Apothecanna is a Denver body-care brand that helped establish cannabis topicals as a consumer category before CBD lotions reached national retail. It sells hemp-derived cremes, sprays, oils, bath soaks, balm sticks, after-sun lotion and gummies directly online.
Founders and early history
James Kennedy and Joie Meffert founded Apothecanna in 2009, with the first products reaching shelves in 2010. Kennedy's approach to plant-based formulation was shaped by Horst Rechelbacher, the founder of Aveda, and his Intelligent Nutrients line. Meffert came out of the New York art and fashion world and moved to Colorado as the state opened its first medical dispensaries. The company launched inside Colorado's medical-cannabis era, years before federally legal hemp CBD entered mass retail.
Apothecanna was the first topicals brand to expand nationally and to secure a federal trademark. It recorded more than US$4 million in revenue in 2020, roughly half of it through e-commerce, and reached CVS and other national retail shelves.
Ownership changes
HempFusion Wellness closed its acquisition of Apothecanna in 2021, paying an initial US$15 million with a further US$10 million tied to revenue milestones. In April 2023 GABY Inc. announced an agreement to acquire HempFusion together with its Sagely Naturals and Apothecanna brands. HempFusion subsequently ceased its manufacturing, research and development operations and terminated the majority of its employees. The Apothecanna storefront is trading today.
What the current line includes
The live catalog centers on the Extra Strength range — Body Creme, Body Spray, Body Oil, Bath Soak and Balm Stick — alongside Circulating leg and foot products, CBD After Sun Body Lotion, general body care, gummies and value sets.
Ingredients and testing
Apothecanna formulates with hemp grown in the United States, and its published ingredient policy excludes artificial ingredients, fillers, parabens, GMO ingredients, artificial colors, synthetic fragrances and animal by-products. Products are third-party tested and the site carries a certificate-of-analysis search keyed to batch.
The current store is a hemp consumer-products business rather than the Colorado medical-cannabis topical line described in early coverage. Its shop lists CBD body cremes, sprays, oils, bath soak, balm, after-sun lotion and other wellness products.
Ingredients and product claims
Apothecanna says it uses U.S.-grown hemp, third-party testing and formulations without parabens, artificial colors or artificial fragrances. Individual pages provide complete ingredient lists and cannabinoid amounts. Customer testimonials and benefit labels are not clinical evidence. The store expressly states that the products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease and that its statements have not been evaluated by the FDA.
Current contact and fulfillment
The contact page publishes hello@apothecanna.com. Shipping information says orders are fulfilled from Kentucky and shipped only within the United States, while the April 2025 privacy policy lists a Winchester, Kentucky mailing address. Those current details support using Winchester rather than Denver as the public location field, while Denver remains part of the company's founding history.
Ownership history
HempFusion closed its purchase of Apothecanna in 2021. GABY later announced an agreement to acquire HempFusion and its brands in 2023. Apothecanna's current consumer site does not identify a parent company, so those transactions describe the brand's ownership history rather than proving its present ownership.
Cannabinoid wellness profiles
Readers comparing topicals and wellness products can continue with Papa & Barkley, Mary's Medicinals, Lord Jones and Medterra.