7 | Virginia Business Awards 2022 Jun22067 Industrial Hemp Producer of the Year 2022 & Family-Owned Agribusiness of the Year 2022 MOR-hemp is a small, women-, and minority-owned business with roots in Halifax County, VA. It is a company that deeply values its customers, community, hard work, innovation and sustainability, and it strives to empower its community by innovating and expanding its practices to enable the building of meaningful, balanced lives. With community involvement to support its vision, MOR-hemp is able to reach its highest potential. OR-hemp is a company 100 years in the making, with the Morton family’s history stretching back many generations. It all began in 1906 when the Morton family’s ancestors purchased land as sharecroppers in Halifax, VA. This land, bursting with memories and heritage, was the family’s steppingstone into the farming industry. A century later, MOR-hemp was founded in 2019, honouring the Morton family’s legacy of farming, and it started its journey of growing industrial hemp. The mission is to pioneer a company that utilises innovative agricultural approaches with industrial hemp to create premium products and services. It dares to leave elephant-sized footprints in order to make the world a better place. And elephants are a theme for MOR-hemp, featuring in the company logo and paying homage to the current owners’ and siblings’ mother, Mary Morton. The elephant has been a longstanding symbol in the Morton family, a reminder of everything that MOR-hemp represents. It is a symbol of strength and power, and is praised for its size, longevity, stamina, mental faculties, cooperative spirit, and loyalty. There couldn’t be a better symbol to reflect the Morton family’s history and promising future. Family is truly an important aspect to MOR-hemp; it treats its staff and customers just like family, and everyone’s voices and opinions are always being heard. Beyond this, its customers and partners benefit from its vast network of expertise, brands, products, premier services, and experience. Its cultivation, processing, and distribution are unparalleled by practicing sustainable organic and environmentally friendly solutions. Most importantly, the company strives to expand, rejuvenate, and bring economic growth for local job markets to Southern Virginia. The reason for MOR-hemp’s awards success is indeed evident, with the company’s President and COO stating, “The driving factors behind our success in the Virginia Business Awards are that we believe in our products and company. Also that we aren’t afraid of innovation.” Continuously striving to innovate new products and cultivate the Morton family heritage, MOR-hemp established Tusk in 2020 to create Virginia’s first hemp infused vodka and rum, in a partnership with Edwin Wright, master distiller of Whiskey Wright Distillery. Now, the future is looking very bright for MOR-hemp, with its plans being to grow the business and expand nationally. It will also be looking to expand Tusk’s vodka and rum spirit types, giving plenty of variety to choose from. All of this will be done while ensuring the family’s legacy and rich history live on for generations to come. Company: MOR-hemp Contact: Stephon Morton Email: [email protected] Website: www.mor-hemp.com M
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