Vertically integrated hemp company Verde Leaf is moving forward on plans to open a new industrial hemp processing facility in Georgia after receiving a hemp processing permit from the state, the company announced in a release Tuesday.

Operated by its subsidiary, Verde Processing & Storage, the site will contain hemp extraction and product manufacturing assets, as well as laboratories for testing and certification of industrial hemp and products.

“Building a state-of-the-art processing facility gives us a competitive advantage in this emerging market,” Dr. Jackson Garth, president and chief executive officer of Verde Leaf, said in a statement. “We are proud to call Georgia home, and we are excited to bring jobs to the area.”

The site will also be used for research on hemp cultivation, propagation, and selective breeding. Hemp used at the plant will be sourced from the company’s network of farmers. Operations at the new plant are slated to commence in the third quarter of 2020.