Hemp growing company announces plans to set up indoor operation in SC, governor says

A hemp growing company is setting up shop in the Midlands, according to South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster’s Office.

Agricultural hemp company SC Canna, LLC, announced plans to establish an indoor growing operation in Clarendon County, the governor’s office said Wednesday in a news release.

“The future prosperity of our state depends on a thriving agriculture industry, and it is through investments like this one that will help the industry continue to thrive,” McMaster said in the release.

SC Canna is investing $8.8 million to establish the new operation, according to the release. The company’s move will create 37 jobs at the Clarendon County facility, which is expected to be up and running in 2023, the governor’s office said.

The newly constructed 50,000-square-foot commercial space will be located at the Clarendon County Industrial Park in Manning and will house the company’s proprietary growing system, according to the release.

SC Canna, a subsidiary of Sirius-A-Bioscience, “is an integrated grower and distributor of medical-grade hemp products,” the governor’s office said. Founded by South Carolina natives, the company specializes in aeroponics, which allows hemp to be grown indoors from seed to wholesale, according to the release.

“We are very excited about growing SC Canna, LLC in our own backyard,” the company’s managing partner, Thomas Schipper, said in the release. “Our high-tech grow system will be the first of its kind in South Carolina. We look forward to cultivating and strengthening our ability to provide as many therapeutic resources as possible to our healthcare customers.”

Hemp is an agricultural product that comes from the cannabis plant and is often used to create CBD oil. Unlike marijuana, which hemp is often referred with, hemp doesn’t have enough THC “to create the ‘high’ traditionally associated with marijuana.

“Companies of all types are planting their seeds in South Carolina because of our business-friendly environment and talented workforce,” SC Secretary of Commerce Harry Lightsey said in the release.

S.C. Commissioner of Agriculture Hugh Weathers, along with Clarendon County Council Chairman Dwight L. Stewart Jr. and Central SC Alliance Chairman Matthew Shaffer, all said they welcomed SC Canna and its innovations to Clarendon County.