From left: Mike Shimko, Randy Scott, Allen Lowther, and Dane Morris in front of one of the three different types of distillers Omni Organics uses to purify CBD for its KaKu and SKY’D products. Shimko, Lowther, and Morris started Omni Organics in 2018, and minority partner Scott brings graphic design skills to the team.
The company provides a QR code on each package that links customers to a third-party certificate of analysis. Omni Organics currently markets CBD oils, creams, and roll-ons under the brand name KaKu. They’re also marketing delta-8 THC gummies, vape cartridges, and oils under the name SKY’D. Delta-8 is a hemp-derived compound that does provide a high, one that’s milder than from marijuana and is entirely legal. More on the horizon Omni Organics employs three to five people in its lab at any given time, and the partners say they have the capacity to more than double their current production. Their products are sold in stores in states across the region, including several in Morgantown—check the website for the latest list. And they’re just getting started in this fast-evolving industry. Lowther, Morris, and Shimko are excited about the potential for hemp products to help West Virginians. “Both CBD and delta-8 products can help with the addictions that are rampant in our state—alcohol, opioids,” Shimko says. He knows people who take their CBD products for inflammatory conditions—his own parents, for example, find relief from arthritis. Military veterans in Lowther’s family find calming from PTSD without having to experience the high of medical marijuana. The partners have ideas for innovating new CBD products, too. No hints yet, but stay tuned. kakucbd.com, skydd8.com written and photographed by pam kasey
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