Ryan Howell (right) is the owner of Nuts & Buds in Grandy, NC
Nuts & Buds is a unique store that offers top quality, local CBD and hemp products as well as locally produced peanut products. We also carry several types of gift items and gourmet foods.
I have been growing hemp since the pilot program began and knew that I wanted to learn to process hemp into a consumer-ready product.
Working with chemists in the hemp industry, we were able to formulate our own brand (DRx CBD Oil) of oils, lotions, salves and other products.
There are a lot of CBD and hemp products on the market, but I wanted to offer customers a top quality product from a local, trusted source.
I enjoy the growing side of the business. Watching a plant grow from a seedling to a full grown, fruitful plant is amazing. But being able to take that plant and make a product that has the potential to help people with their daily stresses, aches and pains —without potential negative side effects— brings me great satisfaction.
Currituck County offers a great location, between Virginia and the Outer Banks - with the potential to capture not only locals, but also the influx of seasonal travelers. Currituck County is still a semi-rural area, which is super appealing to me, and at the same time has the flow through traffic of potential customers for us to reach.
One of the biggest is finding employees. I’m very fortunate that I have some great employees, but finding them has been a challenge.
When someone uses our products and gets relief from pain, stress or other conditions. When our customers tell us that our CBD and hemp products work and that they like our customer service and they appreciate the information that we share with them.
Top quality customer service. We hear this daily. Our customers tell us that we give them not only a family friendly store to shop in, but also helpful information and knowledge about our products. Our employees are well-trained and our customers appreciate that.
Talk with the county officials and get on the “right page” from the start. From the county economic developer, the planning board and inspections department, to the county Chamber of Commerce... they all have valuable information that will help you start your business and grow it.
