A decades-old, New Jersey-rooted family farm business is expanding from flowers, herbs, and leafy greens to hemp and cannabis, with the expansion of Hillview. The company's entrance into this growing industry dramatically personifies the inevitable legalization of both, and a hope of higher profits along with a renewed commitment to the Garden State.
"Our family has continued to add crops to our expansive agriculture portfolio, with hemp and cannabis being two additional plants that we can expertly and sustainably bring to market," said Ken Vande Vrede, Founder and CEO of Hillview, whose family farming operation has been rooted in New Jersey since 1973. "The expansion of the State's medical cannabis program, and state regulation on commercial hemp, should go a long way toward reinforcing New Jersey's reputation as the Garden State. We are a New Jersey business, backed by a high level of expertise in this burgeoning industry, and are committed to building our business and making a deeper contribution to the economy of the State."
Vande Vrede's family farm is already in related parts of the business that will help position Hillview to quickly begin growing commercial hemp, and eventually cannabis, when it receives appropriate State licensing and permits. In the meantime, Hillview plans to process hemp at its new facility in Pennsylvania, and both hemp and cannabis in its Nevada-based operations. Hillview is actively tracking New Jersey hemp regulations as they evolve, and are in motion to have operations up and running quickly, with a turnkey, efficient solution, when the final bill is signed into law.