A Pueblo-rooted entrepreneur whose Queen Mary edible cannabis products will soon be on local shelves has been awarded a state grant as part of Colorado’s effort to foster equity and diversity, especially among small businesses in the cannabis industry.

The Cannabis Business office, part of Colorado’s Office of Economic Development and International Trade, awarded a $25,000 foundational grant to Tiana Woodruff, founder of Queen Mary edibles and tinctures.

“This important program will provide funding and resources that support Colorado’s cannabis businesses as they launch and as they grow,” said Eve Lieberman, Colorado’s economic development office executive director.

The increased interest in Cannabis Business Office resources, coming after the grants launched last year, has showcased the need for the grants because traditional funding sources designated for small businesses often preclude the cannabis industry.

Woodruff, whose family moved to Pueblo when she was in elementary school, is a 1997 graduate of Centennial High School who also attended Central. She launched her business last year in California with the help of a social equity grant there.

She got the idea for Queen Mary health and wellness products to “bridge the gap between recreational and medicinal cannabis” while serving as a delivery driver for the industry.

She has since partnered with another social equity manufacturer called Workhorse Global in Denver to create her products. The first run of products in Colorado will cost $35,000, so even with the state grant she still has to raise another $10,000 in capital.

“This grant will make a huge difference in my world and will enable me to get the brand going and off the ground in Colorado. The next step is getting into dispensaries," she said.

“It is definitely difficult for new brands to get into dispensaries because it is a very saturated market in Colorado,” Woodruff said.

Woodruff has connected with a company that supplies products to 30 dispensaries in Colorado, so local residents will see Queen Mary items on the shelves of all three Star Buds, including Pueblo locations at 4305 Thatcher Ave. and 30899 U.S. Highway 50 Business; as well as in Pueblo West at 428 S. McCulloch Blvd., No. 2888.

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Extraction process sets Queen Mary apart

Woodruff said what sets her gummies apart from others is how they are made.

“There is no solvent used in the process, it is done with pressure and ice water. What that changes in your high is instead of just extracting THC we use the full spectrum of the plant — all the cannabinoids, all the terpenes and the THC,” Woodruff said.

The gummies are water soluble and fast-acting so users feel the effects in 10 to 15 minutes, as opposed to two hours with other edible products. Her goal is to market the products as an alterative to addictive prescription drugs.

“As you know, Pueblo has opioids and heroin addictions growing in our small town. So I’m trying to find something to offset that,” Woodruff said.

She is a foster mother to two children who were taken from their mother because of her prescription drug abuse.

“It is something that is very near and dear to my heart,” Woodruff said.

Woodruff’s products include the Enchanted strawberry lemonade gummy which is designed to provide a daytime boost and because it has the added natural ingredient of Rhodiola, is believed to have antidepressant properties.

The Moonstruck lavender blueberry gummy is designed to work as a sleep aid and pain reliever as it contains not only THC but also a CBN cannabinoid which is believed to help with inflammation and arthritis relief.

The Elixir Boost tincture also is designed to be a “pick me up” that helps with motivation. The products are infused with vitamins like D and B12, and each serving contains 10 milligrams of THC.

Woodruff, who was a singer, dancer and musical theater fanatic in high school, moved to California to try to break into the acting industry. She ended up getting a masters in business administration and “felt like I had to become a scientist” to understand how to create her cannabis products.

“I have been blessed to work with wonderful manufacturers — I call them my food scientists — who have helped me formulate the ingredients for my products,” she explained.

She said social equity programs in Colorado are long overdue.

The idea of the programs is to right the disproportionate wrongs that criminalization of marijuana created on people of color. Woodruff describes herself as “a low-income woman of color” who was the first in her family to go to college, so she saw firsthand how hard it is to break the barriers down and get into the industry.

“It is so important to open that door and level the playing field to help Indigenous, Black and brown-owned brands get into the market and on the shelves,” she said.

She said the regulations and expenses in the industry are cumbersome and touch on everything from manufacturing and distribution to banking and taxation.

“For all the entrepreneurs who want to start a business, you have to be passionate, an advocate and absolutely love it or you won’t make it in this industry because there is just wall after wall of regulations,” she explained.

To find out more about Queen Mary, visit queenmarybrand.com.

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Chieftain reporter Tracy Harmon covers business news. She can be reached by email at tharmon@chieftain.com or via Twitter at twitter.com/tracywumps.

This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Puebloan's Queen Mary edible cannabis brand gets state grant boost