Wyndridge owner launches seed-to-shelf hemp program in York County

The Farmacy, a store that specializes in a variety of hemp and CBD-related items, held a grand opening March 15 at 2218 S. Queen St. in York Township.

The hemp store is the retail component of a seed-to-shelf hemp initiative spearheaded by Steve Groff, owner of Wyndridge Farm in York Township and a licensed physician. The goal is for hemp to be grown by York County farmers, processed at a facility in the county and sold at a store there.

“We’re looking at a whole seed-to-shelf, vertically integrated hemp program,” he said.

To that end, Groff recently purchased a $1.5 million hemp-processing machine named the HempTrain that will be installed in an 80,000-square foot warehouse in Red Lion later this summer.

Nine months ago, the former physician began researching the potential medical use of cannabinoids. After the 2018 farm bill was passed, decriminalizing industrial hemp in the United States, Groff obtained a permit to grow hemp at Wyndridge Farm.

When he turned to processing the crop, he realized that traditional hammer mill machines were still in use. However, the decades-old method wasn’t designed to separate multiple parts of the plant, so it wouldn’t support Groff’s goal of using hemp for a variety of purposes.

He began researching online and came across the HempTrain, a machine developed by Greenfield Technologies Corp., based in Calgary, Alberta. Groff explained that the machine can break down hemp bales into three parts: two different types of fiber and one part clean biomass. The clean biomass contains cannabinoids, one of which is the popular CBD used in health products and other items.

The new machine is a massive leap forward in technology compared to hammer mill machines, he said.

“It’s like the iPhone 2 compared to the rotary phone. It’s that kind of technology advance,” he said.

Groff’s HempTrain processing center is believed to be the first of its kind in the U.S. and will allow for large-scale agricultural production. The machine can process up to 5,000 acres worth of hemp per year, according to the Greenfield Technologies website.

The hammer mill method is expensive, manual and used entirely for CBD, Groff said. The HempTrain will allow him to use all parts of the plant, including the two types of fiber.

“There are literally thousands of uses for this fiber,” he said, citing health and beauty products, construction materials, and food preservation, among others.

Groff is working with several farmers in the midstate and expects to grow 3,500 acres of hemp this year. He also anticipates creating 20 to 40 new jobs at the processing center.

Some products manufactured at the facility will be sold at The Farmacy, he said.

“This is the shelf part of the seed-to-shelf initiative. It’s the retail component,” he said.

Customers can currently find a variety of CBD and hemp-related products at the store, including a full line of topicals, hemp seeds, hemp oil, granola, balms fused with hemp or CBD and hemp-infused drinks. All of the products are domestically sourced from labs around the country, but Groff is working to establish a Farmacy Partners line of products created from the hemp at his new facility.

In the future, he wants to add massage therapy services at the store that utilize hemp-related products. However, Groff also wants customers to learn more about hemp and CBD products and dispel some of the myths that surround them, including the false belief that they are addictive.

“We wanted to create a fun vibe where people can come here and learn about hemp and CBD,” he said.

Eventually, he wants to expand the business to other locations.

“We want to create a reproducible model, so we’re looking at Lancaster and Philadelphia,” he said.

Groff hasn’t forgotten his medical roots and wants to play an active role in cannabinoid research. One of his goals is to create a research park near the processing plant that will allow scientists and other researchers to examine the hemp processed there and discover more efficient ways to use it to treat medical conditions.

Until then, Groff is working closely with the state Department of Agriculture to explore the various avenues the local hemp industry can take.

Hemp processing is expected to begin at the Red Lion site this fall.