Michelle and Luke Poindexter, owners Rural Route Hemp Co.
To the Poindexter’s, it looked like a great business opportunity a few years back “I was traveling a lot with my job and realized I wanted to do something closer to home” said Michelle “when it hit me that we had a lot of the necessary components to start this business, including farmland, and after giving it a lot of thought, all the pieces came together.”
And that has now come to full fruition as the Poindexter’s devote their time to the Rural Route Hemp Company in Adrian at 605 E. Ada St. where customers are welcomed to a showroom of CBD favorites including gummies, creams, salves, coffee, soaps, tinctures (drops) and yes, even CBD for animals.
One might ask, what exactly is CBD? Short for cannabidiol, which is a prevalent active ingredient in the hemp plant. While CBD is an essential component of medical marijuana, it’s actually a cousin of marijuana; it does not cause a “high” but provides many proven health benefits as touted by their customers and many others nationwide. “And we get a lot of good feedback from our customers too” said Michelle who went on to say that very feedback helps them with new ideas, but also with ways to improve existing products.
However, walk in business is only a part of Rural Route Hemp Co., who has put together a nationwide distribution network direct to salon owners, dispensaries and more including private labeling for resale.
Harvesting and processing a couple thousand pounds of plant material per year for the Poindexter’s may not sound like much but it’s more work that one might think. “We work closely under government regulations to insure that our products stay below the legal limit of .3% THC. Any plants over that limit must be destroyed” she said. Not a complicated process, but something that must be closely monitored. For the record, THC is the “high” component found in marijuana that occasionally slips into the hemp plant.
Overall, the Poindexter’s got a little breathing room as Missouri recently dumped the state hemp program leaving growers to follow just federal rules. And believe it or not it’s made their lives a slightly easier allowing them more time for other things including research.
“Besides the heath benefit of CBD, there’s many other uses for the hemp plant” added Luke “There’s a lot in the experimental stages such as turning it into animal feed because it’s loaded with protein.” Interestingly, he pointed out that it seems there’s more regulations for animals than humans. But it’s likely that cows and other livestock could be enjoying the benefits soon as the Poindexter’s donate some product to research studies.
Originally, Rural Route Hemp Co. was located at a smaller location in Adrian but was recently moved to Ada street which offers a lot more usable space and includes a gym- the Fitness Hub where health conscious folks can have access for just $35 a month. Plus there are three instructors offering personal training with group classes available.
By combining the gym and Rural Route Hemp Co. in one location, it’s simply a healthy place to go.
The public is invited to stop by 9a-5p weekdays, browse products, ask questions and get to know the owners at 605 E. Ada street (former Dollar Store location) or call 816-507-0035.
You can also find more information at www.mocannextracts.com and by searching Rural Route Hemp Co on Facebook.
Rural Route Hemp Company of Adrian, Mo utilizes a top notch laboratory (above) to process CBD products grown on their farm in Western Bates County. A popular seller for the Poindexter’s are CBD gummies as seen below, available in many sizes and dosages as well as soaps, coffee, tinctures, creams, salves and more.
