Our Story

At Great River Hemp Company, we’re dedicated to offering all-natural hemp products that help soothe the mind, body, and spirit using 100% full-spectrum hemp oil. Our company is owned and operated by beekeepers at an urban farm located in Charlotte, NC.

We know that today's challenging lifestyles bring on varying levels of stress and that, sometimes, our health takes a toll. We hope to help ease these discomforts by offering all-natural hemp products, sharing valuable wellness information, and promoting a healthy holistic lifestyle.

Joanne de la Rionda, Founder/Co-Owner, Recipe Expert

What’s your favorite great outdoors memory? 

A few years ago, Randall, our good friend Greg, and I were fortunate to take a rafting trip down the Selway River in Idaho. The Selway flows within the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness, the Bitterroot National Forest, and the Nez Perce National Forest of North Central Idaho and issues a limited number of trip permits each year. Our trip was the first of the season so the water was cold, the weather was absolutely beautiful and the river was full of energy! My favorite memories are the sights (brown bear, snakes, egrets and stars) and the evening campfires. We were fortunate to be traveling with the tour owner as we went down one of the hardest runs of the trip and he asked a question, as we pushed off,  that has become the overriding theme for my life ..."Are you a pig or a chicken?  When it comes to breakfast, the chickens is involved ... the pig is committed!" In whatever you do - be committed!

What's your favorite way to unwind?

I love to cook and will take full advantage of a quiet Saturday or Sunday to flip through my collection of cookbooks and recipe surf.

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Randall York, Founder/Co-Owner, Beekeeper

What’s your favorite great outdoors memory? 

My favorite memory is being part of the Daniel Boone Wagon Train with my grandparents (Nanny and Grandpa) in the mountains of North Carolina when I was 7.  The wagon train was made up of old covered wagons (pulled by livestock), horses, mules and oxen as well as multi-generational families like mine.   We'd ride during the day, covering the same trail as Daniel Boone, setup camp, eat as a big family and fall asleep to the sounds of crickets, laughter and campfire stories.  We'd rise early to the beautiful foggy Appalachian Mountain mornings - ready to take to the trail again.  My job, because everyone has a job on the wagon train, was to make sure the horses and mules had enough water and food. I think this experience with my grandparents grounded me and set in stone my love for the outdoors and animals.

What's your favorite way to unwind? 

I love to read (true-crime and non-fiction) and work in the yard and garden while listening to podcasts and music. The hive’s headquarter office is located just north of the city of Charlotte off of Graham Street, where you’ll find us extracting, sampling, whipping and infusing various hemp and honey products.