How CBD oil gave two Mancs a new lease of life – and a booming business
Dr. Ed is the leading supplier of quality CBD oil in Manchester - sending more than 100,000 units to doors around the world; including those belonging to football and soap stars.
“I’d have a call with a client, and then as soon as the phone went down, I’d think: ‘He probably thought I was a dickhead.’”
Alex McMillan is remembering his life before CBD oil.
It was a time when he worked in the marketing sector, and every move he made was subject to scrutiny.
“I’d put off everything,” he tells The Manc.
“I’d refuse to open emails, I’d delay doing tasks.
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“My self-confidence was at an all-time low, and I didn’t want to go out as much.
“It’s hard to explain unless you have it. But anxiety just made me hyperanalyse everything.”
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Millions in the UK suffer from anxiety. According to the NHS, more than 5% of people in the country are out there right now, struggling to manage the problems that arise as a result of the condition.
Finding a way to relieve symptoms can prove to be a huge challenge.
But, in true British fashion, Alex’s path to recovery began with a bonding session in the pub.
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Pints in hand, Alex talked it all through with his buddy Ed, and with his knowledge they came to the conclusion that CBD oil – a liquid extracted from cannabis – could be a potential solution.
Dr. Edward Jones, who happened to have an extensive background in Neuroscience and numerous degrees from the University of Manchester, whipped up a recipe.
Today, the brand is the leading supplier of quality CBD oil in Manchester – sending more than 100,000 units to doors around the world; including those belonging to football and soap stars.
“Without naming specific names, I can’t believe how far it’s come and the diversity of our customers – from all walks of life.” Alex chuckles.
Now that its health benefits are all but confirmed, CBD oil is rapidly becoming a saturated marketplace.
First and foremost, it actually does what it says on the bottle. And second, it boasts some of the best flavours you’re ever likely to find in CBD oil, according to its founders.
“We use specifically grown Californian hemp which is then processed using advanced techniques with no harsh chemicals or solvent to produce raw CBD oil’ Ed explains.
“We also include added terpenes that give it a great taste. One of the biggest problems with a lot of CBD is that it often tastes awful; many cannot get over the inherently ‘weedy’ and ‘earthy’ taste and terpenes do wonders for the palatability.
“The most successful users of CBD take it every day and experiment with timing and dosing schedules. So if the oil doesn’t taste good, you’re not going to stick to it which is why flavour profile is so important to us.’’
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Happy customers have come flooding back to Dr. Ed after enjoying relief from anxiety; and by tweaking the formula, Dr Edward Jones has found a way to help ease other common ailments, too.
Their CBD oil range has now expanded from anxiety cures to pain relief, insomnia remedies and even PMS problems.
Other oils in the catalogue have also shown an ability to increase users’ libido and their energy levels based in part on the inclusion of other active ingredients alongside CBD.
Cannabis without THC – the part of the plant that triggers a psychoactive response – has acquired growing stature in the medicinal world over the past few years.
Whilst there remains tight regulation on the plant itself, CBD oil has been declared not only safe and legal but even healthful.
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“The rules are that the products have to be produced from hemp that contain less than 0.2% THC, and the final product must contain no more than 1mg of THC” Ed explains.
“Ours have zero THC as detected by our current lab partners.’
“We triple-batch test to make sure there’s no THC in there at all – and also to confirm each bottle contains the amount of CBD we say there is on the label.
“Sting operations among CBD oils are common. Many find that very little CBD is actually in there. But we always make sure there’s exactly the right amount.”
Alex calls their production process ‘fairly simple’, but ‘second-to-none’ in terms of results.
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“All the plants are grown and harvested in California, they extract the CBD and other cannabinoids, turning it into a waxy resin. This high quality resin is then processed by us in different ways to generate our unique product line’’, he tells us.
“It’s pretty simple, it’s just about getting those ingredients right and ensuring our mixing processes are accurate, reliable and clean. ‘’
Dr. Ed CBD has three full time members on the team right now, with numerous other part time support staff but they’re looking to triple full-time staff numbers by the end of the year.
A far cry from the job-cutting stories most businesses are despondently sharing in 2020.
The brand is also aiming to grow throughout Europe with more production plants – increasing distribution and expanding the product range.
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“I’m more confident and I’m a better person to be around since taking the oil,” says Alex.
“It’s just helped so much.”
With six-figure sales since launch, it looks like Dr. Ed’s oil has gone far beyond patient zero.
Thousands with anxiety are suddenly starting to feel a lot better.
Learn more about the products available from Dr. Ed by visiting the company website.
Feature
Blossoms deliver most rock and roll performance in years as Declan McKenna joins them on stage
Danny Jones
Last night, we were fortunate enough to be there in the flesh not only to see Blossoms play a special anniversary show in Manchester, but to witness Declan McKenna join them on stage.
A tiny part of us was wondering if we’d see Rick Astley roll out into the venue, but let’s just say we’ll absolutely take this.
Celebrating a decade to the day since the release of the self-titled debut LP – yes, we feel old, too – Blossoms announced the one-off intimate show at The Deaf Institute, a venue they hadn’t played in 12 whole years (good lord…), and it served as much more than a night of nostalgia.
But we’ll admit, the highlight was almost certainly seeing the ‘Brazil’ and ‘British Bombs’ singer join Tom Ogden, Charlie Salt, Josh Dewhurst, Myles Kellock and Joe Donovan on stage for their smallest gig since god knows when.
We’ve gotten somewhat used to seeing the Enfield-born solo artist popping up at random venues across the country and even performing DJ sets at local pubs.
