Mo George-Payette had been using CBD for stress relief long before the former CEO of Mother’s Market & Kitchen left the health food store chain to start her own company.
“I was downing it before board meetings,” she told Passion Stories Podcast. “I would bring it … and try to share with them” as she told the directors she was keeping a close eye on the category’s growth in stores of the Costa Mesa-based company.
Her current venture, Huntington Beach-based Momo’s CBD, offers vegan, CBD-infused cacao bars, gummies and lip balms in over 70 natural foods and products stores across the country.
The global CBD market topped $5 billion in 2021 and is expected to expand at a 17% compound annual growth rate from 2022 to 2030, according to a report by Grand View Research.
CBD is derived from hemp plants and is a compound found in marijuana, but while aiding in pain relief and other afflictions, it doesn’t cause the “high” of that drug
While the “almost too rapid growth” of edible hemp and CBD products may have hindered the survival of other CBD startups, George-Payette said that Momo’s is “thriving” on its uphill journey as an emerging company.
Veggie Chef to CEO
George-Payette began her 30-year career at Mother’s as a veggie chef.
Her responsibilities initially included developing the menu for Mother’s restaurant and deli, sourcing ingredients and launching new juice bar concoctions.
She worked her way up Mother’s ladder from veggie chef to CEO after stints as a supplement and body care product coordinator, VP of food service operations and chief operating officer.
She was promoted to CEO in 2014 but left the company three years later, shortly after Mother’s was acquired by private equity firm Mill Road Capital.
“I knew that my world was changing,” she said in the podcast. “My world, where I worked with the founders, who truly believed in their values,” would not be the same anymore.
George-Payette still keeps up with the founders of Mother’s, and with the grocer. Her company’s products are currently sold at all 12 of the grocer’s locations.
Though a large portion of CBD products can be purchased in smoke shops, Momo’s candies, lip balms and dog treats won’t be sold there.
“My passion, and my heart and soul, is the natural products industry,” George-Payette told Passion Stories.
Another of George-Payette’s passions is ethical sourcing.
Momo’s, which describes itself as fair trade, sources its cacao from a co-op made up of small farms nestled in the Amazon rainforest in the San Martin region in Peru. Its coconut oil hails from a collective in West Africa.
“We are bettering their lives and providing a steady source of income for them,” George-Payette told the Business Journal.
CBD for Canines
Gummies were never intended to be part of Momo’s menu, but after receiving a barrage of requests for a non-chocolate alterative, she caved.
“You gotta be open,” George-Payette said in the Passion Stories episode.
Her company also produces CBD lip balm and dog treats, which George-Payette recommends giving to pets during Fourth of July fireworks shows.
“The pups need the bliss, too,” she said in the podcast.
‘One-Woman Show’
Being a small business has allowed Momo’s to be flexible.
The company, which George-Payette launched in 2019, is a “one-woman show,” she told Passion Stories. However, she relies on the support of friends, family and independent contractors as needed.
Momo’s has been self-funded so far, though George-Payette is looking to raise money through angel investors and crowdfunding.
The largely solo worker is also seeking a natural products industry veteran to join her and help her take Momo’s to the next level, as the company focuses on building brand visibility and identifying target markets it can “share the bliss” with.
“If Momo’s products can soothe the nerves, take the edge off and create a ‘feel good’ vibe” for customers, “we have done our job,” George-Payette said.
