The Four Values That Guide Everything We Do

  • By Jeremy Amos

Published: Monday, Nov 10, 2025

In an industry still defining itself, we made a decision early on.

 

We couldn't control regulatory uncertainty. We couldn't control market volatility. We couldn't control what other companies would do or how consumers would respond.

 

But we could control who we are and what we stand for.

 

So we chose four values that would guide every decision—from how we run our facility to how we work with customers to how we build for the long term.

 

These aren't marketing slogans. They're not words on a conference room wall that everyone ignores.

 

They're operational principles. They show up in batch rejections and employee training and customer conversations and the thousand small decisions we make every week.

 

Grit. Integrity. Respect. Accountability.

Let me show you what these actually mean in practice.

 

Title

Grit: Building for the Long Game

Grit isn't about being tough or working harder than everyone else. It's about staying committed when things get difficult. When the easy path is right there, tempting you.

 

Here's what grit looks like at OBX:

We've rejected batches that cost us thousands of dollars because the testing numbers weren't right. Not unsafe—just not meeting our specifications.

 

It would be easier to ship them. More profitable to ship them. The customer might never know the difference.

But we know. And that matters.

 

Grit is investing in cGMP certification when we didn't legally have to. It's expensive. It's demanding. It requires constant maintenance and documentation.

 

But we're not building for this quarter. We're building for the next decade.

 

Grit is continuing to test every batch comprehensively when many competitors are cutting corners to save money. It's maintaining standards even when market pressures push toward "good enough."

 

Grit is staying in this industry through all the regulatory uncertainty, all the market shifts, all the moments when walking away would be easier.

Because we believe in what cannabinoids can do. We believe in building something that lasts. And lasting requires commitment when things are hard.

 

The question grit asks: "What's the right thing to do for the long term?" Not "What's easiest right now?"

Title

Integrity: Showing Our Work

Integrity is the space between what you say and what you do.

 

In our industry, that space is often... significant. Everyone claims quality. Everyone promises consistency. Everyone says they care about safety.

Integrity is proving it. Showing your work. Being transparent even when it's not required.

 

Here's what integrity looks like at OBX:

We test every single batch with third-party labs. Not representative sampling. Not random testing. Every batch.

 

Is it expensive? Yes. Could we get away with less? Probably. But we told you we test every batch, so we test every batch.

 

Integrity is being honest about what we know and what we don't know. When a customer asks a question and we're not certain, we say "I need to check with our team" instead of guessing. Even when guessing would be faster.

 

Integrity is saying no to customers when their requests would compromise quality. It's turning down business rather than cutting corners.

 

Integrity is making the same product whether anyone's watching or not. The batch that gets photographed for marketing looks identical to the batch that ships quietly on a Tuesday.

 

The question integrity asks: "Can we prove what we're claiming?" If not, we don't claim it.

Title

Respect: For Everyone in the Chain

Respect is often misunderstood. It's not just being polite. It's recognizing that your decisions affect real people—and honoring that responsibility.

 

Here's what respect looks like at OBX:

Respect for the plant means responsible sourcing. We control our cultivation because we respect where our ingredients come from. We don't want hemp grown with practices that harm soil or workers or communities.

 

Respect for our employees means safety first, always. It means training and development. It means listening when someone raises a concern. Our Quality Control team has the authority to stop production if something's not right—even if it costs us money. Because we respect their expertise and judgment.

 

Respect for our customers means honest communication. When there's a delay, we tell them why. When we make a mistake, we own it. When they ask hard questions, we answer them directly.

 

Respect for the industry means contributing to better standards without grandstanding.

 

And respect for end consumers—people we'll never meet—means treating every product like it's going to someone we care about. Because it is going to someone who matters.

 

Every gummy, every tincture, every ingredient that is made using our ingredients deserves our best work. That person trusts the brand who bought from us. That brand trusts us.

 

We don't take that trust lightly.

 

The question respect asks: "How does this decision affect everyone it touches?" Not just us. Everyone.

Title

Accountability: Owning the Outcomes

Accountability is the willingness to be measured. To document what you do. To let the data speak even when it's uncomfortable.

 

Here's what accountability looks like at OBX:

We have documented Standard Operating Procedures for everything. Not because regulation requires it (though cGMP does). But because when something goes wrong, we need to know exactly what happened and why.

 

Accountability is batch documentation that creates complete traceability. If there's ever a quality issue, we can trace it back to specific hemp lots, specific extraction runs, specific process parameters.

 

We can answer: What happened? When? Who was involved? What were the conditions? What can we learn?

 

Accountability is having a Quality Control function that's independent from production. QC can reject batches. They can stop processes. They have authority because accountability requires checks and balances.

 

When we make a mistake—and we do, because we're human—accountability means owning it. Telling the customer. Investigating what went wrong. Fixing the system so it doesn't happen again.

 

We had a batch once where the potency came back lower than specification—not unsafe, just below our target. We could have shipped it with a discount. We could have blamed natural variation.

 

Instead, we investigated. We found a process parameter that had drifted. We documented it. We rejected the batch. We fixed the process. We shared what we learned with the team.

 

That's accountability. Not hiding problems. Learning from them.

 

The question accountability asks: "Can we trace this decision? Can we prove we did what we said we'd do?" If we can't document it, we need better systems.

Title

How These Values Work Together

Here's what's interesting: these values reinforce each other.

  • Grit gives you the strength to maintain integrity when it's expensive.
  • Integrity builds the respect that creates lasting relationships.
  • Respect requires accountability—you can't respect someone while hiding information from them.
  • Accountability requires grit—owning mistakes takes courage.

They're not separate principles competing for priority. They're interconnected commitments that make each other stronger.

Title

Why Values Matter in an Uncertain Industry

The cannabinoid industry is ever evolving. Regulations are unclear, but becoming clearer. Market dynamics shift rapidly. Consumer understanding is evolving.

 

In that environment, values are your compass.

 

When we don't know what the regulatory landscape will look like next year, we know this: we'll be operating with integrity.

When we don't know how market competition will evolve, we know this: we'll be building with grit.

 

When we face difficult decisions about costs or timelines or customer requests, we have a framework: Does this align with our values?

If yes, we figure out how to make it work. If no, we don't do it. Even when it costs us.

 

That clarity—knowing who you are and what you won't compromise—is incredibly valuable when everything around you is uncertain.

Title

What This Means for Our Partners

If you work with Open Book Extracts, here's what you can expect:

  • We'll be honest with you. Even when it's uncomfortable. Even when it means admitting we don't have all the answers.
  • We'll do what we say we'll do. Our commitments aren't suggestions. They're promises we document and measure.
  • We'll respect your business and your customers. Your success matters to us because it's connected to the quality we deliver.
  • We'll stay committed for the long term. We're not chasing trends or looking for quick exits. We're building something that lasts.

And when we make mistakes—because we will—we'll own them, fix them, and learn from them.

 

That's what partnership built on values looks like.

Title

The Bottom Line

In an industry still finding its identity, values matter more than ever.

 

They guide you when regulations are unclear. They keep you steady when markets shift. They help you make hard decisions when the easy path is right there.

 

Grit. Integrity. Respect. Accountability.

 

These aren't aspirations. They're how we operate every day.

 

When you choose a cannabinoid partner, you're not just choosing ingredients. You're choosing values. You're choosing what kind of company you want to build your products with.

 

We chose who we are a long time ago. And we're proud of that choice.