Gathering in
San Francisco, California for the 11th Annual
Convention, members of the Hemp Industries Association
(HIA) experienced encouragement about the success
of every aspect of the hemp business. Seventy-two
people attended meetings, dinners and parties
over the three day event. And twenty hemp companies
exhibited at the Green Festival during the weekend.
It was educational and inspiring!
The HIA Board of Directors had
a meeting Tuesday, Nov. 2nd and the following
day more hemp enthusiasts arrived for a reception
in the HIA suite at the hotel. That night, at
the Stinking Rose Restaurant, we dined and honored
two members with Hemp Achievement Awards. Excellence
in Textiles was given to Barbara Filippone of
EnviroTextiles, and an award for Excellence in
Apparel Manufacturing and maintaining one of the
oldest hemp retail stores was given to Marie and
Teresa Mills of The Hemp Connection. Congratulations!
On Thursday, Nov. 4th we met for the HIA Annual
General Meeting at the Ramada Plaza Hotel, where
Silent Auction donations were displayed along
with Exhibits from companies. The newly elected
Directors were announced: David Bronner, Shaun
Crew (Vice President), John Dvorak (Treasurer),
Rob Jungmann and Ruth Shamai. Johanna Schultz
was appointed to the HIA Board, replacing Don
Wirtshafter who resigned. She will be the new
PR Director, answering the HIA phones and emails
beginning in January. They join continuing Directors
Steve Levine (President), David Frankel, Lenda
Hand and Mike Sutherland. The Advisory Board has
been expanded to include nominees and special
project managers, including Carson Thomas, who
will be sending invoices for membership renewals,
and Amie Nguyen, Merchandise Manager. The Retail
Committee is being energized with the help of
Rob Jungmann who will be promoting the HIA 10%
Discount program and a cooperative buying campaign
will be launched to purchase Bio Bags again. Plans
to set up an exchange/overstock program this next
year were also discussed.
Georgia Malki of Seven Star Events,
producers of the Green Festivals, spoke about
hemp's role in greening trade shows. They plan
to use hemp for booth curtains and table covers,
as well as signage.
The HIA Legal Team (Patrick Goggin,
David Bronner, Eric Steenstra, David Frankel and
Don Wirtshafter) spoke about the extremely satisfying
fact that we beat the DEA in court! A standing
ovation for the team and supporting companies
was well deserved. Thanks to Mintwood Media, Adam
Eidinger and Alexis Baden-Mayer, the press learned
of our victory. And their work on the Air Force
tanning lotion issue is greatly appreciated. A
clip from NBC TV Channel 5 was shown, as an example
of the press gained. Eric Steenstra also reported
on the Zogby Poll commissioned by Vote Hemp, which
shows support for growing industrial hemp in America
— the next extreme challenge for the industry!
We heard about the hemp foods and body care market
today and projections for the future. David Bronner
reported on the recently commissioned Spins Report,
which showed an amazing 66.3% increase in sales
of hemp foods this year. And body care had an
11.9% increase. These figures are from supermarket
sales (and only about 1/3 of the retail market),
and do not include bulk sales, like Nature's Path
Granola. French Meadow Bakery's Healthy Hemp Sprouted
Bread is the number-one-selling hemp food product.
Shaun Crew of Hemp Oil Canada and Ruth Shamai
of Ruth's Hemp Foods shared their successes and
challenges in the food industry. H.O.C. had run
at a loss for four years and is now experiencing
a great surge of sales and looks forward to profit
this year with a growth rate projected at 50 to
75%. About seventy percent of the crop is organic
as a result of consumer demand. A Canadian Olympian
track star has been using Ruth's new protein powder
and has seen excellent results. Ruth's Hemp-Flax-Maca
protein powder was selected by fifty retailers
at the Natural Products Expo East as one of the
five best supplements. Ruth's bars are the most
widely sold of her line of twenty-two products.
Expanding in the U.S. market is crucial for Canadian
companies, and orders increased immediately after
the case was settled. Lip balm was poorly affected
by the DEA threats, and lotions and shampoos were
also slowed. But that looks to be turning around
now, too. A Hemp Victory booth was featured at
Expo West in Anaheim, which helped open the market,
because continuing education for buyers is key.
Sue Kastensen announced her partnership with Dr.
Bronner's Magic Soaps to expand Sun Dog and make
products organic. Gero Leson, of Leson Environmental
Consulting, coordinated the two research projects
used in the DEA court case. Three new projects
in research and development, including protein
investigation and comparison, are currently being
planned. Companies are encouraged to donate money
for the studies, which will be extremely valuable
to the global hemp industry.
