people are really excited
usually to receive us it too,
229
00:13:30,080 --> 00:13:33,560
because we found almost
systematically that
230
00:13:34,800 --> 00:13:37,080
unfortunately we were the
actually the first people coming
231
00:13:37,080 --> 00:13:41,800
there to talk about Craton in
many, many communities.
232
00:13:41,800 --> 00:13:45,280
They hadn't had anybody, despite
these massive companies already
233
00:13:45,280 --> 00:13:48,520
existing in the US, they had
never met any representatives
234
00:13:48,520 --> 00:13:52,800
from those companies coming out
to visit the farms and to and
235
00:13:52,800 --> 00:13:54,560
to, you know, see what was going
on.
236
00:13:54,560 --> 00:13:56,920
And if they had, it would be for
like, you know, 20 minutes,
237
00:13:57,000 --> 00:14:00,520
somebody would come through and
shake some hands and then get a
238
00:14:00,520 --> 00:14:05,800
very sanitized tour of the of
the Craton farm and then leave.
239
00:14:05,800 --> 00:14:10,160
So people were very happy to let
us into their world and show us
240
00:14:10,560 --> 00:14:13,920
what was going on.
And given that we were not at
241
00:14:13,920 --> 00:14:18,600
all on our very first trip,
since we were not actually part
242
00:14:18,600 --> 00:14:21,760
of the industry at that point
and nobody was under any
243
00:14:21,760 --> 00:14:24,520
pretense that they were going to
sell us anything, we got a very
244
00:14:24,520 --> 00:14:28,080
unsanitized version of the
Croton industry.
245
00:14:28,080 --> 00:14:32,960
So, you know, people went
cleaning up before we arrived or
246
00:14:33,200 --> 00:14:35,720
trying to make everything seem
perfect or only showing us the
247
00:14:35,720 --> 00:14:39,880
good things.
We got very much the the full
248
00:14:39,880 --> 00:14:43,680
image of the good, the bad and
the ugly of the crouton industry
249
00:14:43,680 --> 00:14:47,280
in the in Indonesia.
That, that is so cool.
250
00:14:47,280 --> 00:14:49,840
So what was your first
impression when y'all were there
251
00:14:49,840 --> 00:14:51,640
experiencing that their first
time?
252
00:14:52,720 --> 00:14:55,920
Well, I guess it could speak a
little bit to the environmental
253
00:14:55,920 --> 00:14:58,880
factors of what's going on in
Borneo, and that also ties into
254
00:14:58,880 --> 00:15:00,400
what it actually looks like out
there.
255
00:15:01,160 --> 00:15:06,120
So you can fly into the cities
on the coast of Borneo and
256
00:15:06,120 --> 00:15:08,080
there's no qatam growing there
whatsoever.
257
00:15:08,080 --> 00:15:11,920
So you actually have to drive
about 15 hours, 12:12 to, you
258
00:15:11,920 --> 00:15:16,520
know, 18 hours inland into the
center of Borneo to find where
259
00:15:16,520 --> 00:15:19,160
Katam's really growing naturally
and where these, you know, Katam
260
00:15:19,160 --> 00:15:23,240
communities are.
And for, you know, the 1st 8
261
00:15:23,240 --> 00:15:26,480
hours of that drive, you know,
it's honestly heartbreaking
262
00:15:26,640 --> 00:15:28,520
'cause you think, wow, you're
out in the, in the, in this
263
00:15:28,520 --> 00:15:31,200
really remote place in the
Borneo rainforest, you're gonna
264
00:15:31,200 --> 00:15:34,440
see orangutans and all this
awesome wildlife and, and you
265
00:15:34,440 --> 00:15:36,760
know, rainforest and all this.
And yeah, the first eight hours,
266
00:15:36,760 --> 00:15:40,240
it is really the, the forest has
been clear cut.
267
00:15:41,040 --> 00:15:44,800
There are palm oil plantations
as far as the eye can see.
268
00:15:45,200 --> 00:15:47,440
And unfortunately, you know,
that part of the world has
269
00:15:47,440 --> 00:15:51,720
really been devastated
ecologically by the the rubber
270
00:15:51,720 --> 00:15:56,600
industry, rubber trees, palm oil
and and logging.
271
00:15:56,600 --> 00:15:58,040
Those are really.
Gold mining.
272
00:15:58,040 --> 00:16:00,360
Too gold mining, yeah.
And those are really the three
273
00:16:00,680 --> 00:16:03,800
unfortunately super extractive,
super damaging industries out
274
00:16:03,800 --> 00:16:07,120
there.
So that's kind of what you're
275
00:16:07,120 --> 00:16:09,800
you're first faced with as you,
as you go out into these, you
276
00:16:09,800 --> 00:16:13,720
know, super remote areas is the
reality of, of yeah, of, you
277
00:16:13,720 --> 00:16:15,720
know, deforestation of palm oil
and rubber.
278
00:16:16,080 --> 00:16:21,080
And then finally getting out
deeper into kratom country, like
279
00:16:21,080 --> 00:16:23,400
we call it, you know, where
you're, you're really out there.
280
00:16:23,400 --> 00:16:26,240
And there's there's still forest
and there's wild kratom and
281
00:16:26,240 --> 00:16:30,560
you're more remote.
We got to learn about how the
282
00:16:30,560 --> 00:16:34,880
kratom industry is really
providing this incredible
283
00:16:35,560 --> 00:16:40,960
alternative to these really
badly paying, exploitative
284
00:16:40,960 --> 00:16:44,040
industries.
And we got to meet with so many
285
00:16:44,040 --> 00:16:49,040
people that were just incredibly
thankful for kratom becoming
286
00:16:49,040 --> 00:16:52,360
popular in the rest of the world
because these really remote
287
00:16:52,360 --> 00:16:57,600
villages were able to, you know,
make a living for themselves and
288
00:16:57,600 --> 00:17:01,720
their family and exist in their
traditional communities without
289
00:17:01,720 --> 00:17:04,800
cutting down the forest,
without, you know, ripping up
290
00:17:04,800 --> 00:17:07,920
the riverbanks, mining for gold,
planting palm oil and the
291
00:17:07,920 --> 00:17:11,240
pesticides and fertilizers that
go with all of all of the palm
292
00:17:11,240 --> 00:17:14,040
oil and rubber industry.
And so we got to see this
293
00:17:14,040 --> 00:17:19,640
picture of how kratom is really
this, you know, integral part of
294
00:17:19,640 --> 00:17:22,760
the answer to preserving the
forest out there and allowing
295
00:17:22,760 --> 00:17:25,079
people to also maintain their
traditional way of lives in
296
00:17:25,079 --> 00:17:29,040
their traditional communities
and not, you know, travel great
297
00:17:29,040 --> 00:17:31,480
distances to find work logging
or somewhere else.
298
00:17:31,480 --> 00:17:35,400
And so so that was really a
beautiful to see how Cortana is
299
00:17:35,400 --> 00:17:39,120
this plant that benefits so many
lives in the US and Europe and
300
00:17:39,120 --> 00:17:43,160
all around the world, but
indirectly through preserving
301
00:17:43,160 --> 00:17:46,000
ecology is also really
benefiting the land and and then
302
00:17:46,000 --> 00:17:48,600
the people of of the Borneo
rainforest in Indonesia.
303
00:17:48,800 --> 00:17:52,040
Yeah, it's one of the only
industries out there where maybe
304
00:17:52,040 --> 00:17:57,840
even the only industry where
it's where it's you can grow
305
00:17:57,840 --> 00:18:00,680
some kratom trees and make an
income and keep that income
306
00:18:00,680 --> 00:18:04,280
within the community completely.
Like a small amount of land will
307
00:18:04,280 --> 00:18:09,880
provide enough income with
kratom to sustain and really
308
00:18:09,880 --> 00:18:12,920
improve people's livelihoods.
We had the same story over and
309
00:18:12,920 --> 00:18:15,600
over again, which is really,
really touching of people saying
310
00:18:15,960 --> 00:18:19,600
thanks to Kratom, I was able to
send my kids to university for
311
00:18:19,600 --> 00:18:24,040
the first time and they're off
in the in the city and then
312
00:18:25,240 --> 00:18:27,880
learning English too.
So they're actually able to
313
00:18:27,880 --> 00:18:32,600
speak to buyers and and have
this really wonderful
314
00:18:32,880 --> 00:18:37,200
relationship where they're then
working to also improve their
315
00:18:37,200 --> 00:18:40,680
families business.
And yeah, this really touching
316
00:18:40,680 --> 00:18:43,040
story of, yeah, kids being able
to go to university for the
317
00:18:43,040 --> 00:18:46,640
first time, as well as a lot of
the men saying that they were
318
00:18:46,640 --> 00:18:50,400
really happy because in the
past, they'd had to go months at
319
00:18:50,400 --> 00:18:53,360
a time, logging off into remote
parts of the forest and not see
320
00:18:53,360 --> 00:18:55,080
their families for months at a
time.
321
00:18:55,440 --> 00:18:59,240
But they were finally able to
work within their village and
322
00:18:59,240 --> 00:19:02,640
stay with their kids and stay
with their families rather than
323
00:19:02,640 --> 00:19:04,320
having to go and find work
elsewhere.
324
00:19:04,760 --> 00:19:08,640
So that was a really, really
inspiring story for us and not
325
00:19:08,640 --> 00:19:12,280
one that we really expected to
to come across, but it was
326
00:19:12,280 --> 00:19:13,760
something we heard all over the
place.
327
00:19:13,760 --> 00:19:17,400
And there's even now some
studies were done by the
328
00:19:17,400 --> 00:19:21,960
Indonesian government that say
that yes, 70% of the rubber
329
00:19:21,960 --> 00:19:27,120
plantations in West Borneo have
been cut down, say non-native
330
00:19:27,440 --> 00:19:30,120
and replaced with kratom
plantations because the kratom
331
00:19:30,120 --> 00:19:32,120
is native.
So it grows a lot easier, the
332
00:19:32,120 --> 00:19:36,080
work is easier, the money's
better, and everybody is very,
333
00:19:36,080 --> 00:19:40,400
very happy to have this, this
plant become so popular.
334
00:19:40,400 --> 00:19:43,680
And we talk a lot about people
relying on kratom on the in the
335
00:19:43,760 --> 00:19:46,600
US and for various health
reasons.
336
00:19:46,600 --> 00:19:52,440
So I'm just enjoying the plant.
But it's really important to
337
00:19:52,440 --> 00:19:54,160
take it.
Bear in mind too, the number of
338
00:19:54,160 --> 00:19:58,360
people who are relying on kratom
economically out in out in
339
00:19:58,360 --> 00:20:01,920
Borneo.
It's incredible and it makes.
340
00:20:02,600 --> 00:20:05,600
It makes you like want to
support companies like yours
341
00:20:05,600 --> 00:20:08,720
even more that are working
directly with these small
342
00:20:08,720 --> 00:20:13,040
farmers, these families that you
all have spent a lot of time
343
00:20:13,040 --> 00:20:17,160
there, did all that research,
got to know people and and
344
00:20:17,160 --> 00:20:20,240
seeing how this is affecting
their lives.
345
00:20:21,440 --> 00:20:25,040
Yeah, we had to really rewrite,
rewrite the book on how the
346
00:20:25,040 --> 00:20:28,640
industry works in order to to
make these relationships.
347
00:20:28,640 --> 00:20:34,800
Because normally some people who
are supplying companies are
348
00:20:34,800 --> 00:20:38,440
living in the big city of
Pontiac, which is an industrial
349
00:20:38,440 --> 00:20:41,920
city in Grosvenor Cotam.
