That's how the first CBD beverage company in the Nordics was born: YSUB — the English word “busy" spelled backward. The idea was to create an entirely new category of zen drinks, as a sort of counter to Red Bull. A drink that calms the body and mind, and improves sleep quality.
YSUB was ahead of its time, as CBD had not yet been approved as a dietary supplement in Finland — meaning the product was, in practice, illegal. Time has passed since then, but legislation around CBD supplements still hasn’t caught up. Finland is currently acting against a ruling by the EU Court of Justice; there are no proven health risks associated with CBD — quite the opposite. In Europe, there are more CBD users than there are residents in Germany.
We were forced to shut down the promising operations of YSUB and sell the concept to Central Europe. Today, in places like the UK, CBD drinks are completely mainstream — found in stores like Sainsbury’s, on TV commercials, and available for home delivery.
However, the ingredient itself has stayed in my life permanently: it improves focus and sleep quality, but also helps with various skin issues. CBD has been a legal cosmetic ingredient since 2021. Nowadays, I spray our CBD facial mist on my skin after shaving — it softens the skin and quickly heals any shaving nicks. CBD is an amazing ingredient, and our team is sure to develop dozens of new products across different categories in the coming years.
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Juha-Petteri Kukkonen
Chief Executive Officer, Co-Founder
