Joe: On this episode of the “CPG & CBD University Podcast,” we introduce you to nootropics, the science behind our proprietary formula in the new hyper brain iQ gummies and capsules. Learn about the nutrients that’s part of this trend in those gummies and capsules for your health and wellness benefits. This is the “CPG & CBD University Podcast,” and it starts right now.

I’m Joe Agostinelli, the host of the “CPG & CBD University Podcast.” Welcome to our returning listeners. And to new listeners, catch full video episodes on YouTube. Plus, no matter where you listen to our podcast, or watch, you can catch full video episodes on YouTube. Hit that subscribe button, wherever you get your podcast, for notifications of new episodes.

We’re talking nootropics on this episode. It’s the latest in our “Gummy Central” series. I could sit here and tell you how Merriam-Webster defines nootropics, but rather than just give you the one line answer — a substance that enhances cognition and memory and facilities learning…and, yes, I have to look at my script just in case. I welcome to our podcast our quality manager, Nelson Rodriguez, and our technical services manager, Michael Diaz. That wasn’t the title the last time we had him on. Congratulations on the promotion. Welcome back, both of you.

Nelson: Congratulations, Michael.

Michael: Thank you. Thank you, guys. Appreciate it very much.

Joe: So, let’s start off with the basics — nootropics. When we use that term, what are we talking about?

Michael: Well, kind of briefly touching on it, it’s anything that helps cognitive capabilities improve. So, one of the ones we typically have every morning is caffeine. Right? I mean, that’s one that you always have every morning. It kind of wakes up. That’s how it works. And right now, we actually can use that in combination with other ones to help kind of get some synergistic effects.

Nelson: Yeah. Like L-theanine, for example.

Michael: Yeah.

Nelson: It’s found on tea. There’s research out there indicating that, you know, it helps with depression and anxiety among other things. But it does have a synergistic effect with caffeine. You know, caffeine makes you sometimes a little bit jittery. Then L-theanine has kind of like a countering effect to that. It makes you a little bit calm.

Michael: Sure.

Nelson: But without…you know, not messing up with the effects of caffeine itself.

Michael: That’s right.

Nelson: If that makes sense.

Joe: What other types of ingredients are we talking about when we talk about nootropics? And then we’ll get into how they work in our gummies.

Michael: Sure. Yeah. So, there’s also a Bacopa one out there that also kind of helps, again, improve your awareness and alertness. Most of them do that as far as getting you a little bit more…improving, like you said, memory, just any cognitive ability that you can think of right there. And there are different ones out there. There’s a lot of research going into this, which is why we’re getting into it.

Nelson: Like aGPC to improve reaction time, for example.

Michael: That’s right.

Nelson: It’s kind of like big in the gaming industry. There’s others out there like…I think Serenade is another one. AlphaSize is another one. There are just so many. Like, we can start naming that right now, but we would never end.

Joe: And are there challenges to including multiple of these in gummies?

Nelson: Always. You know, the more you put into a gummy, the more difficult the formula itself is, right? And all the aspects — color, shape, taste. So, having us to put so many active ingredients into one gummy, for example, hyper brain, so it was not really easy. It was a formula that literally almost everybody in the R and D department had to touch at some time. So, I don’t know if you want to…

Michael: No. Yeah. Well, it was basically the same. We started with the CBD ingredient right now, and we’re starting to add all these other ingredients which add, like you said, a bunch of different effects, whether it be from the texture of the gummy…taste is a big deal. Right? And so, obviously, when we want a gummy, we want it to taste good. And so, having that ability to include some of these ingredients that have not very good taste, you know, it becomes a big challenge there because there are other things that you have to do to make sure that it goes. And you can kind of make it more pleasing to the palate.

Nelson: Oh, yeah.

Joe: Nelson, you touched on this, but the process of coming up with a formula for the hyper brain gummies, how hard was it?

Nelson: Well, I mean, it all goes back to basics. Right? We start with, okay, what ingredients do we want to put in a gummy, right? So, we first need to verify the proper amount that we need to put an active ingredient in there. There are safety precautions out there. We need to know how much active to put up x, y, and z. So, that’s kind of like the first step.

Then we start adding other active ingredients in there. Either they have synergistic effect with the other active ingredients, but we check the stability of the gummy, taste, and color. So, it’s not like we decided tomorrow, “Hey. Let’s put five active ingredients to this gummy.” And to be honest, I put some active ingredients in one of our formulas and then I’m like, “Hey, Michael. You need to check this. I can’t make this work.” And I’m like, “Can you check on this?” And then Michael is like, “Hey. I can’t make this work. Can you check on this?” I mean, it’s fun, to be honest.

Michael: Yeah. It’s a fun thing, and it’s a research project. I mean, you start with what you want out of a gummy. You start looking at what are the nootropics or ingredients that will help you achieve this. And then you start formulating off of that, seeing the technical feasibility. Then you start walking and discussing amongst the group which is… I know we’ve mentioned it a couple of times, but that’s what’s beautiful about the R and D group is that we have a bunch of people with different experiences that come together, help each other out to get the ingredients correct that we’re trying to get to achieve the effect we want from the gummy, and the amounts that he mentioned. It’s good to have that also in check to make sure we’re doing that appropriately for everybody.