And they're actually just
350
00:20:41,920 --> 00:20:44,640
collecting.
Or they have a guy in the remote
351
00:20:44,640 --> 00:20:47,960
areas who's collecting leaves
and then who's shipping them to
352
00:20:47,960 --> 00:20:49,760
the city to be mailed and sent
off.
353
00:20:50,320 --> 00:20:53,160
And we weren't happy with that
system because it means that,
354
00:20:53,760 --> 00:20:55,480
you know, you have somebody
doing a great job and then
355
00:20:55,480 --> 00:20:58,360
somebody doing a mediocre job
and it's all mixed together and
356
00:20:58,360 --> 00:21:02,200
there's no accountability to,
you know, harvest these at the
357
00:21:02,200 --> 00:21:07,000
right time and to and to be
making a really high quality
358
00:21:07,000 --> 00:21:10,000
product.
So we actually had to go and
359
00:21:10,360 --> 00:21:14,080
negotiate to make sure that we
are directly in contact with
360
00:21:14,080 --> 00:21:17,680
every single farmer so that we
can place orders directly with
361
00:21:17,680 --> 00:21:23,560
them and make sure that's only
one, one community or families
362
00:21:23,560 --> 00:21:25,640
leaves that are being collected.
And we know that they're doing a
363
00:21:25,640 --> 00:21:29,200
good job.
And then we can keep that as one
364
00:21:29,200 --> 00:21:32,560
small batch instead of, you
know, everything being mixed
365
00:21:32,560 --> 00:21:35,680
together as it usually is.
Yeah, I think it's, it's it's
366
00:21:35,680 --> 00:21:37,960
really important to kind of
paint a picture and always
367
00:21:37,960 --> 00:21:40,120
talking to this with with
customers that come into our
368
00:21:40,120 --> 00:21:42,400
shop and we're telling them, OK,
so everything we have here is
369
00:21:42,400 --> 00:21:44,960
small batch, but single origin
also.
370
00:21:44,960 --> 00:21:48,480
So it's not just a small
shipment from a huge shipment,
371
00:21:48,480 --> 00:21:50,280
right?
A small batch in single origin.
372
00:21:50,280 --> 00:21:53,760
So they'll all be coming from
one particular Grove of trees
373
00:21:53,760 --> 00:21:57,600
that we've seen and know that
they are planted in the optimal
374
00:21:57,760 --> 00:22:01,080
area rather, you know, wildly
growing in their optimal
375
00:22:01,080 --> 00:22:02,720
habitat.
And the leaves are only being
376
00:22:02,720 --> 00:22:06,000
harvested, you know, every four
months as opposed to every two
377
00:22:06,000 --> 00:22:07,600
months.
And, and all of these factors
378
00:22:07,600 --> 00:22:10,800
that lead to a great kratom and
trying to just communicate to
379
00:22:10,800 --> 00:22:14,920
people that most of the kratom
that enters the US is coming in
380
00:22:14,920 --> 00:22:20,600
2040 ton container shipments.
And to fulfill a container order
381
00:22:20,600 --> 00:22:25,680
like that, it's going to be, you
know, 2 to maybe 500 different
382
00:22:25,680 --> 00:22:30,240
kratom collectors, growers,
harvesters, etcetera, that are
383
00:22:30,240 --> 00:22:34,480
pooling their crop to fulfill
this massive 2040 ton container
384
00:22:34,480 --> 00:22:37,600
shipment.
And it's amazing that kratom has
385
00:22:37,600 --> 00:22:40,000
become more popular in the US
and around the world.
386
00:22:40,000 --> 00:22:43,800
It's helping so many people.
This is an incredible thing, but
387
00:22:43,800 --> 00:22:47,440
it is also a double edged sword.
And this, you know, large demand
388
00:22:47,440 --> 00:22:50,440
of kratom has caused a lot of
corners to be cut where you
389
00:22:50,440 --> 00:22:54,040
have, let's say 500 different,
you know, small kratom
390
00:22:54,040 --> 00:22:56,960
collectors pooling their crop
for this massive order.
391
00:22:57,240 --> 00:23:00,080
And you know, maybe 50% of them
are picking the leaf at the
392
00:23:00,080 --> 00:23:02,760
right time, letting it really
mature.
393
00:23:02,920 --> 00:23:05,760
The trees are planted or, you
know, wild harvested from the
394
00:23:05,760 --> 00:23:07,960
correct areas and it's super
high quality.
395
00:23:07,960 --> 00:23:10,320
But then the other half maybe
just, you know, you're getting
396
00:23:10,320 --> 00:23:13,560
paid by the kilo and you're just
ripping them off and God knows
397
00:23:13,680 --> 00:23:17,120
what's in there and it's all
gets mixed together, which
398
00:23:17,120 --> 00:23:19,560
really brings down the quality.
And then a forty ton container
399
00:23:19,560 --> 00:23:23,440
shipment might take years to
fully process through the system
400
00:23:23,440 --> 00:23:26,320
in the US and warehouses and
different vendors to actually
401
00:23:26,320 --> 00:23:28,600
reach the final consumer.
So, you know, the Cortana you're
402
00:23:28,600 --> 00:23:32,160
getting might be, you know,
years old and from this
403
00:23:32,160 --> 00:23:35,440
enormous, enormous batch as
opposed to just being from 1,
404
00:23:35,720 --> 00:23:39,560
you know, particular Grove of
wild trees, for example, where
405
00:23:39,560 --> 00:23:43,240
it's going to be harvested
regularly and a lot of care and
406
00:23:43,240 --> 00:23:47,000
attention is placed on that.
That is so interesting.
407
00:23:47,000 --> 00:23:50,800
So I think as just me, a typical
cream consumer, it's something I
408
00:23:50,800 --> 00:23:54,920
have no knowledge about.
And it makes sense that when
409
00:23:54,920 --> 00:23:57,920
it's, you know, the big
companies and these big
410
00:23:57,920 --> 00:24:00,080
shipments that, you know, it is
a process.
411
00:24:00,760 --> 00:24:02,440
It's got to get shipped all the
way over here.
412
00:24:02,440 --> 00:24:06,000
It's got to be quarantined.
They got to do the testing and
413
00:24:06,280 --> 00:24:10,320
that can take a long time.
So by you all doing small batch,
414
00:24:10,560 --> 00:24:13,640
single origin, you're, you're
basically saying that you can
415
00:24:13,640 --> 00:24:15,960
move through the process.
You're not cutting corners, of
416
00:24:15,960 --> 00:24:20,120
course, but you're able to do
this faster.
417
00:24:20,120 --> 00:24:23,480
So there's a fresher product.
Yeah, exactly.
418
00:24:23,480 --> 00:24:26,160
Yeah, What we're always going
for is that really bright green
419
00:24:26,160 --> 00:24:30,000
color that really.
Yeah, really punchy, looks like
420
00:24:30,000 --> 00:24:33,440
matcha.
And yeah, that's the first
421
00:24:33,440 --> 00:24:36,840
Craton that I had encountered.
And it's so surprising to me
422
00:24:36,840 --> 00:24:39,760
sometimes when I'll see like
Craton for sale around, which
423
00:24:39,760 --> 00:24:42,200
has got this like sad dark Gray
color.
424
00:24:42,600 --> 00:24:44,840
And then people are surprised
that they don't like the flavor
425
00:24:44,840 --> 00:24:46,920
of it.
And you know, when you have a
426
00:24:46,920 --> 00:24:50,440
really bright, beautiful, bold
green Craton, it's got that
427
00:24:50,440 --> 00:24:56,920
really tasty matcha flavor that
that I really appreciate.
428
00:24:56,920 --> 00:24:59,280
And that means that it's fresh
and it's alive and it's.
429
00:24:59,320 --> 00:25:01,800
Yeah, it's just straight from
the source.
430
00:25:02,880 --> 00:25:06,000
Yeah, I've definitely have
noticed a different when I'm
431
00:25:06,040 --> 00:25:08,400
excited to, I make mine as a
little swamp water tea.
432
00:25:08,400 --> 00:25:10,720
I don't like doing the toss and
wash, but I also don't want to
433
00:25:10,720 --> 00:25:14,240
like sip it and make a big tea.
I just like to mix up enough hot
434
00:25:14,240 --> 00:25:18,240
water or warm water to mix the
powder and just let it cool off
435
00:25:18,240 --> 00:25:20,480
a bit.
And for the longest time I was
436
00:25:20,480 --> 00:25:23,520
just drinking it hot with orange
juice and that's so gross to me.
437
00:25:23,520 --> 00:25:25,720
It is.
But I like cool off a while,
438
00:25:25,720 --> 00:25:28,160
then I'll add some cold juice
and it's not that bad and I
439
00:25:28,160 --> 00:25:30,720
drink it really fast and I get
my pain relief, which I love.
440
00:25:31,160 --> 00:25:34,640
But I definitely notice a
difference with certain
441
00:25:34,640 --> 00:25:39,880
companies, certain batches and
with your Kratom, Jaya Kratom, I
442
00:25:39,880 --> 00:25:43,760
definitely can see that
freshness and that how is
443
00:25:43,800 --> 00:25:47,880
different from most other ones.
And not to say good, bad or
444
00:25:47,880 --> 00:25:50,680
indifferent, but like it's
interesting how it seems like
445
00:25:50,680 --> 00:25:53,600
small batch kratom companies,
the way they're doing things,
446
00:25:53,960 --> 00:25:57,560
getting it fresher.
I can see a bit of a difference
447
00:25:57,560 --> 00:26:02,040
for me as that in consumer
who's, you know, using it.
448
00:26:02,360 --> 00:26:05,320
So yeah, it's just.
We always tell people it is a
449
00:26:05,320 --> 00:26:08,800
bitter plant, right?
It will always have that strong
450
00:26:08,800 --> 00:26:11,360
bitter flavor, but that doesn't
mean that it can't.
451
00:26:11,360 --> 00:26:14,600
Also depends on the individual.
Everybody's got a very different
452
00:26:14,600 --> 00:26:17,480
palette, but if it's been
harvested at the right time and
453
00:26:17,480 --> 00:26:21,720
it's been dried really carefully
and it's fresh and bright green,
454
00:26:21,880 --> 00:26:26,200
should have notes of matcha of
tea, it should also be fresh.
455
00:26:26,200 --> 00:26:29,680
And you can really tell that.
And then also, I believe also
456
00:26:29,680 --> 00:26:33,240
feel it in the effects when it's
really, really fresh, high
457
00:26:33,240 --> 00:26:36,760
quality kratom like that.
And yeah, I'm glad you've
458
00:26:36,760 --> 00:26:38,720
noticed and are appreciating
that as well.
459
00:26:39,320 --> 00:26:41,960
Absolutely, and what's
interesting with y'all's
460
00:26:41,960 --> 00:26:45,040
products is that you even have
it on the package, you know a
461
00:26:45,040 --> 00:26:48,480
15, this is coming from a 15
year old tree or you have one
462
00:26:48,480 --> 00:26:51,760
that's like 50 plus.
And it's like the first time I
463
00:26:51,760 --> 00:26:53,800
used the kratom that said 50
plus.
464
00:26:54,040 --> 00:26:57,400
I'm like, Oh my gosh, I'm about
to consume kratom off off of a
465
00:26:57,400 --> 00:27:00,240
tree that is 50 at least 50
years old.
466
00:27:00,480 --> 00:27:02,720
That to me was mind blowing
because you don't hear about
467
00:27:02,720 --> 00:27:05,160
that in the industry.
You don't hear about the I mean,
468
00:27:05,240 --> 00:27:07,960
maybe I'm just geeky.
