Operators of Carolina hemp farm promise more products to follow as they repurpose one-time tobacco industry infrastructure.

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Asheville Hemp Project (AHP), an Asheville, N.C.-based hemp cultivator, is unveiling its new CBD Mint Gum. The launch marks the first consumer product for the brand, with other SKUs in the pipeline.

Asheville Hemp Project aims to connect consumers to the source of the natural plant – and their own inner nature. The brand reminds of the calming effect that nature provides, with a view through an open-slatted tobacco barn imprint. AHP selected gum as the first product to introduce because of its super-efficient delivery of CBD. Each piece of AHP’s CBD Mint Gum contains 10 milligrams of CBD and comes in a convenient foil pack that maximizes freshness and improves product protection and dispensing.

AHP Gum is available for sale in the U.S. via the company’s online store and at retailers including boutique food markets, CBD dispensaries, convenience stores and smoke shops, and soon in sports emporiums and golf pro shops.

“This is our first consumer product and we are excited about its potential,” said Leslie Hoffman, co-founder of AHP. “It delivers hemp-derived cannabinoids most efficiently through mucosa glands being activated by the chewing of the gum. Our gum enhances wellness for anyone who can benefit from CBD – and delivers it in a refreshing ‘normal’ format that is as discreet as it gets.”

Users include those with busy modern (and sometimes stressful) lives or those who need to lessen arthritis and joint pain or need better sleep, Hoffman noted. Sports aficionados might find that they can focus more intently or diminish the inflammation that sometimes follows a strenuous workout.

“We intend to follow up with the launch of our CBD premium pre-rolls which will be unfiltered to ensure the consumer ingests the cannabinoids,” Hoffman added. “Further, we have plans for releasing a CBD tincture. The number of potential products is enormous.”

TRANSITION TO
21st CENTURY ECONOMY
Hoffman, whose pedigree in the cannabis industry includes farming, a hemp fashion business and work in medical cannabis, formed Asheville Hemp Project in 2017 with Co-founder Scott Brinkley, a scientist and grower. Hoffman was a pioneer in sustainability and was previously a designer and builder of green construction projects.

The two saw an opportunity in North Carolina where tobacco had once been king. The agricultural and processing infrastructure for tobacco is well-suited to the cultivation and production of hemp.

“The equipment and buildings needed to grow and dry the leaves, and the factories for rolling cigarettes already exist and are under-utilized,” said Hoffman. “The workforce has the requisite skills to produce high quality products. The difference is the plant. Hemp is vastly more useful than tobacco. We aim to share a point of view, a connection to nature, and our understanding of the plant and its many uses. And so, we expanded our activities beyond the farm.”

She said that Asheville has a reputation as an epicenter for craft cuisine and breweries. The region’s old tobacco farms benefit when they are revitalized by a thriving hemp farming community.

“Our brand’s tagline is ‘Look Homeward,’ a reference,” Hoffman said, “to Thomas Wolfe’s famous book written in Asheville and set there, called ‘Look Homeward, Angel.’ We believe this is the right business, with the right values, operating in the right place at the right time.”

Asheville Hemp Project’s base is a 23-acre hemp farm just north of Asheville, nestled between the Blue Ridge and Great Smoky Mountains.

“This is where our experience grows, thoughts and ideas turn into new product innovations,” Brinkley said. “We work with other local farmers and processors in developing new products and establishing new markets. The vacuum tobacco left behind provides an atmosphere for us to all work together to build the hemp industry. As a community, we can do more and do it better.”

For more information about Asheville Hemp Project, visit ashevillehempproject.com.