For Ziggy’s Naturals, which specializes in wellbeing-enhancing tinctures, topicals, and edibles, advocating for the LGBTQIA+ community is fundamental to the company’s mission.

Cofounder Jordyn Pollack is a transgender man, who built the company with his dad, Marc. Jordyn applied his own first-hand knowledge of authenticity and transformation to the growth of the company, with his dad is right beside him as an ally.

“The best way to support the LGBTQIA+ community is to be a part of it,” says Marc. “My son Jordyn, a transgender male, taught me that personally. We let the LGBTQIA+ community know they aren’t just welcome – they are wanted.”

Ziggy’s Naturals has made it part of their mission to reach out to and help build marginalized communities, take a stand for what they believe in, keep things fresh with community initiatives — and create a great product.

Marc always wanted to work with his kids, and that dream became a reality when he started the business with his son Jordyn in 2018. They chose CBD because they are huge believers in how much this natural product helps people, including Jordyn during his transition. Marc came to immediately embrace Jordyn's transgender identity and incorporate it into the business model.

"My wife Cindy and I always tried to foster an atmosphere of complete openness and honesty with both of our kids," says Marc. "I think that Jordyn always knew that we would love and accept him NO MATTER WHAT!!! Unconditional positive love."

As a transgender male, Jordyn is keenly aware how much these products help people who identify as LGBTQIA+. And there is some evidence to suggest that the queer community uses cannabis products more than other groups.

Recent times for LGBTQ people have been incredibly stressful—on the political and health fronts with anti-transgender bills nationwide and a pandemic that goes on and on and still keeps many of us distanced from our community. Little wonder we have found comfort and healing in alternative therapies and natural products. And we also take comfort in a family that sticks together and builds a unique enterprise that helps others.

When Marc and Jordyn started Ziggy's Naturals together in early 2018, "the lightbulb moment for our exact plan came after we spent some time researching getting into the edible cannabis industry and kept running into roadblocks," Jordyn shares. "Then one night, someone offered Marc some CBD to try on a bad case of elbow tendinitis which he did. Upon waking up in the morning Marc was shocked by the fact that he had little to no pain after being in agony for months. The light bulb went off and he called me and said…we are going into the CBD business."

A former chef by trade, Jordyn loves working out, hiking snowboarding, and hanging out with his wife Ziggy (who the business is named after) and their furry children, Pika, Ozzy and Harlow. Jordyn believes what separates Ziggy's from all the other CBD companies out there is that "we are family owned and operated business and pride ourselves on not only producing the best products available, but also providing the best customer service in the industry.

They have also partnered with one of the best hemp farmers in the country that is GMP Certified and produces a line for us that is second to none. All our products are third party independent lab tested to ensure complete transparency and the highest quality. Every item we sell has a QR Code that will take the client directly to the lab report so they can see the exact content of that item. 

"We treat all our clients like family, the same way we want to be treated when we are doing business with others. We are very proud to be a trans-owned business that supports and advocates for the LGBTQ+ community. We have chosen to partner with many people in the community to extend our support and provide a safe space for everyone."

The first thing you may notice when you visit the website is the rainbow logo. And it's not just for Pride. It's year-round! "We created our Pride logo about a year ago and have been working towards a complete rebranding ever since. We recently rolled out our new website that is definitely LGBTQIA branded. OUR RAINBOW LOGO IS HERE TO STAY!!!" says Jordyn.

"For us it is important to be LGBTQIA inclusive because we have seen and heard far too many times the incredibly sad effects of what happens, and how people in the community feel, when they are not accepted and treated with love and inclusivity," says Jordyn. "Our core values center around inclusivity and family and we particularly want people who identify as LGBTQIA to know that we are here for them, not just with our amazing products, but as a support system whenever we are needed."

To this extent, Ziggy's Naturals has aligned with numerous social media partners, most of whom are members of the community; branded products and website with LGBTQIA folks in mind; made contributions to LGBTQIA organizations around the country to help support people and initiatives centered around the community; and held events such as Pride In The Park Austin, during Pride month to bring members of the community together to be able to enjoy a safe and inclusive environment together.

Marc reveals that Jordyn's gender confirmation only underscored the company's mission: "As soon as Jordyn started on T, we noticed a big change in him. Not so much physically at first, but more so with his confidence, happiness, and overall well-being. Things just seemed 'better'. Well, this path continued, and Jordyn really started to thrive in all aspects of his life. One of the most incredible things to me was watching Jordyn start to share his story with the world through social media. This demonstration of COURAGE was incredible. He wanted everyone to see that it was so important for people to be who they really are, and he began to let the world in to see how he was taking those steps. His relationship with Ziggy, who he had been with before starting the T, was really flourishing. Ziggy was so loving, accepting and supporting…Cindy and I could not have been more blessed to know that Jordyn was with someone that was all in on him, NO MATTER WHAT."

Then came Jordyn's top surgery, about a year before he and Ziggy married. "This was who he always was," says his dad Marc, "And looking back on life, I can see so many more signs of this truth. Jordyn and Ziggy had a beautiful wedding and the two of them were the most stunning husband and wife couple ever. Everyone, and I mean every single person in our family, has shown nothing but support to Jordyn, Ziggy, Cindy and I throughout this process. I have to say, that one of the greatest things I have witnessed through all of this, is the changing relationship between Jordyn and [little brother] Jake. Growing up with a big sister, that is what Jake always knew and I know how much he always looked up to Jordyn.

Now Jake has an older brother, and their relationship is incredible. They are best friends, live right across the street from each other with their families, are partners in business and are flat out enjoying life together. Jake has been an unwavering rock for Jordyn...talk about PRIDE, I have so much of it for both of them."

Jordyn agrees. "I came out to my family when I was 25 years old. It was a long time coming as my whole life I knew I was different. Once I discovered that I could take hormones, so I matched on the outside who I was on the inside, it was a no brainer for me. I think everything my Dad said above is a great summation of our family’s journey together."

And so in many ways this happy family where everyone is embraced for being who they really are reflects the core values of the business itself.

"We believe all businesses should try to create a message of safety and inclusivity. The benefits are that clients of the business, regardless of who they are, will be made to feel welcome and appreciated.

All people want to feel welcome and appreciated by those they do business with. When people feel safe to share with us who they are, stories about their lives, the problems they are having, then and only then can we really help them. That is vital to us and to our clients," says Marc.

Visit Ziggy's Naturals here.