I find it interesting.
469
00:27:08,320 --> 00:27:12,080
So talk a little what about
that, How things are being
470
00:27:12,080 --> 00:27:16,160
harvested, the age of the tree,
how this all make a difference
471
00:27:16,160 --> 00:27:19,200
for us in consumers?
That's a great question.
472
00:27:19,200 --> 00:27:22,000
So we work pretty much
exclusively everything except
473
00:27:22,000 --> 00:27:24,800
for our red currently is all
wild harvested.
474
00:27:25,160 --> 00:27:29,400
And we find that that makes a
really big difference because
475
00:27:29,560 --> 00:27:31,960
the trees are going to be
planted, planted.
476
00:27:31,960 --> 00:27:35,200
They occur in their ideal
natural habitat, right, which is
477
00:27:35,200 --> 00:27:37,320
along the banks of the river.
So we often hear about, you
478
00:27:37,320 --> 00:27:40,960
know, the Kaplitz River is that
massive river where most of the
479
00:27:40,960 --> 00:27:44,440
world's katama is coming from.
And the trees will be naturally
480
00:27:44,440 --> 00:27:47,040
occurring.
The wild katama trees are right
481
00:27:47,040 --> 00:27:51,080
on the riverbanks where the tap
roots, the roots of the trees
482
00:27:51,080 --> 00:27:55,120
can reach down and have
unlimited water, right?
483
00:27:55,240 --> 00:27:58,120
They're water loving plants.
And then you also get the
484
00:27:58,120 --> 00:28:02,400
phenomenon that every year the
river will flood and overflow
485
00:28:02,400 --> 00:28:07,880
the banks and deposit super
mineral rich, you know, silt.
486
00:28:08,160 --> 00:28:11,560
And so that is basically the
natural fertilization process
487
00:28:11,560 --> 00:28:15,440
that occurs out in Borneo.
And so if you're getting Kratom
488
00:28:15,440 --> 00:28:20,640
from these wild trees and their
perfect habitat like that, they
489
00:28:20,640 --> 00:28:23,640
are, you know, getting as much
water as they need and getting
490
00:28:23,640 --> 00:28:26,640
this mineral rich fertilization
process.
491
00:28:27,480 --> 00:28:30,200
And so that's where we'll notice
that the flavor will be a lot
492
00:28:30,200 --> 00:28:32,160
better and the potency will be a
lot better.
493
00:28:32,640 --> 00:28:36,560
And there's not necessarily a
direct correlation between age
494
00:28:36,560 --> 00:28:39,440
of tree and potency.
It's not that a a 25 year old
495
00:28:39,440 --> 00:28:42,160
tree is always going to be more
potent than a 20 year old tree
496
00:28:42,160 --> 00:28:46,880
and so on and so forth.
But what we do notice is that
497
00:28:46,880 --> 00:28:50,000
these trees that are older and
in their natural habitat are
498
00:28:50,000 --> 00:28:52,480
generally producing the best
quality Kratom.
499
00:28:53,240 --> 00:28:57,640
And as the industry has has
evolved and become more popular,
500
00:28:57,840 --> 00:29:01,920
we are seeing a lot of these
massive craton plantations where
501
00:29:01,920 --> 00:29:03,840
the trees are planted too close
together.
502
00:29:03,840 --> 00:29:07,840
They're all planted in rows and
then they'll often be harvested
503
00:29:07,840 --> 00:29:10,360
very frequently, right?
So like every two months.
504
00:29:10,680 --> 00:29:13,520
And they might be coming from
trees that are, you know, two to
505
00:29:13,520 --> 00:29:16,600
three years old.
And they haven't really had the
506
00:29:16,600 --> 00:29:19,280
full amount of time to, to, to
mature and get a really, really
507
00:29:19,280 --> 00:29:23,600
solid alkaloid package and to,
to be, you know, be fully ready,
508
00:29:23,760 --> 00:29:28,640
ready for harvest, I would say.
And on top of that, if a, if
509
00:29:28,640 --> 00:29:31,960
trees are planted in suboptimal
conditions or too close together
510
00:29:32,360 --> 00:29:37,320
or in poor soil, and they'll be
more vulnerable to, to pests and
511
00:29:37,320 --> 00:29:43,120
then farmers will tend to use
pesticides to, to, you know,
512
00:29:43,160 --> 00:29:47,600
combat that problem.
And so we do test for 60
513
00:29:47,600 --> 00:29:52,280
different pesticides, but there
would be no reason anyway for
514
00:29:52,600 --> 00:29:56,880
these farmers to use these
pesticides because the trees are
515
00:29:56,880 --> 00:30:00,640
really, really resistant to any
pests and caterpillars etcetera
516
00:30:00,920 --> 00:30:05,240
if they're plant, if they are
growing naturally in the optimal
517
00:30:05,240 --> 00:30:08,880
conditions cause the alkaloids
repel the the pests.
518
00:30:10,440 --> 00:30:13,400
So yeah, the reason we test for
pesticides still is because it's
519
00:30:13,680 --> 00:30:16,440
on the river.
So any run off from a farm
520
00:30:16,440 --> 00:30:20,680
upstream that could happen.
We don't want that in, but you
521
00:30:20,680 --> 00:30:26,720
can tell more of an issue.
You know, for years everything
522
00:30:27,000 --> 00:30:29,680
we have comes from growers we
know and from land we spent a
523
00:30:29,680 --> 00:30:31,600
lot of time on.
And there's absolutely no
524
00:30:31,600 --> 00:30:33,560
fertilizer, there's no
pesticides being used.
525
00:30:33,560 --> 00:30:36,800
But of course, it's nice to also
see that and see, you know, 62
526
00:30:36,800 --> 00:30:37,920
different.
Pesticides, right?
527
00:30:38,200 --> 00:30:41,200
Tested for with none of that.
And that is something that we
528
00:30:41,200 --> 00:30:43,840
really do, you know, are kind of
concerned about in the kratom
529
00:30:43,840 --> 00:30:47,160
industry is as it grows and
there are more of these large
530
00:30:47,160 --> 00:30:52,800
kratom plantations, there is
more likelihood that pesticides
531
00:30:52,800 --> 00:30:54,520
are being used.
And this is something that we
532
00:30:54,720 --> 00:30:58,080
saw time and time again where we
would go to different kratom
533
00:30:58,080 --> 00:31:01,960
farms and be walking around and
we can speak a bit of Indonesian
534
00:31:01,960 --> 00:31:04,440
pretty decently and talking with
people in Indonesian and talking
535
00:31:04,440 --> 00:31:07,040
to the growers and the workers
and you know, asking them, are
536
00:31:07,040 --> 00:31:09,800
you guys, what are you using
here in terms of fertilizers,
537
00:31:09,800 --> 00:31:12,160
pesticides, insecticides,
herbicides, etcetera.
538
00:31:12,560 --> 00:31:15,720
And the answer is, you know,
always Oh no, no, it's totally
539
00:31:15,720 --> 00:31:18,040
natural.
We're not using everything here.
540
00:31:18,400 --> 00:31:21,720
And it happened time time again
that then, you know, you're
541
00:31:22,040 --> 00:31:25,480
launching around the kratom
fields and finding these packets
542
00:31:25,520 --> 00:31:28,720
on the ground and there's like
empty pesticide packets all over
543
00:31:28,720 --> 00:31:31,680
the place.
And so that's something that I
544
00:31:31,680 --> 00:31:33,440
think people should really be
careful for.
545
00:31:33,720 --> 00:31:36,600
Just consume kratom.
That's, you know, that's been
546
00:31:36,600 --> 00:31:39,360
tested for pesticides, I would
say is the safest thing because
547
00:31:39,360 --> 00:31:42,440
of course pesticides can be used
responsibly, right?
548
00:31:43,360 --> 00:31:45,760
They they, they can be, they can
be used in the correct way, in
549
00:31:45,760 --> 00:31:47,480
the correct dose for the correct
crop.
550
00:31:48,240 --> 00:31:50,960
A concern we have though, is
that, you know, the people that
551
00:31:50,960 --> 00:31:53,680
are potentially applying these
pesticides on some of these big
552
00:31:53,680 --> 00:31:59,040
commercial cotton plantations
are not trained in agriculture
553
00:31:59,040 --> 00:32:02,560
necessarily and, and how to use
these and are are also
554
00:32:02,640 --> 00:32:06,680
potentially not using the
correct pesticide for a plant
555
00:32:06,680 --> 00:32:09,040
that you're ingesting the actual
leaf, right?
556
00:32:09,320 --> 00:32:11,280
So you might have something
that's intended for the outside
557
00:32:11,280 --> 00:32:13,720
of an orange or in the outside
of a banana peel.
558
00:32:13,720 --> 00:32:16,120
That's, you know, part of the
fruit that's not actually
559
00:32:16,120 --> 00:32:20,400
consumed, but that then could be
being applied to the leaf close
560
00:32:20,400 --> 00:32:22,720
to harvest.
And that's not, you know, being
561
00:32:23,120 --> 00:32:25,240
washed off and everything like
that.
562
00:32:25,240 --> 00:32:28,200
So I think for us, that's been,
you know, the really valuable
563
00:32:28,200 --> 00:32:31,200
thing of spending tons of time
on the ground and actually like,
564
00:32:31,680 --> 00:32:34,840
you know, going around and
seeing things first hand and
565
00:32:34,840 --> 00:32:37,040
also having a lot of funny
instances where you're walking
566
00:32:37,040 --> 00:32:39,240
through someone's field and
they've told you it's all
567
00:32:39,240 --> 00:32:41,280
organic.
And then we love to just, you
568
00:32:41,280 --> 00:32:44,400
know, eat fresh Kitam leaves to
try and get an idea of of the
569
00:32:44,400 --> 00:32:47,040
quality and the potency.
And I've had, you know, multiple
570
00:32:47,040 --> 00:32:49,320
instances of people stopping us
then and being like, actually,
571
00:32:49,320 --> 00:32:51,360
wait, wait, we need to wash
these like we did use I.
572
00:32:51,720 --> 00:32:53,560
Don't.
Know we did use some stuff on
573
00:32:53,640 --> 00:32:56,760
there so.
Oh wow, interesting.
574
00:32:57,240 --> 00:33:00,720
To your initial question about
the old trees that put this
575
00:33:00,720 --> 00:33:05,320
photo behind us of 50 year old
trees, maybe I'll send you a
576
00:33:05,800 --> 00:33:07,960
photo that if you can put it up
on the screen for.
577
00:33:08,040 --> 00:33:10,440
Absolutely.
Really cool to share.
578
00:33:10,440 --> 00:33:12,960
But yeah, Cratom trees get
absolutely massive.
579
00:33:13,320 --> 00:33:19,800
And on our latest trip to Borneo
last year is when we found these
580
00:33:19,800 --> 00:33:23,240
50 year old cratom trees with
our friend who is, you know,
581
00:33:23,480 --> 00:33:25,240
telling us he knew these really
old trees.
582
00:33:25,240 --> 00:33:27,920
And with his grandfather, we
went out into the into the
583
00:33:27,920 --> 00:33:30,760
jungle, like bushwhacking
through this, like really deep,
584
00:33:31,080 --> 00:33:34,400
deep, intense jungle.
And they took us to a little
585
00:33:34,400 --> 00:33:36,800
group of massive old Kratom
trees.
586
00:33:36,800 --> 00:33:40,200
And we were asking about the age
of them and went to the biggest
587
00:33:40,200 --> 00:33:42,680
one.
And the grandfather said, like,
588
00:33:42,920 --> 00:33:47,240
oh, I, I don't know exactly how
old it is, but I'm 70 and this
589
00:33:47,240 --> 00:33:49,000
one's been here since I was a
child.
