Agrozen Opens Indiana’s First Certified Hemp Testing Laboratory

Writer // Janelle Morrison                Photography // Courtesy of Agrozen Life Sciences

We first introduced our readers to Agrozen Life Sciences, located in Carmel, Indiana, in the summer of 2019. Founded by Carmel residents Brian Schroeder and his son, Austin, Agrozen Life Sciences focuses on hemp-derived CBD oil research, product development and consumer education.

About Agrozen Life Sciences

Agrozen Life Sciences is constantly evolving its organization into a world-class research and development cannabis company with roots tied to Indiana. It markets high-quality CBD products through premium brands, researches hemp genetics at its R&D Cultivation Center, provides laboratory testing services through their board-certified analytical laboratory, and offers cannabis genetics services. Agrozen’s family of brands is positioned to be at the forefront of the plant-based industry and believes that education, transparency and outstanding customer service are the keys to Agrozen’s success.

The First in Indiana

Last month, after a year of submissions and reviews, Agrozen Life Sciences launched Agrozen Labs and became Indiana’s first and only hemp testing laboratory certified by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Office of Indiana State Chemist.

Agrozen Labs also recently achieved Schedule I Cannabis Testing Certification from the DEA and is an approved hemp testing laboratory through the USDA’s Domestic Hemp Production Program.

In conjunction with the USDA and DEA approvals, Agrozen Labs is the first hemp cooperative analytical testing laboratory approved through the Seed Section of the Office of Indiana State Chemist at Purdue University. The Agrozen Labs announcement follows word that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has approved the Indiana State Hemp plan for commercially growing and processing hemp, a crop that is widely used to produce textiles, rope, carpet, paper, building materials, food and more.

Currently, there are approximately 280 growers who farm nearly 9,000 acres of hemp. Hemp farmers are required to have crops tested before harvest. Agrozen is one of approximately 50 such USDA-certified labs in the U.S.

“We’ve been working extremely hard trying to put all of the pieces and parts together to establish a credible business,” said Brian Schroeder, co-founder and CEO of Agrozen Life Sciences. “We have found, over the course of the last year or so, there are many products in the market that aren’t testing correctly. So, we felt it was important to push forward with Agrozen Labs to have a certified testing facility in Indiana that farmers, formulators, extractors and retailers can come to, as a reliable source, and have their products tested to make sure products and crops are compliant. We’ve come a long way in a short period of time and gained many clients that really trust us.”

Expanding the Strategic Plan

The Schroeders are looking to leverage their expertise on the laboratory side of things, and as the hemp industry continues to expand and evolve throughout the state, Agrozen Labs is looking to be on the forefront of that growth, leading the industry with its certified state-of-the art testing capabilities.

“We have intentions of expanding our R&D cultivation center in Indiana soon,” Schroeder said. “It will allow us to expand our footprint in terms of overall distribution of our Agrozen and Urban Daze brands. We want to really develop a credible business model that our dealer network, consumers and lawmakers can trust. As this whole cannabis industry moves forward, we would like to be the ‘go-to’ company people trust to answer their questions.”

Research and development are ongoing at Agrozen’s cultivation center and grow operation.

“We’re doing a lot of research, trying to understand growth rates and how susceptible a particular hemp genetic is to pests, molds and the environment. The research is critical to understand which hemp strains perform best in the state of Indiana.”

New Jobs Become Available in a Growing Industry

As a growing industry, hemp farming, extracting, manufacturing and distribution is creating jobs throughout the state and nation.

“Over the last year and a half, we’ve expanded our team,” Schroeder shared. “We’re expanding well beyond from when Austin and I started this business. We anticipate hiring additional people in the first half of 2021 with the launch of a couple new initiatives, and once we get a new R&D facility up and running, we will be adding another three to four individuals to run the cultivation center. We have to add key personnel with unique capabilities to keep pushing our business forward.”

When asked how important consumer and distributor support has been for the growth of his business amid unprecedented times, Schroeder replied, “As our brand gets more exposure, we are gaining more support from our local audience, allowing us to continue growing.”

For more information about Agrozen Life Sciences, visit the company’s website at agrozen.com.