“The competition won’t be able to keep up”: How Love Hemp got ahead of the game

CBD giant Love Hemp is celebrating a first-of-its-kind global partnership deal with Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) – what does it mean for the company and the CBD industry as a whole?

Last month, major UK CBD and hemp product supplier, Love Hemp Group announced it had secured an exclusive multi-million-dollar global partnership deal with Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

The partnership, which is due to come into play on 1 June, 2021 and includes marketing and sponsorship opportunities, is set to put Love Hemp in the top tier of international brands.

“The deal with UFC is a big springboard for us,” said Tony Calamita, CEO and co-founder of Love Hemp.

“UFC is not only one of the biggest entertainment companies in the world, but also the biggest pay per view provider and the largest sporting franchise, reaching over one billion households in more than 175 countries, and with 625 million fans. 

“This simple association will give Love Hemp a global super brand status, even though, on paper, right now we may be smaller than some of the US giants. 

“It also gives us a significant USP over our competition, which is something all CBD companies desperately need in a very fragmented market.”

Love Hemp CEO, Tony Calamita

The sponsorship agreement will allow Love Hemp to access UFC’s physical and digital assets, as well as the marketing opportunities, which includes usage of UFC trademarks, logos and brand.

Tony is also confident that the partnership will open doors to new territories, further boosting the brand’s plans for global expansion.

He added: “The networking edge that UFC gives us will prove invaluable, especially as we start to launch globally into new territories. 

“We need weight behind us and we need to be introduced to the right local partners, and the UFC is such a dominant global brand it’ll be able to open those doors for us in a very different way to simply sending emails. 

“That’s going to allow us to move at a pace that the competition won’t be able to keep up with, which is what excites me more than anything.”

The deal with UFC is also testament to the growing acceptance and awareness of CBD, Tony says, especially its use as a supplement.

“It’s a clear sign to society now that professional sports leagues are starting to promote it, because they’re inspiring trust and belief in what CBD can offer,” he said. 

“UFC is an incredibly credible organisation that would not put its name to something that it doesn’t believe in.

“Athletes and sportspeople around the world believe in it, so this will inspire others to try the product and achieve peak performance, not only in sports but also in their daily lives.”

Love Hemp was one of the first CBD brands on the high street.

Love Hemp was one of the first UK CBD brands on the market, and was set up by Tony and his business partner Thomas Rowland in 2015.

The brand places great stock on promoting education and acceptance of CBD, and is seen as one of the key players in the CBD supplements market.

Tony said: “Winning the UFC deal was one of our greatest successes, along with being the first brand to have a CBD product stocked by a major supermarket, with our CBD water.

“We’re incredibly proud that UFC chose us – there were multiple brands trying to win that partnership, some real US giants, so for a relatively small UK company to win, with our story and vision, was a huge achievement.”

He added: “It took a lot of work behind the scenes, around five or six months; as much due diligence went into that as when the Love Hemp was acquired by World High Life in 2019.

“However, it was all worth it and we’re looking forward to working with UFC over the next five years, and beyond. 

“This partnership kickstarts our strategy aimed at cementing Love Hemp as a globally recognised brand.”