News and Articles - Paragon Processing LLC

Paragon Processing, the Largest Operating Hemp Processing Facility in the US, is Now Open for Business!

With the passing of the 2018 Farm Bill, hemp planting quadrupled in the first year of its widespread commercial cultivation ― and rightfully so. An alternative to mainstream crops caught in the U.S.-China trade war, hemp is the source of cannabidiol (CBD), an industry that could be worth $16 billion by 2025, a figure which Business Insider reports that Wall Street is estimating.

To serve as a major, nationwide service to farmers, business owners and end users, Paragon Processing ― a state-of-the-art facility offering total seed-to-shelf solutions for industrial-scale hemp processing, manufacturing and storage, as well as private- and white-label goods ― recently opened for business. It is the largest operating hemp processing facility in the U.S., encompassing 250,000 square feet. The high-security facility, stationed on a 38-acre property, is located 140 miles south of Denver.

A one-stop-shop partnership for clients, whether they are farmers seeking assistance, new companies testing an idea, or an established business seeking to strengthen its production practices and/or product lines, Paragon Processing offers a wide range of turnkey services. These include extraction, distillation, isolation, THC-free processing, sales, storage and third-party laboratory testing.

Some facts about our facility:

It can store up to 50 million pounds of hemp biomass, and hosts 13 dock-high loading positions, along with housing Superior Flow-branded proprietary processing equipment.
It offers full-scale processing for up to 1 million pounds of hemp biomass per month.
Climate controlled, it minimizes the risks associated with external weather conditions and temperature shifts, providing solutions for all farmers’ needs.
By offering the proper storage conditions and ideal cooler temperatures, the threat of mold is eliminated.
It includes fully certified fire sprinkler systems (it was both a former Columbia House Records space and a Kroger distribution center.)

Paragon Processing practices are central to establishing trust and transparency in the hemp processing industry, while assisting farmers with developing best practices, recording accurate genetics-related data and mapping full traceability of hemp biomass. Post-harvest farm support is also a core value of Paragon Processing, where the team provides:

Assistance surrounding the manufacturing of hemp-derived products, with no upfront or monthly costs required. From industrialized harvests, Paragon Processing can process hemp biomass into winterized crude and produce CBD distillate, THC-free distillate, CBD isolate, CBG, CBN and CBD-infused products.
The most up-to-date and state-of-the-art techniques, including cryo-ethanol extraction and three-stage molecular distillation, where 300 liters per hour of winterized crude can be successfully processed into full spectrum distillate oil.

On the business side, future and current company owners alike can take advantage of Paragon’s services. A third-party accredited laboratory is on site, complete with Certificate of Analysis (COA) assignments.

Hemp planting, and its need for safe and reliable processing, manufacturing and storage, has exploded since the passing of the 2018 Farm Bill. We are confidently answering this call to serve the needs of farmers, business owners and ultimately, end users.

For more information, email us at info@paragonprocessors.com.

About Paragon Processing
Paragon Processing is a Colorado-based company that specializes in providing turnkey services and total solutions for hemp farmers and business owners, alike. On its 38-acre property, Paragon Processing houses a 250,000-square-foot facility ― the largest currently in operation in the U.S. Paragon Processing offers a full range of services related to processing, sales, THC remediation, onsite third-party lab testing, storage and post-harvest farm support. Utilizing the most current techniques in extraction and distillation, Paragon Processing develops a variety of full spectrum and THC-free products. For more information, visit https://paragonprocessors.com/.

admin12019-11-07T06:52:06+00:00November 7th, 2019|

Largest hemp plant in country prepping for processing

COLORADO CITY — The state of Colorado has long been known for leading the way in the cannabis industry, but here in Southern Colorado, hemp is now taking center stage. News 5 took a tour of the country’s largest hemp processing facility, which hopes to have their processing fully open in around 30 days.

Those with the company, Paragon Processing LLC, said they have the biggest building and some of the largest equipment in the United States, and with all that space, they will need lots of employees to help them process the hemp. “It’s going to lead us to need 250 employees by the end of this year. As we expand, we’re going to be going up to 2 million pounds a month, as we expand to 2 million pounds a month, we’re going to need to build up to about 500 employees by the next two to three years,” said William Chavis, the lead engineer and one of the partners for Paragon Processing.

