By Noah Chen
Even though the legal market for making CBD is only a few years old, the process of using hemp plants to make usable products isn’t anything new..
Though it may seem complex at first, the process of taking hemp through to CBD production is fascinating. You can break it down into eight simple steps. Learning the methods used to create your favorite CBD product just may make you see it in a whole new light.
Step 1) CBD starts with a seed
It should come as no surprise that top-quality CBD products come from hemp with high levels of CBD. This isn’t always easy since growing hemp high in CBD also increases the likelihood of high levels of THC, and it’s still illegal for hemp to have more than 0.3 percent THC.
Step 2) Curing the flower for CBD
However, once a plant tests with the right levels of cannabinoids, the flowers are ready for harvest. From there, they go through a drying and curing process that prepares the flower for CBD extraction.
Step 3) Grinding hemp flower
The dried and cured flower now gets ground down. This increases the surface area of the plant matter, making each stage of processing faster and more efficient.
Step 4) Creating CBD crude oil
The ground flower is then mixed with a solvent, usually ethanol, and boiled at low temperatures. This separates the CBD and other cannabinoids from the plant matter, so you’re only working with the compounds you need to create a final product.
Step 5) Dewaxing hemp
The crude oil is still, well, crude, and needs a bit of refinement when converting it to pure CBD. Dewaxing, or winterization, is the first refinement process because it involves freezing the crude oil to separate out the lipids and waxes. We’re now one step closer to pure CBD.
Step 6) Distilling CBD
While there is CBD in the dewaxed oil, it is not active and, if consumed, will have no effect. So, first, it needs to get activated, or decarboxylated. This means gently heating the substance, which in turn activates the cannabinoid.
The substance then gets boiled at low temperatures, burning off any excess compounds that would impact the purity of the CBD.
Step 7) Refining CBD
Now comes the fun part. In what form do manufacturers want the CBD? Are they looking for full-spectrum or broad-spectrum? Is the demand for oil or crystals?
The possibilities are near infinite! But once farmers sell their product, something consumable or topical gets created. Now it’s time to package. The laws governing the packaging of hemp products for sale vary state to state, but specific information is always required. You also cannot make any claims as to the effects the product will have, and make have to include a disclaimer or two.
Step 8) Distributing
Distribution is the last step. Out to the vendors the final hemp-derived product goes. Once everything gets lined up, the CBD that came from your plants will hit store shelves and customers the country over.
Get it all done, in one place, with Arbor Vita8
The process of taking hemp from the field to store shelves is an involved one. However, with the right partner, farmers don’t have to stress about the quality of their final product or the integrity with which it’s made. At Arbor Vita8, our seed-to-sale array of services can guide you through every step of the hemp process. We not only make sure you select the right strain to plant, but have all the capabilities for processing you’ll need. From there, we’re able to connect you with trustworthy manufacturers, ready to buy your extracted cannabinoid at the best possible price. Working with us is a win-win-win. Contact Arbor Vita8 today to learn more.
