Get to know Freshly Baked, available at your local Temescal Wellness dispensaries

According to health.usnews.com, about 11-20% of US veterans suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. At Temescal Wellness, we believe that having access to cannabis can be life-changing. Our good friends at Freshly Baked, a veteran-owned cannabis company, have the same mission that we do - to bring plant-based medicine to those who need it here in Grassachusetts. Ahead of Veteran’s Day, we chatted with Phil and Jenny, the owners of Freshly Baked, to discuss their delicious products, edibles vs smoking, and what we can do as a community to better support our veterans.

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How did the Freshly Baked founders discover that cannabis helps with PTSD?

Jenny's first experience with cannabis was less than 5 years ago with a friend. After that day, she knew she had found something special to help her manage her PTSD. Philip has enjoyed cannabis on the recreational side on and off for years but always found it helped him. After he finally embraced cannabis as a medication for his PTSD it changed his life.

How did this experience with cannabis motivate the founding of Freshly Baked?

Jenny and Phil started making gummies to help them sleep at night. They also gave their treats to neighbors, friends and family, who also benefited from the cannabis-infused gummies. Because of this, Jenny and Phil began to believe that access to cannabis was essential, and Freshly Baked was born. Their goal was to create a company that helped people who had similar experiences to theirs, and really everyone, by offering their gummies at a price point that they felt most people could afford.

Why edibles instead of another consumption method?

Edibles are more discreet and easy to dose compared to smoking flower. With proper dosing you can manage your level of medication depending on your situation. Phil likes 10mg THC before bed to sleep but with the new THC-CBN gummies from Freshly Baked, he only needs 5mg THC and 2-3mg of CBN.

“Being discreet also helps us accomplish our mission of expanding cannabis access. Not everyone wants to smoke, especially people new to cannabis. Edibles allow you to get the benefits of cannabis in a more approachable (and tasty!) form.” says Phil.

On your website, we read that Freshly Baked has reached some amazing milestones. What is the most memorable milestone since starting in 2019?

Our goal to be the first recreational home delivery company on the East Coast was a major accomplishment. It speaks to the dedication and commitment the Freshly Baked Team strives for every day.

What was the community’s (Taunton, MA and Veterans) response to Freshly Baked?

The City of Taunton has been a great partner in Freshly Baked’s journey. Without their belief in our vision, we would not have been able to start this company. We have also seen incredible support from the local community. As a locally owned and operated business, we work super hard to ensure the community and the City of Taunton are proud of Freshly Baked and the good we are trying to do for the city. We take a thoughtful approach when engaging with the community ensuring we are open and honest with who we are and what we stand for at Freshly Baked.

We work closely with the local VFW where Phil is a member, and have donated to help them with their facility and causes.

Have you faced/overcome a stigma with cannabis?

The stigma around cannabis is very real and the fight continues. Cannabis is not an approved federal medication for PTSD so some folks still think the benefits are not real. The more we speak about the Freshly Baked story those stigmas will slowly fade, and we're seeing it begin already. 

What would you like to see the veteran community’s relationship with cannabis and PTSD look like in the next 5 years?

In 5 years, we hope that cannabis is federally legal so that it can be a mainstream treatment option for veterans. Cannabis won’t help every veteran but every veteran should have a choice. There is a lot of good that can come from the plant and we hope that it’s an option for all.

Looking ahead, what are you excited for? Any new products/flavors coming down the pipeline?

We have many new products on the horizon. Our new sleep gummies with CBN are just hitting shelves and we have new gummy flavors that are blowing up taste buds. We'll be launching hard candies, Biscotti, vegan gummies and our own vape line soon. It’s an exciting time to be in the cannabis industry and we cannot wait to bring more high quality products to our loyal customers. We appreciate all the support from our customers and retail partners thus far and we want to make sure we are constantly innovating and keeping things fresh here at Freshly Baked!

With Veteran's Day coming up, what are some ways the community can show support to veterans?

On Veteran’s Day, please make sure to thank the vets in your life for their service. It seems simple but a lot of Veterans have never been thanked for their service.

If you’re a U.S. Veteran, as well as a registered medical patient in Massachusetts, you are qualified for Temescal Wellness’ Veteran Discount Program, which offers a 22% discount on all purchases with no limits or minimums. Learn more.