Since Australia legalised the use of hemp in food products, many eager entrepreneurs have been quick to establish their position in the market. James Hood and Charles Mann founded Australian Primary Hemp when they returned to their farming roots to create hemp products.
James Hood, director of Australian Primary Hemp chatted to Inside FMCG about their niche business.
“My childhood friend Charlie Mann and I were looking for a crop that produced a bioavailable protein, and hemp was the obvious choice, given its sustainability credentials and incredible health profile. At the time hemp seeds were not yet legal for human consumption in Australia, however when they were legalised in late 2017, we already had crops planted and a seed de-huller on the way over from Germany so that we could quickly get the seeds to market,” said Hood.
Hood and Mann initially considered farming crickets but ultimately decided that Australians would favour hemp seeds as an addition to their dishes. Although hemp products are still quite new in Australia, hemp seeds have taken the title of a ‘superfood’ as they contain Omega 3,6 and 9, as well as fibre, vitamin E, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, magnesium, sulphur, calcium, iron and zinc.
“Unlike established markets where competitors have done a lot of the leg work in educating the consumers this is all up to us. We always look for a silver lining, and the beauty of consumer education in a new market is that you can lead with integrity and really define the story. For us, it’s all about being Australian grown and made. We honestly think that we have a far superior product, and when our customers taste the seeds it’s not long before they’re adding them to everything – salads, muesli, smoothies, you name it.”
Hood said that they are still struggling with advertising their company on social media since the word hemp is still a banned ad word online. So they are unable to use it on Facebook’s advertising platform.
“To address this, we just lead with integrity and really bring our customers on the journey of the business day to day, we also like to inject a bit of personality on social media, which really resonates, so we gain a lot of organic likes that way,” said Hood to Inside FMCG.
Hemp seeds can be used as a base for pestos, as sprinkles on salads and porridge or to make plant milks. They are also used to create healthy muesli bars, protein balls and cookies.
“My own mother takes a tablespoon of our hemp oil every single day; she swears by it for her joints, as she’s an avid gardener,” Hood shared.
The business has received a positive response from customers with some sending letters of thanks as they noticed improvement in eczema and joint pain.
Australian Primary Hemp is expanding from seeds to hemp seed oil, protein and fibre powders and hemp seed bar. They also plan to create pet food products in the future.
Hood said that the goal is for hemp seeds to become more mainstream in the market like sunflower seeds or pine nuts.
