WILSON, N.C., Sept. 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Criticality, a North Carolina-based industrial hemp processor, has initiated renovation on a facility in Wilson, North Carolina, for an all-natural supercritical fluid extraction and purification operation. Located at 1900 Old Stantonsburg Road, Wilson, NC 27893, the 55,000-square foot facility will, upon completion, be one of the largest facilities of its kind in the state. 

Criticality's new facility will be used for extraction and purification of locally grown industrial hemp, including for the company's upcoming line of THC-free cannabidiol (CBD) E-Liquids and CBD oils under the brand of Korent. Criticality uses Pyxus International, Inc.'s SENTRI^TM track and trace technology to provide transparency into the lifecycle of our products, monitoring information and data related to the growth, cultivation, harvest, processing, formulation, testing and release of individual batches of products.  

Criticality forecasts the facility will generate 88 jobs within its first five years of operation, with all positions offering employee benefit options and salaries averaging $44,000-plus annually. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the median household income in Wilson County, N.C. is $40,260.

"The renovation of our facility in Wilson is a natural next step as we work toward our goal of becoming a leader in industrial hemp extraction and CBD products over the next five years, and the City of Wilson, Wilson Economic Development Council, Wilson Police Chief Thomas Hopkins and Wilson County Sheriff Calvin L. Woodard, Jr. have been instrumental in supporting our efforts in Wilson," said Brian Moyer, CEO of Criticality. "We are designing this facility, and implementing a quality control system, to follow Good Manufacturing Practices and operate in compliance with dietary supplement standards. We are excited to be able to provide customers with high-quality, verifiable, fully-traceable products."

Criticality specializes in environmentally-friendly, all-natural, solvent-free supercritical fluid extraction and purification. Construction on the facility is expected to be finalized in fall 2018.

About Criticality:

Criticality is an integrated North Carolina-based industrial hemp company that takes a science-based approach to the extraction, refinement and formulation of high-quality, transparent industrial hemp derived products. Criticality partners with Pyxus International, Inc. (NYSE: PYX), a provider of responsibly produced, independently verified, sustainable and traceable agricultural products, ingredients and services, to source, process and produce industrial hemp and hemp products under North Carolina's Industrial Hemp Pilot Program.

About Pyxus International, Inc.

Pyxus International (NYSE: PYX) is a global agricultural company with 145 years' experience delivering value-added products and services to businesses and customers, and is a trusted provider of responsibly-sourced, independently-verified, sustainable and traceable products and ingredients. Driven by a united purpose – to transform people's lives, so that together we can grow a better world – Pyxus International, its subsidiaries and affiliates, offers high-quality, distinct brands and products in the leaf tobacco, E-Liquids, industrial hemp and legal cannabis industries. For more information visit pyxusintl.com.

SOURCE Criticality LLC