HempRise will assume responsibility for Layn’s significant investment in the research and production of CBD and hemp extracts, and will oversee the production of its full spectrum oil, broad spectrum oil, and water soluble CBD, for a broad range of applications.
“This is a newly registered business dedicated to CBD, so that entire new entity we created to manage CBD,” Elaine Yu, Layn Corp. president, told FoodNavigator-USA at the recent SupplySide West trade show in Las Vegas.
Yu explained that the hemp-derived CBD is market is evolving so rapidly that the company needed to form a dedicated business (rather than simply expanding its ingredient portfolio to include hemp-derived CBD ingredients) to keep up with industry developments such as where market demand lies for CBD products and concerns about ingredient transparency and quality.
Layn also wants to help shape the types of food and beverage products entering the market by using its botanical extractions experience to provide complementary ingredients such as its Plantae line, launched at the show.
The Plantae portfolio falls into three categories: Plantae ANTIOXIDANT (metabolic antioxidants for personal health applications and the preservation of flavors and shelf life in food and beverage products); Plantae PERFORMANCE (for sports nutrition formulations targeting weight management, sports recovery, natural energy, healthy aging, and cognitive function); and Plantae SENSE (flavor modulation technology addressing consumer demands for sugar and salt reduction as well as enhance sweetness, effectively mask bitterness and increase salt, sour or umami flavors.)
“Overall, Plantae is there to give customers natural, plant-based solutions to tackle the challenges they have. Our first launch will be in the antioxidant category,” said Yu.
“It also is a very good complement to CBD as well so we can give customers more formulated solutions instead of single ingredients.”
Becoming a credible and reliable supplier of hemp-derived CBD
Since announcing its foray into the hemp-derived CBD market in June 2019 with a $60m investment to build a US manufacturing facility, Layn is on track to start supplying CBD ingredients (under the HempRise name) by mid-2020.
According to Yu, over the past five months or so, the company has selected a 25-acre plot of land in Jeffersonville, Indiana, secured contracts with farmers to grow the hemp, and is focused on building out its research and development team to dig into some of the health properties of hemp-derived CBD.
“For us, it’s truly about the whole sustainable supply chain. We are investing in the agriculture and all the way to finished ingredient,” said Yu.
Yu’s excitement and the company’s interest in the CBD market originated with the purported health benefits (e.g. relaxation, mental clarity) associated with the ingredient, but Yu recognizes that the industry needs to address the amount of speculation surrounding such claims.
“We know there are a lot of studies still be done to prove the full efficacy,” she said, adding that Hemp Rise is currently conducting more research into how CBD functions a food, beverage, and dietary supplement ingredient, as well as its health claims.
Yu also explained how customers are given so many options – and questions – when it comes to launching a product containing CBD that many don’t know where to start or who to trust.
“We are really giving them a credible and reliable source, because the thing is it [the CBD/hemp industry] attracts a lot of attention and investment… and speculation,” Yu added.
The HempRise facility will have the capacity to process a minimum of 5,000 tons of hemp biomass per year, and yield 160 tons of pure, high-quality CBD and 290 tons of broad and full-spectrum oil annually. The facility is expected to open in mid-2020.
