Adnams Completes £3.5m Eco-Friendly Brewhouse
The Morning Advertiser reports that Adnams is now one of the most energy-efficient breweries and praises their new distribution center.

Invest in Biofuels v2.0 to Ease Food Supply Issues, Says EuropaBio
Use of hemp biomass for fuel should be part of second-generation biofuels that do not impact the food supply.

Gov. Douglas Voices Concerns about State, School Budgets
The Governor of Vermont remains unsure whether or not he would sign a bill that could pave the way for hemp to be grown in Vermont.

The Fiber of Our Being
A blog post from Grist on the new report "Illegally Green: Environmental Costs of Hemp Prohibition" from the Reason Foundation.

By Phillip Yates
Post Independent
March 11, 2008

It might be Glenwood Springs' biggest, but smallest business you've never heard of.

Inside the old Immanuel Baptist Church is EnviroTextiles, a sustainable and biodegradable textile business. The company counts clothing designer Ralph Lauren as one of its clients. Singer Jack Johnson wears their T-shirts.

EnviroTextiles specializes in textiles made from hemp plant fiber used to make 100-percent hemp yarns. The company also sells textiles made of a mix of hemp and organic cotton, tencel and silk.

By Rudi Maxwell
The Northern Rivers Echo
March 4, 2008

Ten years ago researcher Klara Morasszeky emerged from the Regional Forestry Agreement process angrier than she'd ever been in her life.

"We give timber companies an excuse to destroy forests for building materials when there is a viable alternative out there," Ms. Morasszeky, a former consultant to Greening Australia, said.

And so she set about researching green, alternative building materials, travelling around the world and experimenting until she found what she believes to be the best source: hemp.

Hemp Oil Canada is North America's largest producer and processor of bulk hemp food products, supplying dozens of other value-added food manufacturers with healthy hemp food ingredients. In addition to this bulk wholesale supply, Hemp Oil Canada is also the major private label co-packer of a wide array of retail hemp food brands.

In February of 2008, Hemp Oil Canada celebrated its 10th Anniversary. Company Founder and President Shaun Crew looks back fondly at the last 10 years, agreeing that it has been nothing less than a "trail blazing" experience. "I recall the look on the faces of many friends and colleagues when I announced that I was leaving a stable, corporate career position to start up a hemp food processing company."

The early years of the company were quite uncertain and not without financial losses. The creation of an entirely new market, in which the company would sell completely new health foods, developed from unique, new food production processes and was a challenge that drove the company in the early days. "We were careful then, however, to walk before we ran, expanding our production capacity at the same pace as the market developed," says Crew.

Located in Ste. Agathe, Manotiba, Canada with a staff of fourteen, Hemp Oil Canada is busy today with its third expansion of processing infrastructure to meet the ever-growing demand for hemp food ingredients and products. Hemp Oil Canada produces cold-pressed, cold-filtered hemp seed oil, hulled hemp seed, toasted hemp seed, hemp protein powder, hemp flour and hemp coffee. "We take great pride in our role in the development of a number of hemp food ingredients," he adds, referring to the development of hemp protein powder, hulled and toasted hemp seeds.

Hemp Oil Canada's hemp food ingredients can be found in a wide variety of value-added hemp foods, from hemp milk and cereal to hemp bread and nutrition bars. The most exciting development for the company today is being given the opportunity to work with some of North America's largest food processing entities. "These same companies would have turned us away and shunned the idea of using hemp just ten years ago. Now they are contacting us to include hemp ingredients in their recipes," comments Crew.

Hemp Oil Canada exports their products to over fifteen countries worldwide. The company's products are available as USDA certified organic, kosher and Fair Trade. In 2008, they will also attain their ISO 22000 and HACCP certifications.

[If you are a member of the HIA and would like to have your company featured here, please submit a small selection of graphics and a profile of no more than a few paragraphs to tom@thehia.org, or call 207-542-4998 for more information. Space is limited and is first-come, first-serve. Your member profile will be seen in The HIA Member Newsletter, as well as here in The Hemp News Update which is read by thousands of subscribers.]