Moose and Yon Haile are brothers and co-founders of Foy, a natural CBD brand. Foy CBD products have seed-to-sale transparency that starts at their farms in upstate New York. Read on to find out what sets their brand apart in the booming CBD industry, and how the brothers find inspiration, well-being and balance in life.

What brought you to the wellness industry?

Early on, our parents instilled in us the importance of helping those in need. We’ve tried to embody these values throughout our lives by helping family, friends and other individuals address issues like homelessness, suicide, depression or different, physical detriments. For us, it’s important to acknowledge the healing power of love, conversation and understanding.

For the last eight-plus years, we have been blessed to work with professional athletes — an industry where wellness is vital to success. During this experience, we have come across genuine wellness practices that we felt the industry was lacking. We wanted to contribute what we have learned by putting into practice the solutions for the enhancement of people’s purpose in life through education and quality products.

What sets Foy apart from other CBD brands? What’s your “special sauce”?

We really value transparency especially since there is a lot of consumer hesitation in the marketplace. So, we go above and beyond to ensure our customers understand what’s in our product. We do not white label our hemp oil, and we offer a seed-to-sale process that starts with our beautiful farm in upstate New York where we cultivate high quality organic hemp via heavily tested processes. Once the hemp is harvested, it is sent to our Kosher-certified processing facility for extraction. Following extraction, we craft the purest hemp oil through a post-refinement process. Throughout our process, we send our oils a certified third-party lab for extensive testing multiple times.

Our second differentiator is our endeavors toward raising diversity in our industry. We are a Black-owned wellness brand focused on creating a high-quality product that is both universally affordable and beneficial. With our customers’ support, we’ve been able to help under-represented communities and deliver resources to people in need.

Since we first launched in March 2020, we’ve partnered with food banks to provide meals to those affected by Covid-19, gifted products to essential workers and nurses working throughout the pandemic and aligned ourselves with social justice and equality initiatives that embrace the true definition of love and change for the better.

We’re also kicking off our partnership with The Bail Project in February 2021. Our first initiative is aimed toward young adults who have been arrested on cannabis-related crimes, while people in other states are profiting from or freely consuming because of more progressive state laws. We want to focus on assisting with not only their bail, but also investing in programs that assist them with resources as they go through the trial process and resources that provide assistance in finding employment, receiving healthcare and rehabilitation. Pretrial detention can have a devastating impact on a person's life.

We want to give young adults disproportionately targeted for cannabis charges a second chance to avoid letting them endure the horrors that an unjust system can present at times.The Foy family just wants to continue developing ways to further invest in our communities and establish an environment where everyone can thrive purposefully.

"We go above and beyond to ensure our customers understand what’s in our product."

What’s one common misconception about CBD you’d want to clear up?

Not all CBD is created equal. It’s important to understand what is in the products that you’re purchasing. Some key considerations we think consumers should keep in mind when browsing for CBD products include:

• Does this company have certified third-party lab testing reports?
• Does this company utilize healthy and organic hemp farming practices?
• Are safe hemp extraction methods being used?
• Are they using natural and certified organic ingredients as opposed to fillers or artificial flavors?

We believe CBD suppliers should be transparent about these concepts and make them available for any earnest consumers doing their own research.

One lesson you’ll take away from the COVID-19 pandemic?

We lost two people very close to us to Covid, and it’s been tough. We honestly never know the pain someone is going through, but choosing to support each other with empathy and kindness can facilitate healing and strong relationships.

We sometimes get so caught up with our busy lives that we forget to help others cope with their stress by providing social support. During these times of increased social distancing, people can feel isolated and lonely which can result in increased stress and anxiety. It is especially important to remember that people can still maintain social connections and care for their mental health. We can help each other by staying connected with friends and loved ones via meaningful phone calls and video chats that keep us socially linked and help mitigate loneliness and isolation.

What does wellness mean to you?

Wellness is about finding alignment to help you accomplish your purpose in life.

