Southern hemp breeder partners with horticultural broker for expanded US distribution footprint

Griffin, a horticultural plant broker and supply company based in Tewksbury, Massachusetts, has linked up with The Hemp Mine, a South Carolina-based hemp breeder and young plant provider, in an effort to expand distribution across the U.S.

Well established in the ornamental garden plant industry, where the broker distributes plant genetics from several plant breeders, the broker said it is applying this same approach to hemp. Griffin currently works with Colorado-based Front Range Biosciences and other hemp genetics companies.

The Hemp Mine offers market-focused genetics proven by trials, along with extensive crop knowledge, according to Tami van Gaal, Griffin’s controlled environment agriculture division leader.

“We also secure a strong supply chain because The Hemp Mine is partnered with rooting stations that fully understand the young plant market,” van Gaal said in a statement.

Rooting stations are greenhouse operations that are contracted and licensed to root vegetatively propagated proprietary varieties from cuttings into liners or clones, which are then sold through the broker.

The deal expands both company’s geographic footprint, according to Travis Higginbotham, owner of The Hemp Mine, who said Griffin’s reputation for offering technical support alongside its live goods distribution capabilities “gives us confidence that we have chosen the right partner.”