Bill and Char Mayes officially started TinctureBelle in 2010 with a goal of helping patients through the healing powers of marijuana. And that’s still their main gig — but they make some delicious rec chocolate bars now too.
The family-run company didn’t even consider joining the recreational game until 2014. Even then, they only did it because it seemed like a necessity to stay afloat amongst a growing number of competitors cashing in on Colorado’s green rush. Now many of their products are available without a doctor’s note at Emerald Fields in Manitou Springs and Strawberry Fields in Pueblo.
But the couple, who have been married 25 years and co-own the business, say their mission is still to share marijuana with those who need it most. “Anybody out there that needs help, we go above and beyond,” says Bill Mayes. “We put the patients and the people first.”
He adds, “We started to help people with the tincture and that was the first product we came out with. Shortly after, we made the rub, soap and lotion to help with eczema, digestive issues, to cure a simple headache.”
One thing that hasn’t changed? TinctureBelle is still run by the Mayes family — and not just Bill and Char.
“TinctureBelle has always been a family-run company,” says Char Mayes. “People say you shouldn’t work with your family, but I don’t agree. Our oldest daughter is our head chef and manager, my sister manages the medical sales, my cousin ran the Pueblo location and Uncle Steve [who recently passed away] was a grower. I think because we all love and care for each other so much, that comes out in our products.”
TinctureBelle’s original tincture is still a staple, available in Naked (no flavor but tastes like honey) and Hashberry, a strawberry-raspberry mixture. Although tincture is traditionally made with alcohol, due to sticky distribution laws that prohibit mixing the two substances, TinctureBelle uses 99.9 percent kosher, food-grade glycerin. And there’s a benefit to that. Alcohol is an ideal carrier for THC, but ingesting liquefied weed under the tongue can produce an unpleasant taste when using say Everclear.
“Glycerin is very sweet but completely diabetic-safe because there’s no sugar in it,” says Char Mayes. “It’s also conducive to other medications so it seems to be an opportune medium to cater to the masses.”
The tincture is infused twice, once with the whole flower that has been carboxylated in crock pots. Then the plant matter is strained out, leaving the glycerin to retain all the goodness from the green. It’s infused again with RSO, extracted cannabis oil that contains all the chemical properties of the weed. It’s also known as “full spectrum,” meaning you’re getting all the cannabinoids from the marijuana.
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