Click here for the full story.

admin12019-09-15T17:09:21+00:00September 15th, 2019|

Paragon Processing, the Largest Operating Hemp Processing Facility in the US, Now Open for Business

COLORADO CITY, Colo., Aug. 29, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — Paragon Processing ― a state-of-the-art facility offering total seed-to-shelf solutions for industrial-scale hemp processing, manufacturing and storage, as well as private- and white-label goods ― is pleased to announce it is now open for business. The high-security facility, stationed on a 38-acre property, is located 140 miles south of Denver.

Facility
At a staggering 250,000 square feet, it is the largest hemp processing facility currently operating in the U.S. It can store up to 50 million pounds of hemp biomass, and hosts 13 dock-high loading positions, along with housing Superior Flow-branded proprietary processing equipment.

Paragon Processing offers full-scale processing for up to 1 million pounds of hemp biomass per month, with a target to expand to 2 million pounds with the arrival of the upcoming 2019 fall harvest season, which runs from September through November.

Click here for the full press release.

admin12019-09-15T16:26:10+00:00September 15th, 2019|

American Biofuels Inc. Announces Proposed Reverse Takeover By Paragon Processing, LLC and Arrangement of Financing for up to $20 Million

Vancouver, British Columbia–(Newsfile Corp. – July 30, 2019) – American Biofuels Inc. (TSXV: ABS.H) (“ABS” or the “Company“) and Paragon Processing, LLC (“Paragon“), a Colorado limited liability company engaged in the business of manufacturing and distributing industrial hemp products (the “Paragon Business“), announces that ABS and Paragon have entered into a business combination agreement (the “Combination Agreement“), which contemplates a reverse takeover of ABS by the members of Paragon (the “Proposed Transaction“). As presently contemplated, the Proposed Transaction will be completed by way of a series of transactions, including an amalgamation under the Business Corporations Act (British Columbia) and a statutory share exchange under the Nevada Revised Statute. The Proposed Transaction also contemplates that on closing of the Proposed Transaction (“Closing“), the common shares of ABS will be de-listed from the TSX Venture Exchange (the “TSX-V“) and re-listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange (the “CSE“). The Combination Agreement was negotiated between ABS and Paragon at arm’s length.

Details of the Proposed Transaction

Click here for the full press release on Marketwatch.

admin12019-09-15T16:23:47+00:00September 15th, 2019|

Seeking a Supply Chain Solution

As we pointed out in our last blog post, when the 2018 farm bill legalized the production and interstate transfer of hemp, it helped make hemp-based CBD—or, cannabidiol—products extremely popular. Hemp Business Journal estimates that industrial hemp can be used in approximately 50,000 different products, from cosmetics to clothing to automobiles.

It’s no surprise that hemp farming is now surging. In their 2017 U.S. Hemp Crop Report, hemp advocacy group Vote Hemp noted that 23,343 acres of hemp were cultivated in the U.S that year. In 2018, that number expanded to 77,000 acres.

In states across the country—like Tennessee, which is currently processing 1,000 2019 hemp farming permits—farmers are switching to industrial hemp. It’s easier to grow (by experienced farmers) and makes them more money.

In spite of this surge in hemp farming, is supply meeting demand?

Seeking A Consistent Supply Chain

The biggest concern we hear from our clients is that they need a consistent supply chain. Whether they’re having trouble finding quality biomass, available labs with adequate capacity or they just want the end product—THC-free distillate or CBD isolate—there just isn’t enough to go around.

The problem is exacerbated by a lack of transparency in the hemp industry. Sadly, many hemp processors are misrepresenting their actual capacity for storage and processing, their inventory or they are simply booked out several years.

What’s slowing down the supply chain?

Tighter Regulations

State regulators are paying extra attention to hemp.

Hemp is genetically related to cannabis but has much less, if any, THC—the psychoactive compound in cannabis. When President Trump signed the 2018 Farm Bill into law, industrial hemp was made Federally legal. However, CBD is still a schedule one substance and as such, it’s expected to be closely regulated by state governments, which could affect not only the supply chain but product development.

