Nishan Han hopes to plant his first hemp crop this spring and to harvest it by fall.
If his plans are successful, Han, the CEO and founder of Rhode Island Reef LLC, envisions his Newport store stocked with cannabidiol products made from his own plants.
Han, an Aquidneck Island native, opened the doors of Rhode Island Reef in March 2019. The store and its website sell a variety of CBD-infused products such as hemp oil, salves, lotions, gummies and bath bombs along with parts of the hemp plant itself.
A former licensed grower of medical marijuana, Han drew on his experience in the industry to develop his product line. He is working with manufacturers and hemp farmers in Colorado, Vermont and Massachusetts, but he is in the process of obtaining his own license to grow industrial hemp in the Ocean State.
He said his farm will be located on Aquidneck Island.
“That was the goal from the beginning, to be a truly local hemp company,” Han said. “We plan on growing our own plants, doing the drying and extraction ourselves, and manufacturing our products.”
Elizabeth Graham is a PBN staff writer. Contact her at Graham@PBN.com.