590
00:33:49,000 --> 00:33:52,640
So it must be, must be about the
same age as me.
591
00:33:54,240 --> 00:33:55,880
So that was a really cool
experience.
592
00:33:55,880 --> 00:33:58,480
And then we're asking them like,
oh, would it be possible for you
593
00:33:58,480 --> 00:34:01,120
guys to get us a harvest from
these trees?
594
00:34:01,600 --> 00:34:06,040
And they're saying like, yeah,
we'd love to, but we can't get
595
00:34:06,040 --> 00:34:07,920
up there like that, just too
big.
596
00:34:08,320 --> 00:34:12,679
So they we talked about it with
them for a while and they said,
597
00:34:12,679 --> 00:34:16,000
OK, if you guys can get us some
operas equipment so we can climb
598
00:34:16,000 --> 00:34:19,360
up there safely, then we'll make
you harvest.
599
00:34:19,360 --> 00:34:23,960
And so that harvest that you
had, the 50 year old wild is
600
00:34:23,960 --> 00:34:26,560
actually the first ever harvest
from those trees.
601
00:34:27,800 --> 00:34:30,840
And yeah, the very first time
those leaves were ever picked.
602
00:34:31,520 --> 00:34:33,880
So that's something we're
really, really happy to have
603
00:34:33,880 --> 00:34:38,280
been able to facilitate is the
safe harvest of these incredible
604
00:34:38,280 --> 00:34:43,440
trees, which we're now onto our
second harvest of them because,
605
00:34:43,440 --> 00:34:44,920
yeah, they grow back really
fast.
606
00:34:44,960 --> 00:34:48,960
The leaves just pop back out.
That's incredible.
607
00:34:48,960 --> 00:34:53,040
So you provided the tools they
needed so they could go harvest
608
00:34:53,040 --> 00:34:57,160
off of this really old tree that
had, I guess, not been harvested
609
00:34:57,160 --> 00:34:59,960
before, right?
Or at least not recently because
610
00:34:59,960 --> 00:35:02,240
of its age and how big it is.
Yeah.
611
00:35:02,240 --> 00:35:05,560
Yeah, it's interesting.
So a lot of the kind of big
612
00:35:05,760 --> 00:35:09,800
Kratom plantation style things
or Kratom farms, you might see
613
00:35:10,000 --> 00:35:14,960
it's gonna look kind of more
like an apple orchard size with
614
00:35:14,960 --> 00:35:19,280
kind of small shrubby, maybe
apple tree sized Kratom trees.
615
00:35:19,920 --> 00:35:23,320
So that's a lot of what you see.
And you can travel the, the, the
616
00:35:23,320 --> 00:35:26,200
banks of the Kapowitz River for
for hours and hours and hours
617
00:35:26,200 --> 00:35:30,240
and see for Tom growing either
wild or planted along those
618
00:35:30,240 --> 00:35:31,520
riverbanks.
And a lot of them are quite
619
00:35:31,520 --> 00:35:34,640
small because they, you know,
it's a, it's a, it's a growing
620
00:35:34,640 --> 00:35:38,000
industry and people are just
kind of starting to, to, to
621
00:35:38,000 --> 00:35:40,520
plant more and to try and meet
the demands and everything.
622
00:35:41,440 --> 00:35:43,960
And then we can also, you know,
send you a photo of, yeah, the
623
00:35:43,960 --> 00:35:48,960
15 + 2025 year old wild trees
that we get a lot of our, our
624
00:35:48,960 --> 00:35:50,760
leaves from.
And those ones, they'll make
625
00:35:50,760 --> 00:35:54,320
ladders, you know, with bamboo.
And it's like a 3040 foot tree
626
00:35:54,320 --> 00:35:57,160
and it can be safely climbed
with a ladder and you can get up
627
00:35:57,160 --> 00:36:00,400
there.
But yeah, these ones were, were
628
00:36:00,400 --> 00:36:01,880
a whole, a whole different
story.
629
00:36:01,880 --> 00:36:05,120
And it's incredible to, to see
that, you know, Kratom trees
630
00:36:05,240 --> 00:36:09,560
when they're 507080 years old,
you, you can't wrap your arms
631
00:36:09,560 --> 00:36:11,560
around them.
They're full-sized, enormous
632
00:36:11,560 --> 00:36:15,080
trees, 80 feet tall.
They get absolutely huge.
633
00:36:15,080 --> 00:36:18,800
And it's, it's such a, such a
beautiful thing to, to go, to go
634
00:36:18,800 --> 00:36:21,600
out and manage to find one in
the wild and, and to hear about
635
00:36:21,600 --> 00:36:25,200
also, you know, the villagers
knowing about it and, and, and
636
00:36:25,200 --> 00:36:27,320
having it, you know, be part of
their, the legacy of their
637
00:36:27,320 --> 00:36:30,440
village and everything.
What was it like the first time
638
00:36:30,440 --> 00:36:33,520
you try to leaf from one of
those from that particular tree
639
00:36:33,520 --> 00:36:37,080
that that was that old?
Well, we weren't able to try
640
00:36:37,080 --> 00:36:39,400
the, the leaves from that
particular tree when we were
641
00:36:39,400 --> 00:36:43,360
actually, because we were there
last winter and we didn't have
642
00:36:43,360 --> 00:36:45,280
the, the, the, you know, the
harnesses and the arborist
643
00:36:45,280 --> 00:36:46,800
equipment to actually get up
there at the time.
644
00:36:46,800 --> 00:36:49,520
So we, we, you know, found some
old ones that had fallen from
645
00:36:49,520 --> 00:36:52,320
the tree on the ground and tried
those, but we weren't able to
646
00:36:52,320 --> 00:36:54,240
try any from this particular
Grove.
647
00:36:54,240 --> 00:36:59,400
We found maybe about, you know,
6 to 12 of these massive trees
648
00:36:59,400 --> 00:37:02,720
that were like, you know, in the
50 to 70 plus year old range,
649
00:37:02,960 --> 00:37:07,280
but of course really do just
enjoying, enjoy chewing kratom
650
00:37:07,280 --> 00:37:09,400
leaves fresh.
People always ask about that,
651
00:37:10,600 --> 00:37:13,760
'cause we have kratom trees
growing in our shop in Portland
652
00:37:13,760 --> 00:37:17,760
here we have a number of them.
We used to sell them.
653
00:37:17,760 --> 00:37:21,880
We stopped because we we ran out
and also the care is quite
654
00:37:21,880 --> 00:37:23,480
challenging.
But we have a number of cartama
655
00:37:23,480 --> 00:37:25,960
trees growing in our shop.
So people are always asking
656
00:37:25,960 --> 00:37:28,240
about that and asking if they
can pick one and and two.
657
00:37:28,240 --> 00:37:29,880
On that, that is so cool.
I bet.
658
00:37:30,000 --> 00:37:33,080
What's the experience like?
I've always I've heard people
659
00:37:33,080 --> 00:37:34,480
talk about, you know, chewing
the leaf.
660
00:37:35,120 --> 00:37:38,560
I've never done it.
I'm I'm sure it's a different
661
00:37:38,560 --> 00:37:40,200
experience, right?
I mean, not completely
662
00:37:40,200 --> 00:37:41,880
different, but I imagine it's a
bit different.
663
00:37:42,920 --> 00:37:46,680
Yeah, so it's a lot more bitter.
What you do is you pull the stem
664
00:37:46,680 --> 00:37:51,680
out and then we'll just like
roll it and then chew it and
665
00:37:51,680 --> 00:37:57,160
then you can spit out the the
green or the the leaf matter.
666
00:37:57,960 --> 00:38:01,720
It's a lot more bitter.
So if you find the the powder
667
00:38:01,720 --> 00:38:07,640
bitter, then you're in for a
treat with the but it's really
668
00:38:07,640 --> 00:38:11,280
wonderful because one of the
main applications of kratom in
669
00:38:12,240 --> 00:38:14,680
in Southeast Asia is because
it's so hot and people are
670
00:38:14,680 --> 00:38:18,120
working so hard, you'll often
see like craton trees growing
671
00:38:18,120 --> 00:38:22,680
next to the rice paddies.
So people pick craton, chew it
672
00:38:22,680 --> 00:38:24,240
whilst they're working in the
rice paddies.
673
00:38:24,240 --> 00:38:27,280
And it really helps to deal with
the heat and the exhaustion of,
674
00:38:27,360 --> 00:38:30,400
you know, working in this
intense heat and humidity.
675
00:38:32,120 --> 00:38:36,400
So it feels very appropriate to
be consuming the kratom straight
676
00:38:36,400 --> 00:38:39,920
from the tree, kind of kind of
like the experience of picking a
677
00:38:39,920 --> 00:38:42,800
cherry straight from the Cherry
Tree and eating it there and
678
00:38:42,800 --> 00:38:45,960
then always tastes better than
when it comes from from the
679
00:38:45,960 --> 00:38:49,800
store.
The only issue is we've done a
680
00:38:49,800 --> 00:38:52,600
lot of, you know, shooting
videos and and photos and
681
00:38:52,600 --> 00:38:55,800
interviews with the farmers and
the growers out like that and
682
00:38:55,800 --> 00:38:59,200
having so many takes where we
have, you know, a big chunk of
683
00:38:59,200 --> 00:39:03,560
kratom leaf stuck in our tea
trying to film an interview and
684
00:39:03,560 --> 00:39:06,840
and having a lot of footage
ruined by chewing kratom leaves
685
00:39:06,840 --> 00:39:09,160
in the field.
So that is that is the one
686
00:39:09,160 --> 00:39:11,400
downside.
I would say, yeah, I do.
687
00:39:11,400 --> 00:39:14,800
I do think given the choice,
brewing up a little cup of
688
00:39:14,800 --> 00:39:17,840
kratom tea is is the way to go,
but.
689
00:39:18,080 --> 00:39:20,200
Right.
Don't have videos online of your
690
00:39:20,200 --> 00:39:23,160
trips over there.
Not so much, no.
691
00:39:23,160 --> 00:39:24,920
We have like.
A you can check out our, our
692
00:39:24,920 --> 00:39:27,040
Instagram.
So we do have some stuff on our
693
00:39:27,040 --> 00:39:31,640
Instagram and then a little bit
on our website in the journal
694
00:39:31,640 --> 00:39:33,560
section.
You can see some of our, our
695
00:39:33,560 --> 00:39:36,080
sources and everything there and
in, in the shop and the product
696
00:39:36,080 --> 00:39:38,760
page.
And then we do have tons and
697
00:39:38,760 --> 00:39:41,840
tons and tons hours and hours
and hours of video and interview
698
00:39:41,840 --> 00:39:45,200
and footage and things that, you
know, quite honestly, we really,
699
00:39:45,200 --> 00:39:49,000
really, really need to get to
editing and releasing to the
700
00:39:49,000 --> 00:39:52,000
public because we have stuff
going back to 2019, Malaysia,
701
00:39:52,000 --> 00:39:54,400
Thailand, Indonesia, all of
these trips.
702
00:39:55,120 --> 00:39:59,840
We are really small team and we
are working in the shop, we're
703
00:39:59,840 --> 00:40:02,200
working in the warehouse, we're
packaging.
704
00:40:02,480 --> 00:40:06,440
We are, yeah, a very small team.
And admittedly, you really need
705
00:40:06,440 --> 00:40:08,800
to get to actually releasing
some of these things to the
706
00:40:08,800 --> 00:40:10,400
public.
I would love to see some of
707
00:40:10,400 --> 00:40:11,840
that.