Another factor to consider is prescription drug use. Take for example anti-seizure drug Epidiolex, the first FDA-approved medication to contain a purified extract from the cannabis plant. In September 2018, the FDA classified the drug as a schedule five controlled substance, which is the least restrictive classification.

Once CBD is used in a prescription drug, the FDA considers it a controlled substance. Many big consumer brands want to infuse CBD into popular products such as Coca-Cola; however, once it’s introduced into prescription drugs it’s off limits for over-the-counter products. If the FDA changes its ruling or CBD is “de-scheduled,” that could set a new precedent and open the floodgates for wider CBD product usage.

Hemp supply-chain analysts also believe that genetics data and other information will need to be recorded every step of the way. “Even highly processed products will be required to have full traceability back to the farm level,” said Colton Griffin, CEO of Flourish Software, which specializes in hemp supply chain management, in an interview with Supply Chain Dive.

Consumers and retailers support traceability as well. Businesses have begun focusing on new technology to trace food sources in the event of contamination. Companies like IBM and Walmart have developed blockchain systems for tracing where their food products come from in the event of an outbreak. Many consumers want to know where their food and consumer products come from, and marketers see this transparency as a way to build trust with their customer base.

What We’re Doing to Help Meet Demand

As the Tennessean wisely points out, “ideally, hemp farmers should be contracted by a hemp processing company before they plant hemp, otherwise they run the risk of having nowhere to sell their harvest.”

Rather than re-inventing the wheel, Paragon chooses to take a tried-and-true approach with farmers. We work in-step with hemp growers by providing seamless integration from field to product. This relationship-building process can ease supply chain issues by helping farmers:

Develop best practices
Record adequate genetics data, and
Map full traceability of their biomass.

It’s our goal to establish trust and transparency in the hemp processing industry.

Work With Us

For more information on Paragon Processing’s industrial hemp processing, CBD processor and storage services, click here to contact us.

Ready to process your biomass? Get started here.

If you’re looking to join our growing team, click here to apply.

admin12019-05-17T20:16:19+00:00March 7th, 2019|

New Facility Supports Booming Hemp Industry

Paragon Processing’s new facility in Colorado City.

As Bloomberg reported recently, when the December 2018 farm bill legalized the production and interstate transfer of hemp, it helped make hemp-based CBD—or, cannabidiol—products extremely popular, creating a broad selection of CBD-based consumer products from cosmetics to pet care.

The CBD market, the article claims, could surpass $20 billion by 2022.

As this demand increases, so will the abundance of hemp farming. In fact, we’re already witnessing this surge: hemp farming has outpaced processing.

Unfortunately, this has led some labs to make inaccurate claims about their capacity, and others to subcontract with third party processors to process their customers’ biomass. Many farmers are left with fewer processing options and a growing distrust in the transparency of the hemp processing industry.

Meeting That Demand, Restoring Trust

With its purchase of a former logistics facility in Colorado City, Colo., Paragon Processing brings to this growing industry an industrial-scale hemp storage and CBD processor solution.

The 250K square foot facility is located on approximately 38 acres with more than 1,900 feet of I-25 frontage. The property has excellent interstate access and 13 dock-high loading positions.

Inside Paragon Processing’s 250K square foot facility.

Paragon provides turnkey hemp processing from biomass to isolate, including winterized crude, full and broad spectrum distillate, and isolation/remediation services. Additionally, we provide support to farmers through strategic partnerships that can provide genetics and harvesting services, testing, authentication and processing. Our facility is capable of processing one million pounds of biomass per month, expanding to 2 million pounds per month by the third quarter of 2019.

The Paragon facility has a controlled, secure storage environment with the capacity to hold between five and fifteen million pounds.

Work With Us

For more information on Paragon Processing’s hemp storage, CBD processor and marketing services, click here to contact us.

Ready to process your biomass? Get started here.

If you’re looking to join our growing team, click here to apply.

admin12020-01-23T04:49:23+00:00February 6th, 2019|