In a pioneering effort to change the way cannabis products are flavored, Shareef El-Sissi has turned his sights to terpenes, the aromatic compounds responsible for the distinctive smells of cannabis. As SFGATE reported, El-Sissi, former CEO of a cannabis company, founded Terpene Belt Farms in 2017 on the eastern edge of the Bay Area near Byron, California, to provide a natural alternative to synthetic flavors in marijuana products. Now, with a 260-acre hemp farm producing millions of pounds of hemp flower annually, El-Sissi’s vision is transforming the cannabis flavor industry.

Natural Terpenes Over Synthetic Chemicals

Terpenes, which are responsible for the smell of cannabis, have long been overlooked in favor of THC and CBD, the active compounds in marijuana. However, El-Sissi believes terpenes hold untapped potential as natural flavoring agents. By focusing exclusively on terpene production, he aims to reduce the reliance on artificial flavors commonly found in edibles and vape pens.

"The downstream applications that can come from it are endless," El-Sissi said while touring his farm. "Everybody has just been looking at [cannabis] to get high…but this plant is the most prolific producer of fragrance on the planet."

Scaling Hemp For Terpene Production

Growing such a large amount of hemp is key to producing industrial levels of terpenes. Terpene Belt Farms, with its 210 acres of hemp in cultivation, is likely the largest cannabis farm in California, far surpassing the entire Humboldt County’s permitted cannabis acreage. In 2023, the farm produced 2 million pounds of hemp flower.

To handle such large-scale production, the farm operates more like an industrial agricultural facility. While most cannabis farms hand-harvest their crops, Terpene Belt Farms employs combines, capable of harvesting 200,000 pounds of hemp flower daily. These flowers are then steam-distilled to extract terpene-rich oil, leaving behind THC and CBD.

Expanding Terpene Applications Beyond Cannabis

While Terpene Belt Farms primarily supplies natural terpenes to cannabis companies, El-Sissi has his sights set on a larger market. He envisions using cannabis terpenes to replace synthetic chemicals in household products. "We're just scratching the surface of utilization," he said, adding that his facility is positioned to grow by magnitudes as it enters new industries.

Terpenes produced by cannabis can replicate flavors and smells from foods such as bananas and watermelons, offering a wide range of possibilities for natural flavoring in everything from food products to cleaning supplies.

Cover image made with AI