From left to right: Daniel Sowers & Derek Wall
Taking Local Hemp to the Next Level Budding interest in hemp and cannabis in Virginia has led to healthy growth for The Buffalo Hemp Company. Having already established the Floyd location in 2019, TBHC has been so successful that it was not only able to open the second location at 1110 Main Street in Roanoke but has recently opened a third location at 208-A N. Main Street in Blacksburg! They are also pleased to announce that they have outgrown the original Floyd location at 315 East Main Street and relocated to a more spacious, historic building at 710 East Main Street. Co-owner Derek Wall attributes the company’s success to local relationships, persistence, and commitment to continuous evolution. “We were fortunate to begin with our own crop, our products, and our own brand,” says Wall. But Wall and his business partner, Daniel Sowers, soon found that there were a lot of people growing excess hemp. This led to TBHC growing less of their own crop every year and opting instead to support local farmers who could grow hemp that met the company’s needs for quality and safety. “Local sourcing is everything,” Wall continues. “Whenever possible, we buy local flower, and we’ve been successful in finding local farmers. The hardest part is the processing aspect, where CBD is extracted from hemp flower for mixing into oils, vaping products, edibles, and topicals.” Wall also explains that understanding fluctuating timelines and workflows among local processors were tough lessons that the company is now steadier for having learned. With positive early sales at special events, Wall and Sowers experimented with wholesaling through other outlets but knew their premium product was not meant to compete with the commodity brands. “We had to find a way to connect with people interested 12 www.Facebook.com/FloydVirginiaMagazine www.Facebook.com/FloydVirginiaMagazine
in a premium product from a trusted source,” says Wall. “So that’s what we developed.” The Buffalo Hemp Company opened its shop to offer the town of Floyd a personal experience that focused on its products. As a result, TBHC offers a more custom experience when compared to convenience store, big grocery, or even smoke and vape shops that sell many brands alongside non-hemp items. In those outlets, staff would have limited in-depth knowledge of individual hemp products. “That’s why someone would come to a specialized shop like The Buffalo Hemp Company,” says Wall. “To ask questions about each product, where it’s from, how it affects you, how it’s used. You get that here. We want to be the leading source for education and responsible use.” It can be a challenge, however, when competing with brands that don’t spend the money for laboratory quality testing or for maintaining a retail operation. However, it has been worth it for the Buffalo Hemp Company. Customers know the products are safe and effective. It also allows customers the personal touch of experienced staff listening to their needs and sharing essential knowledge of what is offered. It is the Floyd location’s success with personal service and brandspecific knowledge that led to the opening of the stores in Roanoke (spring of 2020) and Blacksburg (spring of 2021). “Roanoke came at the beginning of the pandemic when nobody was coming into any store. Now, it’s our best sales location,” says Wall, attributing the achievement to Roanoke’s larger population. Though the Blacksburg location opened just before the summer lull in downtown traffic, the company expects that location to soon catch up with the pace of the
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