Did you know that the word ‘canvas’ actually comes from Cannabis? Hemp, an industrial form of the cannabis plant was used to make the sturdy, flexible material of the sailcloth in boats – and eventually became the namesake of the material used, canvas. History has never been oblivious to the varied benefits of Hemp. In India, the earliest mention of this industrious plant has been found in The Vedas – where it is listed as one of the five sacred plants. Hemp has always been an important part of the Indian society – from being used in religious ceremonies to fibre for clothes.
Now, Hemp is finding itself in the nucleus of a booming industry – textiles, shoes, food, paper, rope, even biofuel and bioplastics. Hemp Seed Oil is a blessing for skin, whereas clothes made out of the hemp fabric are durable and last longer than quite a few of its counterparts. Many Indian companies are fast closing in on the multifaceted uses of this Cannabis strain – and are championing sustainability and economy with their hemp products. Here’s a list of 7 such companies!
I. Hemp Republic, Telangana
The company aims to provide an environment to develop a symbiotic relationship between humans and Earth. Having chosen to be a part of the nationwide hemp revolution, they cater to a variety of consumers across India.
The company is based in Telangana and manufactures hemp fabrics, oils, powders and paper products. All of their products are made in India and Fairtrade certified among other accreditations.
You may visit their website here.
II. Bombay Hemp Company (BOHECO), Mumbai.
Perhaps one of the more well-known Hemp companies, BOHECO has truly made its mark as a champion of sustainability in the Indian market. ‘Educate. Cultivate. Elevate’, - as they put it – is their formula to take the nine-thousand-year-old Wonder Crop of the Himalayas, Cannabis, and transform it into a channel that Powers the Future. BOHECO adopts ‘farm to table’ in every sense of the phrase. The company assists local farmers in cultivating the crop by providing optimum seeds and cultivation techniques. From thereon, BOHECO ensures that it builds a sustainable business model for economic, environmental and social impact. With their health and nutrition range, the hemp fabric and textiles lab, BOHECO offers a variety of hemp-based products to explore.
III. Namrata Hemp Company
The company’s mission is to explore the commercial as well as the industrial potential of industrial hemp as a multipurpose crop and bring about meaningful changes in the consumer behaviour through large-scale cultivation, industrial production, and commercial trading of hemp and hemp products across the Indian continent.
The company has a dedicated unit to facilitate scientific research in cultivating industrial hemp on a commercial scale in India.
Their products include hemp-based food- protein powder, hemp protein bars, cold-pressed hemp oil, hemp flour, and hemp chocolates- fabric and plastic alternatives like hemp bags.
You may visit their website here.
IV. Hempsters, Hyderabad
Hempsters celebrates Hemp Seed Oil like no other brand. Specializing in body care, Hempsters aims at offering their customers luxurious, natural and completely hand-made hemp products. They make sure to ingrain organic and age-old recipes, too. Every product here is made from Hemp Seed Oil – from shower gels and soap bars to balm butters and lotions. Pioneering as India’s first hemp-based body care brand, Hempsters is a perfect mix of the natural aesthetic and sustainable skin care.
V. Satliva, Bangalore
Satliva, a hemp shop based out of bangalore sources their raw material specially from the foothills of Himalayas. Satliva offers a range of the finest chemical free products – all made with a combination of hemp oil and other natural cold pressed oils. With the motto of ‘Nature is the best Nurture’, Satliva brings sustainability home. You can check out their range of skin and body care on their website.
VI. Vedi, Bhubaneshwar
Vedi works with the intersection between Ayurveda and Hemp. It calls Hemp a ‘jewel in the court of Ayurveda’, and considers the infusion of cannabis into Ayurveda quite essential. Recognizing the role that it has played in the historic practice of Ayurveda, Vedi aims at using Hemp to help India find its Ayurvedic roots. It uses quality Cannabis to make its 100% vegetarian Ayurvedic medicines. Safe, healthy and sustainable: Vedi has been an important element in driving the Hemp movement of India forward.
VII. GreenJams, Vizag
Definitely the most unique in this list, here is what GreenJams does: Integrate ‘Built Environment’ with the ‘Natural Environment’. Green Building is the practice of creating structures using processes that are environmentally responsible. GreenJams has brought together Green Building and the Hemp Movement to create “Hempcrete” – hemp concrete. Apart from its natural benefits for the body, Hemp is a light-weight material with great thermal comfort and energy efficiency. Easily the face of a revolution in the Indian infrastructure industry, GreenJams has been successful in pushing forward their product tremendously in the last two years. You can take a look at their work on their website.
Hemp is often confused with another popular strain of the Cannabis – Marijuana. Although similar in their construction, Hemp contains a very low percentage of Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), as opposed to Marijuana, which boasts of a fair amount of it – enough to get a user ‘high’. While Marijuana has earned itself a relatively bad rep, its cousin Hemp has made waves in the Indian startup industry. It’s growing as the face of Sustainability in India – and rightfully so. With an ever-increasing range of diverse products, the only way for the Hemp Industry in India is forward.
Feature Image Credit: Pinterest- 1cbdUK
If you enjoyed this article, we suggest you read: