JEFFERSONVILLE — A new company plans to transform the hemp industry in the United States as it opens its 100,000-square-foot facility in River Ridge Commerce Center.
HempRise celebrated a ribbon-cutting Thursday for its new Jeffersonville facility, which is expected to reach full capacity in the next year. Company leaders say HempRise is one the largest — if not the largest — hemp-processing facilities in the country.
The company is focused on extracting and processing CBD from hemp, including broad-spectrum CBD, CBD isolate and water-soluble CBD. HempRise is a subsidiary of China-based firm Layn Natural Ingredients.
Yunfei Song of Layn Natural Ingredients said the facility is an $80-million investment. When it is operating at its full capacity, the company will be processing about 8 million pounds of biomass per year.
“HempRise will become a benchmark in the hemp industry,” he said. “It’s also a contribution to the development of the hemp industry in the local economy.”
The HempRise facility was constructed over the course of 20 months. Jerry Acy, executive director of the River Ridge Development Authority, noted that HempRise has room at River Ridge to expand. The company also plans to grow internationally in the future.
“We have a broad spectrum of industrial sectors that are represented at River Ridge,” he said. “We are really excited and happy to be part of this emerging industry in the state of Indiana and the region.”
Zheng Yang, general manager of HempRise, said the national company will source raw hemp from farms in Indiana and Kentucky.
“We help the local economy and we are working with local farmers from all over Kentucky and Indiana,” he said.
Danielle Bramblett, regional sales manager at HempRise, hopes to see legislation pass to allow CBD products to be sold as dietary supplements in the United States, noting the opportunities for growth within the industry.
HempRise is a “major investment in both the farming and agricultural community as well as the manufacturing community here in Southern Indiana,” Bramblett said.
“Not only does Kentucky and Indiana grow some of the country’s best hemp, but from an investment standpoint, Indiana was extremely favorable and they were a great partner to work with,” she said.