Growing up, we perceived physical and mental health as luxuries that weren’t realistically attainable to folks like us. Our perceptions have transformed in adulthood. We’ve educated ourselves on the importance of self-care, different methods to implement therapeutic routines in our daily lives and ways to share information with others in the hopes to benefit them as well. Wellness has become a key component of our routines.

"Wellness is about finding alignment to help you accomplish your purpose in life."

Name three non-negotiables in your life.

No hate.
No judgment.
NO RANCH DRESSING.

The book you own that is the most dog-eared?

Yon: Between The World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Moose: Shoe Dog by Phil Knight

Favorite quote?

Moose: “Serve Love.”
Yon: “Everybody eats, B.”

Snack you pack when you’re on the go?

Lots of almonds and at least one fruit

Instagram accounts that get the most likes?

We love the different and candid testimonies featured on @humansofny. Similarly, @vistanow has helped open our eyes to the beauty that the world has to offer.

Best beauty secret?

Drink lots of water daily, get plenty of rest and maintain clean eating habits. I’m sure these three practices are echoed a lot in the wellness space, and we believe these should at least be seen as the building blocks and the foundation to feeling and looking your best.

Early bird or night owl?

We like to mix it up!

Wellness travel essentials?

Foy. It’s a shameless plug, but we always have our product on-hand.

The key to a good night's sleep?

Yon: I like to ask myself questions that help ease any tension I’m carrying to bed. What are some positives/blessings that I can acknowledge from today? What can I aim my attention on tomorrow or next week? Was I there for someone, or did I help someone with something today? If so, how? Despite the rough days, I find it is usually helpful to be able to find some relaxation in answering these questions. We can sometimes lose sight of the bigger picture by not acknowledging the little things that can help drive us towards our goals and keep our dreams alive.

Moose: Red velvet cheesecake.

"Was I there for someone, or did I help someone with something today? If so, how?"

When you really need to chill out, you…

Go somewhere quiet, be still and remind ourselves of our intentions in life. We sometimes take a weekend and go to a cabin in upstate NY where we can literally unplug and enjoy nature. (We even put our cell phones and electronic devices in storage!) A couple days of hiking, cooking meals outside and experiencing the scenic views typically helps us when we need to chill and recalibrate.

Instant mood lifter?

Engaging with others and hearing their stories. One great thing about living in NYC is being able to meet so many amazing people and learn about where they’ve been and where they’re going. We’ve always appreciated community, diversity and culture.

Food philosophy?

Our philosophy is simple: Make sure you have some green on your plate. We feel a sense of unease, kind of like a green “Spidey-sense” when we’re missing the proper amount of fruits and veggies in our meal.

Most used condiments?

Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning and Bacchanal Sauce

How do you take coffee or tea?

Not really coffee people. Tea for the win. Typically blend it with CBD, ginger, mushroom extracts (varies between Lion’s Mane, Reishi, Turkey Tail, Cordyceps and Chaga), lemon and honey. Immune support is critical, and we try and stay conscious about the different adaptogens and essential nutrients we consume daily.

Hydration strategy?

Get your daily gallon of water in before 6pm, or expect some extra steps to the bathroom during the night.

Simple smoothie recipe?

Moose: Strawberries, bananas, spinach, ground flaxseed, honey, almond milk
Yon: Blueberries, Strawberries, ground flaxseed, protein powder, almond milk, raw oats

Go-to wellness gift?

CBD oil. Always great to give the gift of stress relief!

Words to live by?

Build your dream’s foundation on your intentions. Therefore, when your faith is tested, you’ll garner strength to persevere because of your WHY.

How do you reboot?

Meditation or sitting still in a quiet room blocking out racing thoughts and focusing on finding some balance.

When you feel a cold coming on you…

Tea with lemon and honey a few times that day. Also make sure to go to bed earlier that evening!

What's sacred to you?

Our vision boards.

Last time you laughed?

Yon: About 30 minutes ago. We’re always clowning with each other on group texts.
Moose: Randomly came across YouTube videos of dads struggling to change diapers. Hilarious.