DUBLIN — Entrepreneurship is nothing new for Jeff Smith.

In his latest venture, he envisions a good return on his investment. But he offers the caveat, “I don’t want to be the huge guy.”

Smith is on the front end of the curve with the hemp industry. He’s opening Southern Extraction Labs in the building he owns on the corner of N.C. 87 and N.C. 410.

Industrial hemp is the plant species cannabis sativa; it is the same species as marijuana. It has low levels of tetrahydrocannabinol, usually referred to as THC and which produces a euphoric “high” or psychoactive effect. Industrial hemp is engineered to have high levels of cannabidiol, or CBD, which is not psychoactive.

Industrial hemp is grown for seed oils, fiber products such as those in textiles and rope, and for its “buds.”

Smith’s CO2 extraction machine, the 600th put into service by Apeks Supercritical, will give him a number of ways to help hemp farmers in the region. His operation will be capable of producing raw ingredients for other processors, such as CBD oil.

Farmers can also work with Smith to use his “white label service,” he’ll have his company’s own line of offerings, and he’ll have the equipment to manufacture pre-rolls and do packaging.

“I’ll have the flexibility to get products from the farmer and then do different things,” Smith said.

Smokeable hemp is legal in North Carolina, and sells for about $800 to $1,000 a pound, Smith said. The trim can be sold to Smith for much less.

“The oils we do is not an issue,” Smith said of the state still working out a fair number of legalities, including with legislators and law enforcement.

North Carolina’s increasing number of hemp farmers topped 500 in January, a number up by about 150 from six months earlier. Smith says he knows two and has heard of a third in Bladen County, and Sampson County has about 15. He believes his location and versatile offerings will be beneficial to farmers in Bladen and several adjacent counties.

Southern Extraction will be one of the few places south and east of Raleigh that can help farmers with their products.

“We’re excited to work with Apeks to get our operation up and running for the fall harvest,” Smith said, “and are confident this system will not only deliver what we need to get off the ground, but help us scale as the North Carolina industry grows.”

Alan Wooten | Bladen Journal
Jeff Smith stands alongside his CO2 extraction system, the 600th put into service by Apeks Supercritical. Smith is opening Southern Extraction Labs at the corner of N.C. 87 and N.C. 410 in Dublin.
https://www.bladenjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/web1_hemp-080619.jpgAlan Wooten | Bladen Journal
Jeff Smith stands alongside his CO2 extraction system, the 600th put into service by Apeks Supercritical. Smith is opening Southern Extraction Labs at the corner of N.C. 87 and N.C. 410 in Dublin.

Alan Wooten

Bladen Journal

Alan Wooten can be reached at 910-247-9132 or awooten@bladenjournal.com. Twitter: @alanwooten19.