If you haven’t seen that Kylie Minogue clip before, you really need to…
However, we don’t think anyone in the crowd was expecting this cameo, let alone hearing them perform a co-written track off the new record live in front of the audience for the very first time.
As if all of this wasn’t already a bit bonkers and left-field, the song in question, entitled ‘Additional Driver’, was self-admittedly so surprising in SO many ways that Tom felt he needed to explain the full story behind it and why Declan shouted “shoulda got the 192” before they started playing.
Yes, in some kind of Greater Mancunian fever dream, we’ve finally got artists writing lyrics about the region’s most infamous bus route that we’re sure most, if not all of you, can relate to.
But it wasn’t just this moment that had us debating in our heads, ‘are they the best Manc or maybe in Northern band full stop going right now?’, it was seeing them slip so seamlessly back into the more straight-down-the-line indie rock from their first chapter of studio material that did it.
Everyone knows and loves the biggest bangers from that inaugural outing: ‘Getaway’, ‘Charlemagne’, ‘At Most a Kiss’, ‘Honey Sweet’, etc.; but it’s hard to forget just how quintessentially rock and roll tunes like ‘Blow Rose’, ‘Cut Me and I’ll Bleed’, ‘Texia’ and even some of the other deep cuts/early releases are.
Don’t get us wrong, we love how much the dressing up (musically and quite literally) they’ve done over the years as their production, creativity and experimentation has increased, but it’s always hard to beat that feeling you get when finding an artist’s first album – especially one as good as Blossoms‘.
In fairness, listening back to ‘Deep Grass’ all these years later, we’ll still remember how spacey, psychedelic and downright different that intro felt back in the day; it now feels like a fitting end to that maiden outing and the perfect jumping-off point for what has been a real sonic exploration ever since.
For a lad born in SK2 and lucky enough to have seen these lads right from the start, stuff like this will never not feel surreal to me.
Long live ‘Blossoms from Stockport‘, and roll on Songs From The Wedding Cake this October.
Rivington Brewing Co – The beautiful country walk that ends at a taproom with stunning views
Daisy Jackson
After a long afternoon of trudging through the countryside in whatever weather conditions the North throws at you, there’s nothing quite like the reward of a crisp pint.
And on a particularly beautiful walk right on the outskirts of Greater Manchester, we stumbled upon a taproom that might just provide the best drinking background in the region.
Let’s start with the walk details.
If you haven’t yet been exploring the trails and paths around Rivington, you’re missing out on a real stunner of a hike.
There are countless loops you can do around the area, providing the best bits of all countryside settings.
You want woods? They’ve got em. A nice flat walk beside a body of water? Rivington’s got it. A decent uphill trudge ending in absolutely stunning views? Yep, that’s here too.
A highlight of this corner of the North West is the Rivington Terraced Gardens, which will try to transport you to Italy and Japan all while only just stepping outside Bolton.
These 100-year-old gardens were created by the Lord of Leverhulme and inspired by his travels, and have been carefully restored in recent years by teams of volunteers.
Walking around the footpaths and flights of steps you’ll stumble upon a hidden Japanese Garden, lakes, waterfalls, bridges, sculptures and caves, ending up at the top of Rivington Pike with panoramic views.
Rivington Pike. Credit: GetLostMCR
From here, you can keep going along to Winter Hill for arguably even more impressive views, or start to loop back down the hill to the water’s edge, passing Liverpool Castle as you go.
And here is where the beer comes in.
If you pass through the village of Rivington itself and walk along Horrobin Lane which crosses the two reservoirs, you’ll find yourself at the Rivington Brew Co Tap.
This is huge taproom is a haven for modern craft beer, with absolutely loads of brews to choose from and a can fridge if the 20-odd taps don’t have what you fancy.
There’s plenty of cosy spaces inside the fairylight-strewn converted barn building, but the beer garden is the star of the show.
Inside the bar at Rivington Brew Co TapSo many pints to choose fromThe Rivington Brew Co Tap beer garden
There are views from here right across the water and all the way to Pigeon Tower and Winter Hill, with plenty of space for big groups.
And dotted all around the outdoor area are a rotating selection of street food traders, serving everything from pizza to burgers to cakes.
In situ currently, you’ll find Bun Chicken Bun, who are serving up a menu of 24-hour-brined crispy chicken, as burgers, tenders, Caesar salads, and loads more.
They’ve also got pots of mac and cheese that will give you such a long mozzarella cheese pull, you’ll have to stand up to snap it.
Chicken burger and loaded fries from Bun Chicken BunPots of macaroni cheeseMargo’s pizzasBun Chicken Bun’s homemade chicken gravyA spread of food from the traders at Rivington Brew Co Tap
AND they’re doing loads of loaded fries, other sides like corn ribs, and incredible chicken gravy.
Across the courtyard you’ll find Margo’s, serving New York-style pizzas on charming checkerboard plates.
These brilliant thin and crispy slices come topped with everything from fried chicken (a collab with Bun Chicken Bun), blue cheese and buffalo sauce; to parma ham, fresh rocket and balsamic.
And completing the trifecta of street food traders is Meld (devastatingly, not open the day we visited), which is bringing great burgers and tacos to Rivington Taproom.
They’re also serving what I think might be Greater Manchester’s first beer garden small plates, like king prawns in gochujang butter, burrata and peach toast, and padron peppers.
If you’re looking for a belting Saturday afternoon activity, this is absolutely the one.
You can look a walk in the area that suits your ability here.
The Manc -
22nd September 2020 