You probably have enough to make
708
00:40:11,840 --> 00:40:13,960
a documentary it sounds like
with the amount of.
709
00:40:13,960 --> 00:40:19,120
Food, yeah, definitely.
But yeah, hopefully we'll be
710
00:40:19,120 --> 00:40:22,840
releasing more fairly soon.
Yeah, if you I mean, if you want
711
00:40:22,840 --> 00:40:25,240
to send me a couple of clips
that I, that I can, you know, my
712
00:40:25,240 --> 00:40:28,640
kratom gals live stream, I play
all kinds of different videos I
713
00:40:28,640 --> 00:40:32,040
come across online, usually from
YouTube and TikTok.
714
00:40:32,440 --> 00:40:36,520
And I love when I uncover videos
on YouTube from Indonesia of
715
00:40:36,520 --> 00:40:39,280
like the trees, the farmers and
stuff.
716
00:40:39,280 --> 00:40:42,360
We don't see it all the time,
but it's super interesting and
717
00:40:42,360 --> 00:40:44,520
we always love watching footage
like that.
718
00:40:44,520 --> 00:40:47,320
So if you ever have like even
just you know, just something
719
00:40:47,320 --> 00:40:51,120
where it's just like a clip that
I could share, that'd be really
720
00:40:51,120 --> 00:40:54,680
cool because we all love it.
We love seeing like, where does
721
00:40:54,680 --> 00:40:57,560
this come from?
Yeah, absolutely.
722
00:40:57,600 --> 00:41:00,320
I will definitely find some some
things to send over to you.
723
00:41:00,400 --> 00:41:03,240
Yeah, definitely we have shorter
form, you know several minutes,
724
00:41:03,240 --> 00:41:05,760
5 minutes, things like that,
like prepared that it would be,
725
00:41:05,800 --> 00:41:09,560
it would be fun to watch and.
Absolutely, I'll definitely link
726
00:41:09,720 --> 00:41:11,880
in the show notes to your
Instagram.
727
00:41:11,880 --> 00:41:13,960
Is are y'all just using
Instagram at this time?
728
00:41:13,960 --> 00:41:17,000
Is there any other social media?
Yeah, we mainly just use
729
00:41:17,000 --> 00:41:21,000
Instagram because, well, for
people who are in Portland, OR,
730
00:41:21,000 --> 00:41:25,800
we have our brick and mortar.
And so that's really a space of
731
00:41:25,800 --> 00:41:29,240
education as much as it is our
store.
732
00:41:29,240 --> 00:41:33,400
So that's actually the ideal
place to come into if you want
733
00:41:33,480 --> 00:41:36,360
to see more about kratom and see
a kratom tree.
734
00:41:36,360 --> 00:41:39,800
And actually at the moment,
we've got our kratom trees of
735
00:41:39,800 --> 00:41:43,960
flowering for the very first
time and they're currently four
736
00:41:43,960 --> 00:41:44,920
years old.
And.
737
00:41:44,920 --> 00:41:48,280
Yeah, all of them has just
sprung out a bunch of really
738
00:41:48,280 --> 00:41:53,800
beautiful yellow flowers.
So yeah, we have our seeds of
739
00:41:53,840 --> 00:41:56,720
our first for Tom from Portland,
OR.
740
00:41:57,520 --> 00:41:59,920
That is so neat.
You definitely got to send me
741
00:41:59,920 --> 00:42:03,360
pictures of that, that is.
Awesome, you can you can put.
742
00:42:03,760 --> 00:42:05,320
Because you don't see that very
often.
743
00:42:05,320 --> 00:42:08,600
We just see the leaves on the
tree, but not usually the flower
744
00:42:08,600 --> 00:42:10,880
all that much.
Yeah, beautiful, beautiful
745
00:42:10,880 --> 00:42:13,760
golden yellow flowers.
And the interesting thing as
746
00:42:13,760 --> 00:42:15,680
well is that they smell
phenomenal.
747
00:42:16,120 --> 00:42:21,320
It's like this incredible
Jasmine floral scent.
748
00:42:21,400 --> 00:42:25,520
And in Borneo in Southeast Asia,
you'll have the katam fields.
749
00:42:25,520 --> 00:42:27,960
And when many of the trees are
flowering, you also get tons of
750
00:42:27,960 --> 00:42:32,320
honey bees that come and collect
the pollen from the kratoms.
751
00:42:32,320 --> 00:42:35,680
In theory, you could have, you
know, kratom pollen, honey.
752
00:42:35,880 --> 00:42:39,680
But yeah, when they were just
emerging in our shop last week,
753
00:42:39,680 --> 00:42:43,040
it smelled phenomenal in there.
And yeah, it's really fun to
754
00:42:43,160 --> 00:42:45,440
see.
We we planted these kratom trees
755
00:42:45,440 --> 00:42:50,800
from sea weeds that that we got
from out in the wild in Borneo.
756
00:42:50,960 --> 00:42:56,400
And it was quite a process to to
grow them in cold climate in
757
00:42:56,400 --> 00:42:58,120
Portland.
And it's a really interesting
758
00:42:58,120 --> 00:43:02,320
plant to try and take out of its
native habitat and to get to,
759
00:43:02,320 --> 00:43:06,000
you know, acclimatize and
succeed growing indoors.
760
00:43:06,320 --> 00:43:09,480
But yeah, as I mean, he was
saying now they're on their on
761
00:43:09,480 --> 00:43:14,240
their fourth year and are, are
pretty massive 1215 foot for Tom
762
00:43:14,240 --> 00:43:17,720
trees that we soon need to to
give a little trim cuz they're
763
00:43:17,720 --> 00:43:20,400
starting to hit the, the roof of
our of our shop.
764
00:43:20,600 --> 00:43:23,240
Yeah, the ceiling.
Wow, that is wild.
765
00:43:23,480 --> 00:43:26,360
I have a question.
So at what point in your journey
766
00:43:26,680 --> 00:43:30,160
with kratom did you decide, hey,
let's do this as a business?
767
00:43:30,160 --> 00:43:32,920
Like, let's actually go be a
part of this industry.
768
00:43:33,800 --> 00:43:37,240
Well, that's interesting.
Yeah, Cuz we had, we actually
769
00:43:37,560 --> 00:43:41,240
initially had absolutely no
interest in opening a company
770
00:43:41,240 --> 00:43:44,640
and we were just very attached
to our traveling lifestyle and
771
00:43:44,840 --> 00:43:47,000
enjoyed and loved living out in
Indonesia.
772
00:43:48,600 --> 00:43:51,640
And it was actually a lot of
hard work on behalf of the
773
00:43:51,640 --> 00:43:57,240
farmers who were telling us
everyday you guys like we have
774
00:43:57,320 --> 00:44:01,400
spent so much time out here and
know so much more than anything
775
00:44:01,400 --> 00:44:03,920
you'll find online.
You guys should really start a
776
00:44:03,920 --> 00:44:06,480
company.
And they worked on us for a long
777
00:44:06,480 --> 00:44:09,960
time.
And we're also really keen to be
778
00:44:09,960 --> 00:44:12,720
in partnership with us because,
you know, we had a great
779
00:44:12,720 --> 00:44:14,920
relationship with them and so
and there's a lot of trust
780
00:44:14,920 --> 00:44:19,400
between us.
So yeah, they eventually pushed
781
00:44:19,400 --> 00:44:24,080
us to to taking that path, which
really could have gone either
782
00:44:24,080 --> 00:44:29,240
way for us.
But yeah, it was not that long
783
00:44:29,240 --> 00:44:32,400
after our first research trip
that we decided that we would
784
00:44:33,360 --> 00:44:37,280
start Jaya and move back to the
US in the middle of COVID,
785
00:44:37,320 --> 00:44:40,360
actually to get started on the
project.
786
00:44:42,120 --> 00:44:45,120
Well, that was a challenging
time to to be doing anything.
787
00:44:45,120 --> 00:44:48,520
Wow, that is interesting.
Did you decide on a storefront
788
00:44:48,520 --> 00:44:53,240
first or just being an on online
retail like like which came
789
00:44:53,240 --> 00:44:57,440
first online or or store?
Well, so we decided recently at
790
00:44:57,440 --> 00:45:01,000
first that we wanted to do a, a
brick and mortar store and then
791
00:45:01,000 --> 00:45:05,280
naturally online was was an
obvious addition to that.
792
00:45:06,040 --> 00:45:07,440
But what?
Yeah, but we were really excited
793
00:45:07,440 --> 00:45:10,480
about doing a brick and mortar
store was the ability to
794
00:45:10,480 --> 00:45:14,280
actually just spend time with
people face to face talking
795
00:45:14,280 --> 00:45:18,520
about our research, showing them
photos, showing them the Katam
796
00:45:18,520 --> 00:45:21,720
trees.
And yeah, really having our shop
797
00:45:21,720 --> 00:45:25,080
be a space of education.
And of course it's a business,
798
00:45:25,080 --> 00:45:29,840
but that's kind of first and
foremost what it is for us is a
799
00:45:29,840 --> 00:45:33,840
education space, almost like a a
Museum of Katam, you could say.
800
00:45:34,160 --> 00:45:37,240
And we're located on a really
central St., a very busy St.
801
00:45:37,240 --> 00:45:40,120
here in Portland.
And we are constantly getting
802
00:45:40,120 --> 00:45:44,760
people coming in that either
know kratom and are really,
803
00:45:44,760 --> 00:45:47,400
really excited about it and are
into that.
804
00:45:47,400 --> 00:45:50,440
But we also get tons and tons
and tons of people that are
805
00:45:50,440 --> 00:45:55,080
passing by and either they have
no idea what it is and they're
806
00:45:55,080 --> 00:45:57,640
just fascinated to see a
business exist that they don't
807
00:45:57,640 --> 00:46:00,840
have any clue what's being sold.
So coming in with no knowledge
808
00:46:00,840 --> 00:46:03,840
of the plant and we can educate
them on it and give them proper
809
00:46:04,160 --> 00:46:07,000
real information about this
plant and dispel a lot of the
810
00:46:07,000 --> 00:46:10,000
myths and not be selling all
kinds of crazy strains and
811
00:46:10,000 --> 00:46:11,360
things like that that don't
exist.
812
00:46:12,760 --> 00:46:14,480
And then we but then we also get
a lot of people that come in
813
00:46:14,480 --> 00:46:16,440
that that have heard about
khatam, but I've heard about it
814
00:46:16,440 --> 00:46:19,680
in a negative way.
And so for us, that's kind of
815
00:46:19,680 --> 00:46:22,360
like our personal mission and,
and what we love doing is, is
816
00:46:22,360 --> 00:46:24,560
having people come in and be
like, yeah, you know, I've seen
817
00:46:24,560 --> 00:46:28,760
this in head shops and gas
stations or I saw a news article
818
00:46:28,760 --> 00:46:31,040
about this.
And I, you know, I'm kind of
819
00:46:31,040 --> 00:46:33,120
skeptical about it.
I have a lot of questions about
820
00:46:33,120 --> 00:46:34,880
it.
Like maybe you can, you know,
821
00:46:35,360 --> 00:46:37,000
you can give me some information
about it.
822
00:46:37,000 --> 00:46:40,560
And so that's what we love about
having this ability to talk to
823
00:46:40,560 --> 00:46:43,600
people face to face and show
them, hey, this isn't a, a weird
824
00:46:43,600 --> 00:46:47,520
synthetic product or this isn't
any sort of, you know, yeah,
825
00:46:47,840 --> 00:46:49,680
this isn't some sort of strange
drug.
826
00:46:49,680 --> 00:46:52,840
This is the leaf of this tree.
