Upstate Opens CBD-focused Manufacturing Facility in Burlington, Vermont

April was a busy month for Upstate, as we moved into our brand new manufacturing facility in Burlington. And it’s not just new, it’s special: this is Vermont’s first FDA Registered, cGMP Certified CBD manufacturing facility. What does that mean? It means we’re serious about sustainable production and have made significant investment into our processes to reflect it. 

We finally settled in and started cranking on brand new production lines this month. With precision equipment and ultra efficient systems, our new facility is Current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) certified and FDA Registered — the first CBD facility in the state! 

Upstate worked with the Vermont Department of Health and the Vermont Manufacturing Extension Center on the buildout to perfect quality control systems and to ensure the facility adheres to all food safety requirements.

“We hold ourselves to the highest standards for responsible business practices and have made significant investment into our processes and manufacturing facilities to reflect that. Our commitment to the safety, quality, and purity of our products is characteristic of the great state of Vermont.” Dylan Raap, Chief Executive Officer

We weren’t forced to take these steps, in fact, many CBD companies choose not to. We do so because achieving cGMP certification gives our customers the certainty that our manufacturing operations meet the highest standards, that our products are safe for use, that bottle after bottle customers can depend on quality and consistency.

Our founder and CEO, Dylan Raap, says it best: “We hold ourselves to the highest standards for responsible business practices and have made significant investment into our processes and manufacturing facilities to reflect that. Our commitment to the safety, quality, and purity of our products is characteristic of the great state of Vermont.” Which is why defining and pursuing rigorous compliance and safety standards is important to us, and to the future of a flourishing hemp industry.

Our efforts are important, but alone they are insufficient. This is no longer a cottage industry, it is quickly maturing and it is time for CBD manufacturers and regulators to rise to the occasion. “We are encouraged that the Department of Health and the Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets have developed policies to regulate hemp derived food and supplements in Vermont,” said Brooke Jenkins JD, Upstate’s Chief Operations Officer. “We will continue to advocate for federal regulation to provide much-needed oversight to the industry, and to protect consumers from unlicensed brands producing low quality CBD products.”