Avient Biosciences Opens Hemp Research, Extraction Facility

Avient Biosciences has officially launched its 200,000-square-foot industrial hemp research and extraction facility in North Carolina’s Research Triangle region. Designed for full cGMP compliance (21 CFR Parts 210 and 211), Avient’s 36-acre campus includes pharmaceutical- and food-grade research and production suites, on-site analytical testing laboratories, and climate-controlled biomass storage facilities.

Avient will offer a wide array of high-quality cannabinoid ingredients to global pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, food and beverage, and cosmetic companies that are ready to leverage the anecdotal health and medical benefits of CBD in their products. Valued at $2.8 billion in 2019, the U.S. cannabinoid market is projected to grow by more than 50% by 2026.

Committed to compliance, Avient’s initial team has more than 175 years of combined cGMP/pharmaceutical experience and is on track for EU GMP, ISO 9001, Kosher and Halal certifications by early 2021. Every industrial hemp shipment received has its Certificate of Analysis (COA) reviewed by the company’s quality team to ensure it meets Avient’s strict specifications as well as those of key regulatory authorities. All of Avient’s extracted CBD is tested by an external ISO-17025-certified Analytical Testing Laboratory to confirm the samples meet all Avient specifications before being shipped to the customer.

To ensure compliant genetics, the company’s affiliate seed company produces industrial hemp varieties that maximize CBD content while minimizing THC concentration, ensuring it is below the legal amount of 0.3%. Avient maintains a focus on the agronomics of industrial hemp cultivation with rigorous soil and tissue sample testing throughout the growing season.

To ensure full trackability and transparency from seed to shelf, Avient has partnered with Rymedi, an AI blockchain technology pioneer within the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries. To date, no other cannabinoid producer in the U.S. has incorporated blockchain technology into its supply chain process.

“When choosing clients, we look for character, integrity and an innovative spirit, especially in emerging markets,” said David Stefanich, PhD, co-founder and CEO of Rymedi. “Our partnership with Avient Biosciences comprises all of these aspects and many more. The leadership team has a diverse background and brings broad insights to market challenges. Avient’s operations team draws upon decades of experience, and the company’s product vision is second-to-none as it leverages a pharmacovigilance approach into a promising product space.

“We at Rymedi, a global leader in digital data compliance and secure market oversight, are truly excited to align with Avient as we prepare for expansive market growth in the coming months,” Dr. Stefanich concluded.

The company’s product line includes:

• Broad Spectrum Non-Detect THC Distillate
• Full Spectrum THC-Compliant Distillate
• CBD Isolate
• Full Spectrum THC-Compliant Crystal-Free Distillate
• Broad Spectrum Non-Detect THC Crystal-Free Distillate
• Water Dispersible CBD Powder
• Water Dispersible Liquid CBD Concentrate
• CBN Isolate
• Filtered Premium Compliant Crude
• Compliant Crude
• Custom formulations

Offering a range of multimodal shipping options, Avient is located within 700 miles of more than 70% of the U.S. industrial base. By land, the facility is minutes from Interstates 95 and 40, two key national trucking corridors, as well as a CSX rail line. Less than an hour’s drive from both RDU International Airport and the North Carolina Global TransPark (GTP), the campus also has easy access to the Port of Wilmington.