It has hundreds of years of
827
00:46:52,840 --> 00:46:55,360
traditional usage.
These are the communities that
828
00:46:55,360 --> 00:46:57,880
use it.
This is how it's used.
829
00:46:58,240 --> 00:47:01,600
These are the lab tests.
These are the alkaloids so on
830
00:47:01,600 --> 00:47:04,000
and so forth.
So I think for us, we, yeah, we
831
00:47:04,000 --> 00:47:05,400
have online and we have in
store.
832
00:47:05,400 --> 00:47:08,560
But it's, it's so nice the, the
experience you have with the
833
00:47:08,560 --> 00:47:11,320
physical business to just get
random people stumble across you
834
00:47:11,320 --> 00:47:16,920
and to, to get to, to get a
really in depth view of what
835
00:47:16,920 --> 00:47:20,160
Cortana is and, and, and then
share that.
836
00:47:20,160 --> 00:47:22,280
So that's what we really enjoy
ourselves.
837
00:47:23,280 --> 00:47:24,840
I think education is so
important.
838
00:47:24,840 --> 00:47:28,160
I love that y'all are big on
that and that you use your
839
00:47:28,160 --> 00:47:32,600
storefront and your website to
just share information to help
840
00:47:32,600 --> 00:47:33,840
people.
And there is so much
841
00:47:33,840 --> 00:47:36,080
misinformation.
That's why I have my weekly live
842
00:47:36,080 --> 00:47:39,320
stream, why I do the kratom
gals, because I can't get over
843
00:47:39,320 --> 00:47:42,000
how much misinformation and
propaganda is out there.
844
00:47:42,240 --> 00:47:46,320
And I feel like we've got to
talk about it, to turn it around
845
00:47:46,640 --> 00:47:50,320
and talk about like, OK, the
media got it wrong.
846
00:47:50,320 --> 00:47:52,720
Let's explain like what the
actual truth is.
847
00:47:53,280 --> 00:47:55,400
You just get people talking and
I just love that you're
848
00:47:55,400 --> 00:47:58,400
educating your community on on
kratom.
849
00:47:58,400 --> 00:48:01,480
Do people come in pretty often
that are just like you said,
850
00:48:01,480 --> 00:48:03,160
like they hear the negative
stuff.
851
00:48:03,320 --> 00:48:06,440
I'm sure they walk away going,
Oh my gosh, this, this, this is
852
00:48:06,440 --> 00:48:09,240
an amazing plant after hearing
you'll talk about it, but are
853
00:48:09,240 --> 00:48:11,360
there a lot of people that do
just like they're just hearing
854
00:48:11,360 --> 00:48:13,680
so much misinformation.
They come in your store to learn
855
00:48:13,680 --> 00:48:14,880
more.
Yeah.
856
00:48:14,880 --> 00:48:17,200
So I guess there's one
particular instance that comes
857
00:48:17,200 --> 00:48:21,400
to mind in that regard of this
woman coming in a little
858
00:48:21,400 --> 00:48:24,760
flustered and she comes in and
she's like, my daughter's been
859
00:48:24,760 --> 00:48:29,520
taking for Tom to and she says
it's helping her get off, get
860
00:48:29,520 --> 00:48:31,200
off some.
I think it was some opioid that
861
00:48:31,200 --> 00:48:34,600
her daughter had dependence on.
She said, oh, she's been using
862
00:48:34,600 --> 00:48:37,440
it and she says it's helping,
but I've read some sketchy stuff
863
00:48:37,440 --> 00:48:41,160
online and I'm not like, I'm not
really sure what to think.
864
00:48:41,240 --> 00:48:45,240
And so can you guys tell me
about it and answer my questions
865
00:48:45,240 --> 00:48:48,160
so that I can, you know, make
sure my daughter's making right
866
00:48:48,160 --> 00:48:50,040
choices.
And so we're able to sit down
867
00:48:50,040 --> 00:48:54,360
with her and explain to her the
insurance and outs of kratom and
868
00:48:54,360 --> 00:48:59,480
how it's used and what to look
out for and, you know, what to
869
00:48:59,480 --> 00:49:02,840
think about when trying to buy
kratom and how to, you know,
870
00:49:02,840 --> 00:49:08,000
stay away from extracts or 7
hydroxymetrazine and keep her
871
00:49:08,000 --> 00:49:12,320
on, you know, reassure her and
also educate her on what her
872
00:49:12,320 --> 00:49:14,680
daughter was taking.
She was not able to find good
873
00:49:14,680 --> 00:49:17,800
information online.
And yes, she walked away really
874
00:49:17,800 --> 00:49:21,040
reassured and was like, hey, I'm
going to send my daughter here
875
00:49:21,040 --> 00:49:22,560
because you guys know what
you're doing.
876
00:49:22,560 --> 00:49:24,560
And so it's that kind of
instance.
877
00:49:24,560 --> 00:49:26,160
It really, you know, it's very
uplifting.
878
00:49:26,160 --> 00:49:29,800
It's very nice to be there for
people who need somebody to
879
00:49:29,800 --> 00:49:34,080
answer questions.
And then other other times it's
880
00:49:34,080 --> 00:49:38,520
been, you know, people's people
whose partners or family members
881
00:49:38,520 --> 00:49:42,760
have some stigma against kratom.
And so one of our customers will
882
00:49:42,760 --> 00:49:46,640
bring in that person just
pretending like it's all just
883
00:49:46,640 --> 00:49:48,120
going to stop by and pick up
some kratom.
884
00:49:48,120 --> 00:49:51,400
And then we'll explain to them
about the plant and the whole
885
00:49:51,400 --> 00:49:54,120
history and everything.
And you know, it's happened a
886
00:49:54,120 --> 00:49:57,720
few times that that our customer
will come back and be like, oh,
887
00:49:58,440 --> 00:50:02,000
my wife actually tried Kratom
after after visiting you.
888
00:50:02,040 --> 00:50:05,080
And now they're cool with it and
they're fine with it and they've
889
00:50:05,080 --> 00:50:08,560
understood really what I see in
it and what's what I'm going
890
00:50:08,560 --> 00:50:11,200
for.
So yeah, it's really important
891
00:50:11,200 --> 00:50:14,240
to be able to speak to people
face to face and have that
892
00:50:14,240 --> 00:50:17,120
trusting relationship.
And especially when you can show
893
00:50:17,120 --> 00:50:20,560
people the tree and just be
like, this is it, you know, and
894
00:50:20,560 --> 00:50:24,080
it's just just a leaf that's
dried and ground down and
895
00:50:24,080 --> 00:50:27,400
that's, that's the end product.
Yeah.
896
00:50:27,800 --> 00:50:31,240
And and share your thoughts
about leaf versus extracts.
897
00:50:31,240 --> 00:50:32,400
What are y'all's thoughts on
that?
898
00:50:33,080 --> 00:50:37,160
Well, we only work with with
crushed leaf kratom, with powder
899
00:50:37,160 --> 00:50:42,080
kratom, with whole leaf kratom.
I think for us, if you can have
900
00:50:42,720 --> 00:50:49,240
really fresh, really potent
kratom, that's I wouldn't say
901
00:50:49,240 --> 00:50:51,040
necessarily enough, but you
know, like that's that's what we
902
00:50:51,040 --> 00:50:56,040
focus on, right, is just seeing
how good you can get this
903
00:50:56,040 --> 00:50:58,680
natural product.
Of course I think extracts have
904
00:50:58,680 --> 00:51:00,600
a have a place for certain
folks.
905
00:51:01,920 --> 00:51:05,080
Full spectrum extracts.
Not saying 7 Odoximetrageny and
906
00:51:05,080 --> 00:51:07,600
that's a whole different topic
cuz that is not kratom.
907
00:51:07,920 --> 00:51:11,640
Yeah, that the whole leaf kratom
has so many different alkaloids
908
00:51:11,640 --> 00:51:15,280
that have wonderfully balanced
by nature and that the body
909
00:51:15,280 --> 00:51:18,600
really knows how to receive and
what to do with it and it's
910
00:51:18,600 --> 00:51:24,400
accompanied by these this like
plant fibre and polyphenols and
911
00:51:25,840 --> 00:51:28,680
just.
A very high antioxidant
912
00:51:28,680 --> 00:51:30,640
concentration in the whole leaf
itself.
913
00:51:30,640 --> 00:51:33,160
So I think that that's, that's
one thing.
914
00:51:33,360 --> 00:51:35,840
You know, I studied history from
a historical standpoint.
915
00:51:35,840 --> 00:51:39,480
When people come in and they ask
me about safety and kratom,
916
00:51:39,480 --> 00:51:40,600
right?
We can't make medical
917
00:51:40,600 --> 00:51:42,720
recommendations.
I'm not a doctor.
918
00:51:42,720 --> 00:51:46,040
Kratom is not FDA approved.
I can't give you medical advice,
919
00:51:46,040 --> 00:51:47,840
right?
What I can tell you is from a
920
00:51:47,840 --> 00:51:51,160
historical standpoint, from
communities we've met in
921
00:51:51,160 --> 00:51:55,000
Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia,
etcetera, that kratom has been
922
00:51:55,000 --> 00:51:59,200
used in its whole leaf natural
form for hundreds of years,
923
00:51:59,200 --> 00:52:01,920
right?
And we've personally spent time
924
00:52:01,920 --> 00:52:06,040
with somebody who is a Thai
gentleman who was 91 years old
925
00:52:06,040 --> 00:52:09,440
and had been consuming kratom
since I think the late 40s when
926
00:52:09,440 --> 00:52:13,600
he was like 16 years old and
it'd been consuming kratom every
927
00:52:13,600 --> 00:52:15,560
day.
We'll send you a photo of this
928
00:52:15,560 --> 00:52:20,720
guy 'cause he was absolutely
just the most bright eyed, kind,
929
00:52:20,720 --> 00:52:24,200
amazing 91 year old, an amazing
health of that that we'd ever
930
00:52:24,200 --> 00:52:26,640
met.
But anyways, from a historical
931
00:52:26,640 --> 00:52:29,960
standpoint, we see that Cortam
in its natural form has hundreds
932
00:52:29,960 --> 00:52:31,760
of years of safe traditional
usage, right.
933
00:52:32,200 --> 00:52:35,760
We can't say the same thing
necessarily for like super
934
00:52:35,760 --> 00:52:40,400
high-powered extracts and, and,
and how, you know, the body
935
00:52:40,400 --> 00:52:44,000
handles that if it's just a, a
particular, one particular
936
00:52:44,000 --> 00:52:47,080
alkaloid and all that.
So, so just for just general
937
00:52:47,080 --> 00:52:49,600
kind of safety reasons and just
because that's what we
938
00:52:49,600 --> 00:52:52,200
specialize in, we just work
with, with holy for Tom.
939
00:52:52,200 --> 00:52:54,680
But obviously recognize, you
know, people use the plant for a
940
00:52:54,680 --> 00:52:57,880
lot of different reasons and and
you know, there's a, there's a
941
00:52:57,880 --> 00:53:01,040
space for everything depending
upon, you know, what the
942
00:53:01,040 --> 00:53:03,760
application is and, and the
need, right?
943
00:53:04,800 --> 00:53:06,280
Yeah.
And then what are y'all thoughts
944
00:53:06,280 --> 00:53:10,040
on the whole strange thing?
You know, companies all say
945
00:53:10,040 --> 00:53:12,840
different things about it as
consumers are like, OK, make it
946
00:53:12,840 --> 00:53:14,920
make sense.
One group says one thing,
947
00:53:14,920 --> 00:53:17,080
another group says the other.
