Zack Wilson, CEO of CannonHale Extraction Lab, sits on containers filled with fresh hemp, which will be processed to extract oil for various purposes. Comet photo by Debbie Lowe
Former Bringhurst youth Zack Wilson has returned to Carroll County with a new business established to expand and employ county residents whenever possible. Wilson is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of CannonHale Extraction Lab, which Wilson said will produce the highest quality hemp-derived, USDA Certified Organic Cannabidiol (CBD, CBG, CBN, etc.) bulk and private label products. CannonHale Labs plans to be the supply chain for others’ brands.
Wilson told the Comet the lab purchases USDA-certified organic industrial hemp from a grower in Rossville. He said at this time, there are approximately five certified growers in a tri-county area. Wilson said he began the venture because of his interest in the medicinal benefits of CBD oil and Cannabidiols.
Hemp (Cannabis sativa) is cultivated for its fiber or its edible seeds, according to the Encyclopedia Britannica. Hemp is sometimes confused with the cannabis plant, which serves as a source of the drug marijuana and the drug preparation hashish.
Although all three products, hemp, marijuana, and hashish contain tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), a compound that produces psychoactive effects in humans, the variety of cannabis cultivated for hemp has only small amounts of THC relative to that grown for the production of marijuana or hashish.
Cannabidiol can be supplied as CBD oil containing only CBD as the active ingredient (no THC included).
“I realized there was a real business in hemp,” Wilson said. “It took three years to put the business model together. Right now, we are extracting the hemp oil in our lab. When we achieve full production, we will also extract cannabidiol oil.
Wilson and his business partners have leased the former Mann Chevrolet building in Flora, with 14,000 square feet, for a lab and extraction operation plus a pre-processing area. An indoor grow area for tests and research and development projects will eventually be installed. CannonHale employs four Carroll County workers and one from Rossville. Wilson said another 10 employees will be hired in the next three months and he expects to have a workforce of 50 to 75 employees by the end of 2021.
“I want to use a local workforce if possible,” Wilson said. “The additional 10 employees hired will work to bottle and package our product.”
The CannonHale Lab is the only USDA-Certified Organic Lab in the state for manufacturing hemp oil and finished goods.
“We will be the only lab that offers start-to-finish products,” the CEO said.
Wilson is 33 years-old and worked at Rose Acres/County Farm Eggs as a youth. He said he was home-schooled and graduated from high school in 2004. His parents are Mike and Renee Guffy of Flora.
“I’ve always been the entrepreneurial type,” Wilson said. “I wanted to locate this business in Carroll County because I want to rebuild this community. This is a great area for agriculture and agriculture-related businesses.”
“We have in-house quality control. Our main focus is quality,” Wilson continued. “Having our own lab is the most efficient way to manage quality, but we also send samples of the product out, sometimes for additional testing.”
The CannonHale Lab will manufacture water soluble hemp, hemp powder and tinctures.
“This industry is going to be around for a long time,” Wilson said. “We want to partner with schools for educational purposes. This is a miniature Tate and Lyle.”
“The CBD industry will be a $24 billion industry,” he continued.
“It’s an $8 billion industry right now.”
“The hemp crop is not like corn,” Wilson explained. “2,000 hemp plants can grow in 10 acres of farm ground. Those 2,000 plants will produce 90 liters of oil and finished goods.”
Wilson said CannonHale Lab plans to stay in Flora for at least two years. He said as the business grows, a larger facility may need to be built. Wilson said he has spoken with Carroll County Economic Development Corp. Director Laura Walls about re-locating to the Hoosier Heartland Industrial Park. Wilson said there are a lot of variables to be considered before making any sort of a move.
“We are excited about being in Flora,” Wilson concluded. “We want to invite law enforcement to tour the facility and learn about the differences between marijuana and hemp. We also want to offer school tours as we progress to full production.”
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