(L to R) Brothers Jake, Tanner, Talbot and Abner Johnson operate Pure Shenandoah, which has a hemp processing facility in Elkton. Photo by Norm Shafer
Tanner Johnson, CEO of Pure Shenandoah LLC, says that his Elkton-based company is trying to bring hemp back to its Shenandoah Valley roots. After all, he explains, “back in the 1600s, this area was used heavily for hemp production and rope and clothing.”
Johnson is one of four brothers behind Pure Shenandoah, which seeks to create a market for hemp fiber, the pliable male variety of the cannabis plant. The family business already deals in the potent female CBD strain, selling recreational oils and applying to the state to become a medical marijuana grower.
“The fiber side has almost unlimited potential,” Johnson says. “It has 20,000-plus uses, from clothing and paper to packaging materials. You can even build a house with it.”