What are y'all thoughts on that?
948
00:53:17,560 --> 00:53:20,080
Well, so I think that that there
were two main questions that we
949
00:53:20,080 --> 00:53:22,800
wanted to answer when we went
out and we got this research
950
00:53:22,800 --> 00:53:24,640
funding to study Cortana
cultivation, right.
951
00:53:24,640 --> 00:53:27,960
So the first one is what's up
with batching consistency?
952
00:53:27,960 --> 00:53:31,440
Why are there great batches and
then not great batches, right?
953
00:53:31,640 --> 00:53:34,800
And batches that do very little.
So what's going on with the
954
00:53:34,800 --> 00:53:36,600
batching consistency?
How can we solve that?
955
00:53:36,960 --> 00:53:41,040
And then secondly, yeah, what's
happening with strains and a lot
956
00:53:41,040 --> 00:53:43,320
of these topics that are very
contentious and there's a lot of
957
00:53:43,520 --> 00:53:45,280
just conflicting information,
quite simply.
958
00:53:46,560 --> 00:53:49,000
But yeah, so katam strains
really do not exist.
959
00:53:49,000 --> 00:53:51,840
There is just one type of katam
tree growing fundamentally.
960
00:53:52,120 --> 00:53:55,480
I think one of the most kind of
funny and evocative stories of
961
00:53:55,480 --> 00:53:59,440
that was when we first went out
and we first arrived out in the
962
00:53:59,440 --> 00:54:02,040
middle of Borneo.
And we're with these, you know,
963
00:54:02,040 --> 00:54:04,160
some of the first katam farms
that we were on.
964
00:54:04,560 --> 00:54:08,680
And we're talking to these old
Indonesian guys that were the
965
00:54:08,680 --> 00:54:11,040
katam farmers there.
And we're saying like, so, OK,
966
00:54:11,040 --> 00:54:14,040
so tell me about your land here.
Tell me what's going on.
967
00:54:14,040 --> 00:54:16,520
What what are the different
strains you're growing?
968
00:54:16,520 --> 00:54:17,680
You know, what do you have
growing here?
969
00:54:17,680 --> 00:54:20,120
What do you have growing here?
Like, you know, give us a tour
970
00:54:20,560 --> 00:54:24,120
of, of your operations and these
old Indonesian, you know, kratom
971
00:54:24,120 --> 00:54:29,000
growers looking at us very
confused, like silly foreigners.
972
00:54:29,000 --> 00:54:31,320
What are you talking about?
Like, this is an old kratom
973
00:54:31,320 --> 00:54:32,600
tree.
And they're like, yeah, those,
974
00:54:32,880 --> 00:54:34,680
those are our neighbors kratom
trees.
975
00:54:34,680 --> 00:54:37,280
And that's a big one.
That's a small one.
976
00:54:37,560 --> 00:54:40,960
This one is flowering.
And this notion of there being
977
00:54:40,960 --> 00:54:44,240
different strains just
completely was, was was going
978
00:54:44,240 --> 00:54:47,400
over their head and they're.
Yeah.
979
00:54:47,400 --> 00:54:51,040
So you talk to the growers, the
people that are actually out
980
00:54:51,040 --> 00:54:54,640
there growing kratom and have it
in their villages and, and
981
00:54:54,640 --> 00:54:56,000
harvest it from the forest
there.
982
00:54:56,000 --> 00:54:57,280
There's not different strains of
kratom.
983
00:54:57,280 --> 00:54:59,960
It's all about how the leaf is
dried and cured.
984
00:55:00,120 --> 00:55:04,000
You can roast it into a red.
You can do varying levels of
985
00:55:04,000 --> 00:55:06,840
heat and light, humidity,
etcetera to create a much darker
986
00:55:06,840 --> 00:55:10,600
green or brighter green, more of
a tannish color for white.
987
00:55:10,600 --> 00:55:13,040
So there's differences in the
curing methodology and that's
988
00:55:13,040 --> 00:55:15,280
gonna oxidize and change some of
the alkaloids in the plant.
989
00:55:15,280 --> 00:55:17,800
It's gonna change the flavor,
it's gonna change the energy
990
00:55:17,800 --> 00:55:22,040
profile to a certain extent.
But so they will cure the
991
00:55:22,040 --> 00:55:23,680
leaves.
Different ways to create the
992
00:55:23,680 --> 00:55:27,920
red, white, green distinction,
but you're not gonna ever find
993
00:55:27,920 --> 00:55:32,760
cratom growers with this patches
Dragon and this is Elephant and
994
00:55:32,760 --> 00:55:35,640
this is Mangda and so on and so
forth.
995
00:55:35,880 --> 00:55:37,720
What you will find is different
phenotypes.
996
00:55:37,720 --> 00:55:39,680
So you will have occasionally A
photometry.
997
00:55:39,680 --> 00:55:44,240
You'll grow with a slightly
horned characteristic on the end
998
00:55:44,240 --> 00:55:48,880
of the leaf, and then some will
have slightly more white veins,
999
00:55:48,880 --> 00:55:53,200
slightly more red veins, and you
have this, You know, these
1000
00:55:53,200 --> 00:55:55,800
phenotypes.
However, what's really important
1001
00:55:55,800 --> 00:55:58,480
to bear in mind is that nobody
in their right mind is
1002
00:55:58,480 --> 00:56:01,680
separating leaves based on what
they look like because that
1003
00:56:01,680 --> 00:56:07,240
would just be an endless task.
So you can receive a photograph
1004
00:56:07,240 --> 00:56:10,520
or like see a photograph of a
kratom leaf that looks very
1005
00:56:10,520 --> 00:56:12,040
different from the next kratom
leaf.
1006
00:56:12,400 --> 00:56:16,880
But that doesn't mean that.
But I mean, that's just used as
1007
00:56:16,880 --> 00:56:19,800
a marketing ploy to encourage
people to buy more different
1008
00:56:19,800 --> 00:56:23,720
types with always encourage
people to, you know, try a few
1009
00:56:23,720 --> 00:56:28,160
different batches because they
might or green versus the red
1010
00:56:28,160 --> 00:56:33,600
might feel slightly different to
you or be more what you need.
1011
00:56:34,960 --> 00:56:39,400
But in there actually being, you
know, batches that are made of
1012
00:56:39,400 --> 00:56:44,960
just horned leaves or just white
veins or just red veins, and
1013
00:56:45,160 --> 00:56:48,640
that's basically unheard of.
Anybody who's going to put the
1014
00:56:48,760 --> 00:56:50,640
put the work in to make that
happen.
1015
00:56:50,680 --> 00:56:56,040
And we've been told in exactly
these words by folks is the more
1016
00:56:56,040 --> 00:56:59,240
strains that you offer, the more
people will buy.
1017
00:56:59,760 --> 00:57:04,400
So it's not a, you know, it's
just a marketing technique to
1018
00:57:04,920 --> 00:57:08,680
make people place, you know, or
in order for 10 different types
1019
00:57:08,680 --> 00:57:11,000
instead of just one or two or
three.
1020
00:57:12,800 --> 00:57:15,680
So that's really what we found.
And then you enter into a whole
1021
00:57:15,680 --> 00:57:20,200
another question when it comes
to the different regions.
1022
00:57:20,200 --> 00:57:27,200
So you'll see on the market, you
know, Malay, Thai, Indonesia,
1023
00:57:27,200 --> 00:57:30,960
Borneo, you see like all these
different names of locations or
1024
00:57:31,400 --> 00:57:37,960
Bali, there's really only kratom
coming out of Borneo in
1025
00:57:37,960 --> 00:57:43,880
significant amounts right now.
So even in we looked all over
1026
00:57:43,880 --> 00:57:46,400
Vietnam, could not find any
kratom growing.
1027
00:57:48,120 --> 00:57:51,040
You certainly don't have any
kratom coming out of Malaysia.
1028
00:57:51,040 --> 00:57:54,920
So Malay Malaysian kratom,
there's absolutely no way with
1029
00:57:55,200 --> 00:57:58,960
the, the, the laws currently in
Malaysia, there's certainly no
1030
00:57:58,960 --> 00:58:01,120
kratom being exported from
Malaysia.
1031
00:58:01,120 --> 00:58:03,000
So that's a big red flag.
We always tell people like
1032
00:58:03,000 --> 00:58:05,880
Malaysian kratom, Malay kratom,
there's no way.
1033
00:58:06,760 --> 00:58:08,360
And it's also not a different
tree.
1034
00:58:08,360 --> 00:58:10,600
It's the same exact tree they
have growing there having spent
1035
00:58:10,600 --> 00:58:12,960
having spent time there.
Also Thai kratom is a big one.
1036
00:58:12,960 --> 00:58:15,800
That's it's quite an interesting
topic now because since 2021,
1037
00:58:16,040 --> 00:58:19,440
kratom has fully legalized
kratom, which is which is
1038
00:58:19,440 --> 00:58:23,560
amazing, but they're still
working out a lot of the
1039
00:58:23,600 --> 00:58:27,440
licenses for export.
There's still very little kratom
1040
00:58:27,440 --> 00:58:29,160
actually being exported from
Thailand at the moment.
1041
00:58:29,160 --> 00:58:33,080
It's happening now, but prior to
2021, anything being sold is
1042
00:58:33,080 --> 00:58:37,120
Thai kratom was mislabeled
coming from Borneo.
1043
00:58:37,120 --> 00:58:40,800
There was no exportation of Thai
kratom prior to the 2021.
1044
00:58:40,800 --> 00:58:42,800
So that's one, you know, we
always tell people to be aware
1045
00:58:42,800 --> 00:58:45,440
of that.
Really, you know, 95% of the
1046
00:58:45,440 --> 00:58:48,440
world's kratom supplies coming
from from Borneo.
1047
00:58:48,560 --> 00:58:52,080
And there's a lot of confusion
even amongst the islands of
1048
00:58:52,080 --> 00:58:54,880
Indonesia, because you'll see
that Bali kratom is one of the
1049
00:58:54,880 --> 00:58:58,000
most common kratom strains being
grown.
1050
00:58:58,000 --> 00:59:01,960
And we've explored every inch of
Bali.
1051
00:59:01,960 --> 00:59:03,560
We've lived there for a long
time.
1052
00:59:03,720 --> 00:59:06,800
Can guarantee you the Bolognese
people do not have a kratom
1053
00:59:06,800 --> 00:59:09,760
culture.
There is no kratom being growing
1054
00:59:09,960 --> 00:59:13,320
in Bali whatsoever.
I imagine that, you know, it's a
1055
00:59:13,320 --> 00:59:17,520
more recognizable name than than
Kalimantan or Borneo or the
1056
00:59:17,520 --> 00:59:20,800
different regions of, of Borneo.
So maybe that's where it came
1057
00:59:20,800 --> 00:59:22,840
from historically.
Or, you know, it passed through
1058
00:59:22,840 --> 00:59:25,720
the port of Bali and, and, and
had a stamp on it from that.
1059
00:59:25,720 --> 00:59:29,200
There's different theories to
why it's such a ubiquitous
1060
00:59:29,200 --> 00:59:31,000
thing, but I always tell people
big red flag.
1061
00:59:31,160 --> 00:59:33,760
Either, you know, you're being
in a sled or somebody's
1062
00:59:33,960 --> 00:59:38,000
misleading you 'cause there's no
kratom coming from Bali.