Nelson: Now that you mentioned that, it’s kind of funny because when Michael got here and he was initiated, it was a specific formula. I’m like, “Michael, the taste is horrible. I need help.” Because it had caffeine, for example. Caffeine by itself, it’s very bitter. So, I was having trouble masking that flavor in the gummy. The gummy formula was very complicated. I gave it to Michael. Michael, “Let me see what I can find.” He found a really good masker, and now it tastes great. So, that’s kind of how it goes.

Michael: That’s right.

Joe: You said “initiated.” I thought we were going to have to have an off-camera discussion as to what goes on behind the scenes when you join the team.

Nelson: I say “initiated.” I knew he was going to make it. Michael’s going to fit in.

Joe: And as I mentioned in the intro, our propriety nootropic formula is part of our newest health and wellness brand, hyper brain iQ. In addition to gummies, which we talked about, there’s also capsules. Are the ingredients for both the same?

Michael: Yeah. Typically speaking, the ingredients themselves are the same. The dosage might be different between the two.

Joe: And you can visit www.hyperbrainiq.com for more details, and to purchase either the gummies or capsules, both available 8 and 30-count soon. So, what sets this apart from other nootropic makers out there? Anything we don’t include that others may include?

Nelson: Yes and no. Because it all depends on what kind of nootropic you want to add. Nootropic is something that can affect you in many different ways. The way we want hyper brain to work was basically, you know, improve reacting time. You know, you keep yourself active. So, there’s so many nootropic formulas out there, and we decided to move with something like…I mean, it’s called hyper brain for a reason. Right? I myself use it for when I’m doing my gaming. It actually improves reaction time. I mean, I kind of like it.

Michael: Yeah. I use it, I mean, in lieu of coffee sometimes. I take a couple of the gummies right there. It does wake you up. I can tell you from the formulation standpoint, yes, all those chemicals right there, we went in intentionally trying to make sure we made one that can compete in the market and be a good nootropic for everybody.

Joe: And are there emerging trends in nootropics with additional ingredients that you’re currently following for maybe additional variations or products?

Nelson: Yes. I mean, there’s ingredients out there… I mean, I’m sorry I keep saying the same thing. But for the gaming industry, basically, there’s an ingredient out there that actually helps with…it helps your eyes. You know, you’re staring at a screen for so many hours. There’s a nootropic that actually help you, like, improve reaction time, but actually helps the eye not get too strained. That’s just one. There’s so many.

Michael: Yeah. And there are some suggestions out there that some of these things work well with our CBD. So, some people have used a little bit of these nootropics with CBD. So, that ties both of our worlds in. Right? Where we initially started and where we’re going now, they kind of go together and have this synergistic effect for either calming as opposed to maybe some of these more…you know, like, hyper brain is the more alert, awake type of deal. Now, you have more calming or maybe even sleep ones that you can also put in together.

Nelson: Yeah. Like sleep gummies with L-theanine, melatonin, CBD, CBN, you know, stuff that calms you down. Some of these ingredients are in the botanical blend also.

Michael: I believe GABA, too, right?

Nelson: GABA. GABA is another one.

Joe: Before we wrap up, only because he’s mentioned it, like, seven times, what’s currently on the gaming radar?

Michael: Here we go. Make sure [inaudible 00:09:45].

Nelson: There’s a lot going on. There’s a lot going on in the gaming stuff.

Joe: What are you playing these days? Nelson’s a big gamer on top of formulating all of our great gummies.

Nelson: I like fighting games. I like first-person shooters. I mean, I like MMOs. I can play anything, to be honest. And it’s kind of funny because the nootropic topic is very big in the gaming industry. You see a lot of different products out there very similar to hyper brain, but not better.

Joe: Yeah. Oh, we knew that. We knew that. We just wanted to make sure our listeners knew that, too. Nelson Rodriguez and Michael Diaz, my guests on this episode of the “CPG & CBD University Podcast,” thank you, guys, as always. Episode number 98 in the books. Hey. Check our social media networks as we approach episode number 100 just a couple episodes from now. We’ll take a retrospective look back at our first 99 episodes and some teasers along the way. You can check us out on the Global Widget LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter feeds.

And thank you for listening to this episode of our podcast. Don’t forget. Subscribe to the “CPG & CBD University Podcast” wherever you get your podcast. And catch full video episodes on YouTube. I’m Joe Agostinelli, host of the “CPG & CBD University Podcast.” Thanks for tuning in.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. CBD products are not intended to treat, cure, or prevent any disease or condition. Always consult with your personal physician about CBD and using CBD products. CBD should never be used by anyone under the age of 18. This podcast is not intended to provide legal advice regarding the legal status of CBD and CBD products.