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Area Development - Site Selection, Facility Planning and Workforce Development

Isolera Extracts Planning Hemp Processing Plant in Granville County, North Carolina

04/09/2019
Isolera Extracts will bring an industrial hemp processing service to the former 187,000 square foot Burlington Mills facility in Granville County, North Carolina.

According to county officials, North Carolina’s long tradition of organic farming, along with is support for the industrial hemp industry and its strategic geographic location, was a key factor in Tatum’s decision to bring his company to the state.

Plans are for Isolera Extracts to be operational by the beginning of April. Initially, Isolera Extracts plans to process about 3,000 pounds of industrial hemp per eight-hour shift. Within six months, however, the estimate is a production level of about 10,000 pounds of industrial hemp each eight hour-shift.

Several regions were considered, county officials quoted company founder Jack Tatum as explaining, but Granville County and the City of Oxford stood out by offering tremendous support for this vision to spark economic growth through a bustling “new” industry.

A long-time entrepreneur, Tatum said that the impending passage of the 2018 Farm Bill last year encouraged him to make preliminary steps to “get ahead of the curve” as he began work to up-fit the 187,000 square foot industrial facility.

Construction at the site is now complete and Tatum’s equipment partners from Precision Extraction Solutions, a world-renowned extraction company based out of Michigan, are working to complete the installation of equipment and training of Isolera Extract’s locally-based laboratory team.

“Everyone will be going through a learning process as we get this off the ground,” Tatum explained. “We are suggesting that farmers start with one to five acres as they learn the process and proper techniques, and then grow from there.”

“We have a system of checks and balances in place and a team of scientists on board to ensure compliance and quality,” Tatum said. “We want to ensure that farmers in the community are being compensated appropriately for their efforts and output. In the end, our goal is to produce top-notch products and stimulate economic growth for individuals and for a community hard-hit by cutbacks from the tobacco industry.”

“We could not be more pleased to operate Isolera Extracts in Granville County,” Tatum said. “We’ve received a warm reception from Granville County, the City of Oxford and the state of North Carolina. The entire community is behind us and our partnership with Granville County and its farmers is an exciting opportunity for everyone.”

“We would especially like to thank Economic Development Director Harry Mills,” Tatum added, “who has been essential in this process and has facilitated making this a reality.”

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