North Carolina retailer East Coast Hemp Supply (ECHS), has added Hemp, Inc.’s full King of Hemp product line to its shelves.
Located in Dunn, N.C., ECHS is the consolidated marketplace opportunity for the emerging hemp industry, supplying hemp and American-made, hemp-based products to the consumer as well as the raw material, tools and equipment needed to grow industrial hemp.
“This long-term partnership will marry East Coast Hemp Supply Inc.’s customer reach with the prestigious King of Hemp brand’s product selection and exceptional quality,” said Jim Hancock, president of Hemp, Inc. “Both ECHS and Hemp Inc. share a passion for innovation, integrity and a pioneering customer experience. With a shared commitment to serving and celebrating their customers, this powerful partnership is yet another long-term lucrative business relationship.”
ECHS opened its 7,000-square-foot brick-and-mortar hemp retail store in April 2018. The store showcases the many different products that can be made with hemp as a means to educate and reduce the negative stigma associated with cannabis. In addition to CBD and other cannabinoid-rich products, ECHS offers hemp seed food products, including hemp hearts, protein flour, jams, butter, etc.
It also offer hemp textiles, including hemp clothing, home goods and pet products, and is the exclusive distributor for hemp plastic utensils and straws for the Carolinas.
Founder and CEO Keith Dunn established ECHS in June of 2017, right after planting his first 10 acres of dual-purpose hemp cultivars. Since then, ECHS has helped farmers apply for their hemp licenses to grow as well as assist in mitigating their risk by supplying them with the proper equipment, consultation and end buyers for their new hemp ventures. North Carolina’s Harnett County is the most densely populated county in the state in terms of licensed hemp farmers.
According to Dunn, there are over 150 hemp farms in the county and ECHS was one of the first licensed hemp farms. In early 2016, Dunn started holding farmer interest meetings at a nearby university to educate local farmers and spread awareness of North Carolina’s legislation that passed in October 2015 to establish the Hemp Pilot Program. Over the years, ECHS has contributed to the North Carolina Industrial Hemp Pilot Program with research as to which “hemp varieties are best suited for North Carolina’s environment and to breed varieties of hemp for fiber, grain and cannabinoid production.”
ECHS is working on “becoming fully vertically integrated from seed production to finished goods direct-to-consumer. This effort includes building a state-of-the-art processing facility to fulfill both corporate and government contracts for compostable hemp plastic. These contracts include military bases and restaurant chains up and down the East Coast who are seeking a more sustainable and eco-friendly alternative to petroleum products. This development will include contracting 1,200 acres worth of fiber hemp.”
Hemp Inc.’s King of Hemp product line is also available at retail locations in Arizona, California, Michigan, Nevada and Florida.
With a deep-rooted social and environmental mission at its core, Hemp, Inc. seeks to build a business constituency for the American small hemp farmer, the American veteran and other groups experiencing the ever-increasing disparity between tapering income and soaring expenses. The company is on a mission to be a powerful engine for social change and economic revival worldwide by providing hemp products that are eco-friendly, sustainable and healthy.
