3 Inches to 3 Feet in 30 Days
Our process starts well before the first hemp seed is sewn. One year before we plant, we enrich our fields by growing white clover. The soil is carefully tested to determine the ideal compost and fertilizer mix, and the clover is then tilled to create our hemp beds. We sew each hemp seed in our greenhouse, using organic potting soil. Vigorous seedlings emerge in just a few days, and are planted in a matter of weeks.
We plant our hemp using a homemade water wheel transplanter that pokes a hole in the soil, and fills it with a mixture of nutrients, beneficial fungi and water. The plants are then planted in water-filled holes. They love it, and are often noticeably bigger just one day later! The plants will go from 3-5 inches to 3-5 feet in just 30 days. We weed and water frequently, often adding additional nutrients through drip lines, and walk the field regularly to scout for signs of disease, pests and nutrient deficiencies.
Perfection and Potency
Believe it or not, hemp plants have a gender identity! By August, they reach sexual maturity and begin their reproductive phase. This is a crucial time: we walk the fields daily looking for male and hermaphrodite plants because we only want unpollinated female plants whose quality and quantity of flowers are markedly superior.
Once we have made sure all of our hemp plants are unpollinated and female, we send flower samples to an independent third-party laboratory for potency testing. This tells us what the crop’s potential CBD levels are likely to be, and assures us that the whole plant hemp extract will contain only trace amonts of THC. As a CBD company our products must fall under the legal limit of THC, which is 0.3%.
Handpicked Harvest
In early September, we are counting the days until harvest: the closer the crop moves to fruition, the greater the chance that heavy rains or winds could damage the plants or cause dense flowers to mold. In mid-September, we harvest the flowers carefully by hand, inspecting each one to ensure that they are at their peak.
We then carefully hang the flowers on netting to dry, and within a few days the hemp is at the ideal moisture level. We store the flowers in airtight containers until they are ready for the final step.
Extraction
Our hemp is processed by Kria Botanicals, a USDA certified organic processing facility in Burlington, VT which uses a cryo-ethanol extraction to produce the phytocannabinoid-rich full spectrum CBD that is the basis for our products. The final products are then manufactured by us and packaged in our certified kitchen on the farm.
Finally, all of our products are tested in an ISO-accredited third-party, independent laboratory to ensure that they are completely free of harmful substances and meet the exacting potency standards listed on our labels.
