Nyree Bekarian Mack is the Founder & CEO of Alta Goods, a functional food company focused on delivering the calming power of hemp derived CBD in a healthy, delicious, and portable bite. Nyree is an Environmental Health Scientist and Chemical Regulatory expert who has studied human exposure to toxins in consumer products for over 15 years.

My journey with Alta started back in 2017. I was seeing a bunch of doctors for worsening migraines, terrible gut issues, and increasing anxiety. I had been urged by my neurologist to stop taking migraine medications, which can have serious side effects. She recommended I try taking THC oil to ease migraine pain. But, as a mother of two with a full-time job, there was no way that was going to work. I had heard about taking cannabidiol (CBD) – THC’s non-intoxicating cousin and the second most abundant cannabinoid in the cannabis plant – for pain relief and decided to try it out for my migraines. It didn’t end up helping (migraines are complicated that way). But what I did notice when I took CBD is that I was more calm and focused. In fact, the general anxiety that is my normal baseline was gone. I needed to know more so I got super nerdy and took a deep dive look at the available science on CBD and other cannabinoids and how they work with the body’s endocannabinoid system to reduce anxiety and inflammation.

A Quick Look at the Endocannabinoid System

The endocannabinoid system (ECS) is a complex “control” system in that helps balance the systems in our body that control things like mood, sleep, and memory. Studies have shown that the ECS is also involved in the body’s inflammatory response. It was discovered by researchers studying the effects of THC in the body in the early 1990s, hence the name. Researchers are still learning about how CBD interacts with the ECS; it’s thought that CBD acts like a conductor, carefully modulating receptors and ion channels that have gotten out of whack from the stress of everyday life, which can lead to anxiety, loss of focus, poor sleep, and digestive issues, among other things, bringing the ECS back into balance can reduce anxiety and improve cognitive function – mind-body balance.

A Better CBD Product

When I started looking at the hemp products on the market, what I found shocked me. Hemp brands proliferated seemingly overnight, and without regulatory oversight a lack of transparency and quality control made navigating the space to find a reputable brand really difficult. What’s more, I found existing CBD products to be lacking in functionality and quality:

• Oils can be a messy, unenjoyable experience. Many have confusing concentration information, which makes it hard to know how much you’re taking. And the little glass bottles aren’t really portable and are best for home-use.
• Hemp-infused foods tend to be high in sugar and low in nutritional value. Most use CBD isolates which lack the minor cannabinoids that, together with CBD make hemp extracts communicate with the ECS.
• Gummies are fun but I don’t really want candy and, because of the challenges in making gummies with a full-spectrum extract, most are made with CBD isolate or highly processed extracts that lack potency.

I really wanted to find a product that tasted good, was made with high quality whole ingredients, and could fit in my bag or pocket so I could take it when I needed to calm my anxiety. In founding Alta, I wanted to help shift the mindset of how we approach food in general, and hemp in particular, toward an understanding of wellness and relief.

Alta bites are the first tahini-based functional bar that incorporates full-spectrum hemp CBD. We have a strong commitment to responsible ingredient sourcing and transparency. We source our certified organic, full-spectrum hemp extract directly from farmers in Vermont, who practice sustainable, regenerative farming. We launched in February, 2020 with three amazing flavors that pull from my Armenian roots. Each Alta bite has 20 mg organic, full-spectrum hemp CBD that is third party tested for quality and potency. Packed with healthy ingredients like organic pumpkin seeds and tahini, a nutritious sesame butter, Alta Bites are layered with complex flavors and hints of natural sweetness. High in whole protein, low in sugar and gluten free, our bites are loaded with whole-plant nutrition. Built on the notion that every bite should enhance wellness, Alta never uses artificial ingredients or refined sugar.

I started Alta Goods to create a product that was going to be all the things that I thought was lacking in hemp products. Functionality, nutrition, transparency, honesty, and above all, taste!