Traditional farming family launches hemp seed oil business

Sparrows ate kilograms of their hemp seed, but Southland farming couple Blair and Jody Drysdale have successfully launched a new hemp oil business.

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Blair and Jody Drysdale started Hopefield Hemp to create a new income stream for their 320-hectare Hopefield Farm in Balfour. They planted 4ha of hemp for the first time last year and two weeks ago, launched Hopefield Hemp that sells the cold pressed hemp seed oil directly to consumers.

The couple run a mixed farm growing oats, wheat and barley, and run 100 dairy heifers that graze year around, as well as 1000 sheep.

But Blair Drysdale said that growing something and selling it direct to the consumer was something the couple had wanted to do for years. They had kept an eye on the market for hemp because it “ticked all the boxes”.

“It’s good to grow with low inputs and one day we’ll be able to use the whole plant probably. It was also the health aspect, putting something into people’s homes that hopefully they’ll benefit from,” he said.

The hemp, while not organic, is grown spray-free.

When a 2017 law change made it legal to sell hemp seed for human consumption, the Drysdale’s got to work on the research. After a year they were ready to plant the first crop.

Drysdale said he had been on a learning curve with the crop but was enthusiastic about its potential. Tap roots formed quickly, it handled dry conditions well and the height could be manipulated by carefully choosing the sowing date.

It was an amazing plant, he said.

Cold pressed hemp seed oil is popular with health conscious types because of its fatty acid profile, containing a full complement of omega 3, 6 and 9, which has a list of benefits “as long as your arm”, Drysdale said.

Drysdale said the company made no health claims but hoped it would find favour with over-30s looking to take “better care of themselves”.

Hopefield Hemp was sold online and also at farmers markets and AMP shows. The couple had no plans to sell through physical which would reduce their profit.

Sales had been better than expected, Drysdale said.

“We’re more than happy and its a long term game. It will take time to find our feet and get known in the market place,” he said.

The oils are sold a bottle and capsules.

 The couple were developing a hand cream and have ambitions to create a range of other hemp based products, but Drysdale said he wasn’t ready to talk about them.

To get the business up and running, the Drysdale’s invested in developing the website, and built a drying shed for the seeds.

But they were late to harvest by a week while getting it ready and lost an estimated 200kg to 300kg of seed to sparrows.

The Drysdales were aiming to double the yield next year, planting 8ha of hemp to produce 800 litres of oil, compared to this year’s 350 litres.

While bottling and packaging would continue to be outsourced, the couple hoped to do their own pressing in the future.

“We’d have more control over the quality and timing of the press. The colder the press the better the quality is,” Drysdale said.

Hemp cookies to hit market as NZ legalises sale of seeds as food  https://i.stuff.co.nz/business/108396233/nz-legalises-hemp-seeds-as-food

Source: i.stuff.co.nz