1063
00:59:38,960 --> 00:59:42,080
That being said, you know, you,
it is, there's the, the kratom
1064
00:59:42,080 --> 00:59:45,480
tree and it's kind of like with,
with wine and grapes, you know,
1065
00:59:45,480 --> 00:59:48,120
you can plant that kratom tree
in a different region and
1066
00:59:48,120 --> 00:59:51,000
there'll be different minerals
in the soil, different water
1067
00:59:51,000 --> 00:59:53,560
quality, you know, maybe
different levels of, of shade
1068
00:59:53,560 --> 00:59:54,880
and sun.
There's all these environmental
1069
00:59:54,880 --> 00:59:59,560
factors that will influence the
the final end result, but it
1070
00:59:59,560 --> 01:00:03,240
does get quite muddied in that
there's a lot of kratom coming
1071
01:00:03,240 --> 01:00:06,240
from regions or, or countries or
areas that are not in fact
1072
01:00:06,560 --> 01:00:09,040
exporting kratom or don't have
it growing there.
1073
01:00:09,800 --> 01:00:12,040
It gets farther confusing
because you also have, you know,
1074
01:00:12,040 --> 01:00:16,400
Borneo is the international name
for, for the Borneo island.
1075
01:00:16,680 --> 01:00:20,880
Locals call it Kalimantan.
So you'll see sometimes Borneo
1076
01:00:20,880 --> 01:00:24,040
kratom being sold next to
Kalimantan kratom.
1077
01:00:24,400 --> 01:00:29,560
Next to Kapus Hulu Kratom, which
is a province within Borneo, and
1078
01:00:29,560 --> 01:00:32,120
then Jong Kong Kratom being sold
is another option, which is a
1079
01:00:32,120 --> 01:00:36,960
village within Kapus Hulu.
So it's bit confusing how you
1080
01:00:36,960 --> 01:00:40,840
would have a Kalimantan, A
Borneo, A Jong Kong, and you see
1081
01:00:40,880 --> 01:00:42,000
what I'm saying, where there's
these.
1082
01:00:42,680 --> 01:00:45,760
Yeah, y'all are so
knowledgeable.
1083
01:00:45,760 --> 01:00:48,200
I feel like I've gotten so much
smarter in this hour.
1084
01:00:48,200 --> 01:00:50,520
I've learned y'all are so good
with the education.
1085
01:00:50,520 --> 01:00:53,200
I've I've walked away learning a
lot today and I know the
1086
01:00:53,200 --> 01:00:55,280
listeners have too.
I really appreciate this.
1087
01:00:55,520 --> 01:00:58,920
I think we have to have you 2
back on again some time to to
1088
01:00:58,920 --> 01:01:01,400
just keep educating us.
Y'all are incredibly
1089
01:01:01,400 --> 01:01:03,280
knowledgeable and it's
interesting.
1090
01:01:03,280 --> 01:01:05,360
Y'all been there.
Y'all spent time there.
1091
01:01:05,360 --> 01:01:08,400
You've done so much research.
You know a lot.
1092
01:01:08,520 --> 01:01:10,960
And I, I love that and our
community loves that.
1093
01:01:10,960 --> 01:01:12,640
So thank you.
I really appreciate y'all
1094
01:01:12,640 --> 01:01:15,000
spending all this time with us.
I have one last question to wrap
1095
01:01:15,000 --> 01:01:18,640
up is say somebody's, I'm sure
you'll have this happen all the
1096
01:01:18,640 --> 01:01:19,960
time.
So somebody walks into the store
1097
01:01:19,960 --> 01:01:21,400
and they're like, I know
nothing.
1098
01:01:22,440 --> 01:01:24,720
Tell me what I need to know
about this plant.
1099
01:01:24,720 --> 01:01:27,640
And like, what do you, how do
you help somebody when they just
1100
01:01:28,000 --> 01:01:29,880
they're hearing about it, but
they don't know anything?
1101
01:01:32,120 --> 01:01:32,920
Go ahead.
Yeah, you're the one.
1102
01:01:33,680 --> 01:01:36,480
Well, we always tell people, you
know, reference the trees we
1103
01:01:36,480 --> 01:01:38,720
have growing in the shop and
say, you know, so kurtam is the
1104
01:01:38,720 --> 01:01:42,320
this leaf of this tree growing
from growing in Southeast Asia.
1105
01:01:42,680 --> 01:01:45,680
And leaf of the tree is is
picked and ground into a fine
1106
01:01:45,680 --> 01:01:49,160
powder like matcha consistency
and it can be consumed as a tea
1107
01:01:49,320 --> 01:01:52,480
or in capsules and talk about
the traditional usage of the
1108
01:01:52,480 --> 01:01:55,520
plant.
So we of course, yeah, we are
1109
01:01:55,520 --> 01:01:58,920
limited in that we can't talk
about its medical uses in store.
1110
01:01:58,920 --> 01:02:02,840
We can't talk about, you know,
give medical recommendation.
1111
01:02:02,840 --> 01:02:05,360
So we'll talk about how it's
used traditionally, that it's
1112
01:02:05,360 --> 01:02:07,400
used as an alternative to
caffeine.
1113
01:02:07,640 --> 01:02:11,760
Traditionally, it's used as an
alternative to alcohol for folks
1114
01:02:11,760 --> 01:02:14,440
to socialize and spend time with
each other and use for working
1115
01:02:14,440 --> 01:02:17,200
and productivity, as well as
part of traditional folk
1116
01:02:17,200 --> 01:02:19,480
medicine for a number of
different things.
1117
01:02:20,080 --> 01:02:23,960
And then give people, you know,
good dosage instructions.
1118
01:02:23,960 --> 01:02:27,680
So if they've never tried kratom
before, it's really important to
1119
01:02:27,680 --> 01:02:31,920
start with a really low dose to
see how your body reacts to the
1120
01:02:31,920 --> 01:02:34,760
plant.
And I think that that's one of
1121
01:02:34,760 --> 01:02:37,800
the things that's given people,
perhaps historically a negative
1122
01:02:37,800 --> 01:02:41,240
perception of kratom is that
it's a super common story that
1123
01:02:41,240 --> 01:02:43,760
people will come in and they'll
say, hey, like, I've tried
1124
01:02:43,760 --> 01:02:46,680
kratom a couple times in college
and my buddy gave me, you know,
1125
01:02:46,680 --> 01:02:50,520
a heaping tablespoon and I felt
super nauseous and I didn't like
1126
01:02:50,520 --> 01:02:52,040
it at all.
And I, I want to give it another
1127
01:02:52,040 --> 01:02:53,240
shot.
And I'm, I'm curious what you
1128
01:02:53,240 --> 01:02:55,360
guys are doing.
But, but I, I didn't have a very
1129
01:02:55,360 --> 01:02:57,760
good experience with it before.
And I think a lot of people see
1130
01:02:57,760 --> 01:02:59,760
it as the, you know, this leaf
with the tree.
1131
01:02:59,760 --> 01:03:02,280
Of course, you know, you can
take a big spoonful no problem.
1132
01:03:02,920 --> 01:03:05,960
So just communicating to people
that actually it's quite potent
1133
01:03:05,960 --> 01:03:08,600
and needs to be treated with
respect and to start with a
1134
01:03:08,600 --> 01:03:09,880
little bit.
You can always take more.
1135
01:03:09,880 --> 01:03:13,840
You can't take less.
And to really, yeah, to treat
1136
01:03:13,840 --> 01:03:16,720
the plant with respect and
consume a small amount and see
1137
01:03:16,720 --> 01:03:19,600
what's appropriate for you.
And then also just pointing out
1138
01:03:19,600 --> 01:03:22,760
to people some of the things to
look out for in the industry,
1139
01:03:22,760 --> 01:03:25,080
because we'll get a lot of folks
that are just visiting Portland,
1140
01:03:25,080 --> 01:03:27,840
traveling from, from other
States and all of that and just
1141
01:03:27,840 --> 01:03:29,960
telling them, hey, you can, you
can find us here online.
1142
01:03:29,960 --> 01:03:32,480
But if you're looking for Katam,
just make sure that there's a,
1143
01:03:32,840 --> 01:03:35,200
you know, there are third party
lab tests that you can access
1144
01:03:35,200 --> 01:03:37,680
and you can check for heavy
metal concentrations,
1145
01:03:38,040 --> 01:03:42,920
microbials, pesticides, all
those things that, that you, you
1146
01:03:42,920 --> 01:03:44,600
want to avoid.
As well as seeing that there's
1147
01:03:44,600 --> 01:03:47,960
good alkaloid concentration and
being able to do, you know, see
1148
01:03:47,960 --> 01:03:51,200
the exact total alkaloid
concentration of a batch and,
1149
01:03:51,400 --> 01:03:53,760
and know how potent it is.
You can measure your dose, you
1150
01:03:53,760 --> 01:03:57,720
know, based off grams or also
by, you know, milligrams of, of
1151
01:03:57,720 --> 01:03:59,600
active alkaloids as well.
So.
1152
01:03:59,920 --> 01:04:03,000
Always give new customers a
little tiny spoon that helps
1153
01:04:03,000 --> 01:04:05,720
them measure a very exact amount
every time.
1154
01:04:06,400 --> 01:04:08,960
And we think that's really
important is, you know, you tell
1155
01:04:08,960 --> 01:04:12,640
somebody or just try a small
teaspoon and then some people's
1156
01:04:12,640 --> 01:04:15,560
teaspoon is 3 times the size of
other people's teaspoon.
1157
01:04:15,560 --> 01:04:18,360
And it's a very uncontrolled
dosing.
1158
01:04:18,360 --> 01:04:21,880
So yeah, we're able to give
people a little wooden teaspoon
1159
01:04:21,880 --> 01:04:26,000
that allows them to have a very
exact dosage, but they know the
1160
01:04:26,000 --> 01:04:28,680
quantity every time.
And I think that's really
1161
01:04:28,680 --> 01:04:32,800
important for mindful uses to,
you know, make sure that you're
1162
01:04:33,600 --> 01:04:38,000
able to track your dosage and be
able to to take the same amount
1163
01:04:38,000 --> 01:04:39,840
every time so you get a reliable
result.
1164
01:04:40,560 --> 01:04:42,840
That is so great ocean and
yummy.
1165
01:04:42,840 --> 01:04:45,840
Thank you for spending time with
us and and enlightening us more
1166
01:04:45,840 --> 01:04:48,760
about this amazing plant.
We'll definitely get y'all back
1167
01:04:48,760 --> 01:04:51,160
on again sometime.
Thank you so much, Madeline.
1168
01:04:51,160 --> 01:04:54,120
It's been absolutely wonderful.
The hour's absolutely flown by.
1169
01:04:54,320 --> 01:04:57,200
It really has.
Thank you Madeline, it's been an
1170
01:04:57,200 --> 01:04:59,520
absolute pleasure.
And like I said before, we've
1171
01:04:59,520 --> 01:05:02,520
been following your work for a
long time and are really, really
1172
01:05:02,520 --> 01:05:05,840
so excited to be here and, and
discuss all these topics with
1173
01:05:05,840 --> 01:05:07,840
you.
And yeah, we'd love to continue
1174
01:05:07,840 --> 01:05:09,880
the conversation.
We always tell folks that come
1175
01:05:09,880 --> 01:05:12,400
in the store, we're like, OK,
stop us if you get bored because
1176
01:05:12,400 --> 01:05:15,200
we can talk about kratom topics
endlessly.
1177
01:05:15,200 --> 01:05:18,120
And if there's the two of us in
there, sometimes you get, you
1178
01:05:18,120 --> 01:05:21,120
know, multi hour conversation
and, and that's what we love.
1179
01:05:21,320 --> 01:05:24,720
So always happy to answer
questions and continue the
1180
01:05:24,720 --> 01:05:26,640
dialogue.
And again, thank you so much.