Barbara Filippone of EnviroTextiles
and Michael Sutherland of PeoplesHemp.com spoke
about hemp textiles, including the range of products,
the latest developments and the potential for
growth. Barbara announced that hemp cloth diapers
are a big growth sector, and the U.S. Hockey League
is now buying hemp T-shirts. Even police academies
are testing hemp shirts to protect officers from
odor and rashes under their body armor. After
eight years of working with the fabric mills,
Barbara warned people to be cautious of organic
claims regarding cotton fabrics, since it may
be grown organically, but processing and finishing
may not be organic. Also, cotton depletes the
soil and uses a lot of water. Studies have shown
hemp fabric to be anti-bacterial and anti-fungal,
whereas cotton encourages such growth. Even more
amazing are scientific results regarding hemp
killing micro-organisms such as staph and herpes
simplex! Barbara is developing a program to label
hemp products using the trademarked phrase, Sustainable
Biodegradable Product, or SBP. An active focus
on textiles this next year will begin with the
set up of a buyer's showroom in Los Angeles, featuring
hemp apparel and fabric manufacturers and importers.
Howard Gabe will bring his thirty years of experience
to this project coordination, which will include
advertising in the three primary fashion publications,
which will be instrumental in getting retail buyers
into the Hemp Showroom.
The Treasurer's Report by John
E. Dvorak was included in the convention packet
and is available to all members from the HIA office.
We have managed to run the HIA on very little
funding and hope to see some grants and donations
garnered this year.
Carolyn Moran and Bob Frankel
of Living Tree Paper Co. educated us about the
use of hemp and recycled content paper in many
new applications. All pulp is now sourced in North
America. The music industry is especially interested
and the art community is happy to use the chlorine
free, alkaline art papers. Specialty papers are
the biggest market for hemp. A long list of universities
and companies have signed on to the movement.
Environmental packaging is also an ongoing project.
Adding a printing service has cut down on shipping,
saving money and the environment. Movie and music
posters are another sector contributing to growing
sales. Knowing how to sell to the green market
gives an important edge, and this comes down to
education about resources and processes utilized.
Don E. Wirtshafter lectured on
Hemp vs. Pot, explaining the differences and relationship
between CBD and THC. Two genes are responsible
for cannabinoid levels in cannabis. High THC creates
medical varieties and high CBD creates industrial
strains. Twenty years of good breeding by European
scientists helped the regulatory standards become
established in the industry. Testing done by the
seed breeders will continue, and thus will not
be necessary in the field. Genetically altering
the shape of the leaf and other efforts are not
needed. Testing technology is improving in the
areas of expense and ease of use, and current
techniques work well. We have an opportunity to
be involved in the review of Health Canada regulations,
so some easement may be forthcoming. The question
of growing these two distinct crops in close proximity
was discussed, with some solutions and current
models presented.
A panel on International Affairs
featured Shaun Crew, President of the Canadian
Hemp Trade Alliance (CHTA). The CHTA recently
held a meeting in Manitoba. Canada grew 8,500
acres this year, but with the rapid expansion
of the market they will have to save enough seed
to increase acreage next year. With drought last
year and too much rain this year it is hoped that
next year will be a bumper crop. Dave Marcus spoke
about the Ontario Hemp Alliance Seed Breeding
Project, directed by Gordon Scheifele. Crucial
donations are needed now. Hempola Valley Farms
is featured at this year's Royal Agricultural
Winter Fair where there is a new section named
"Food to Your Good Health!" Mike Fata
of Manitoba Harvest earned the prestigious "Young
Entrepreneur Award" this year. Stephen Meyer,
of Switzerland invited us all to attend Cannatrade,
the only European cannabis trade show to include
a large number of industrial hemp exhibitors.
Mike Sutherland spoke about changes in China and
the importance of working with the country to
help with environmental and social justice issues.
The government has officially recognized the growth
of the hemp industry and is more seriously expanding
textiles, hemp fiber pulp for newsprint, and seed
crops for the shelled hempseed market. Hemp Traders
is importing fiber board from China now to supply
the building sector.
During the breaks and lunch,
exhibitors conducted sales of some great new items.
Attendees signed up for an array of hemp products
donated to the HIA Silent Auction by many hemp
companies. Please see the list below. Thanks to
all the generous donations, the HIA collected
$2000 with this fundraising effort!
The meeting was adjourned and
an announcement made that we will meet in Canada
next year, coordinating with the CHTA meeting
in August in the prairies, so we can visit a hemp
field and witness hemp being processed.
After dinner at the Golden Era
Vietnamese Vegetarian Restaurant that evening,
we joined the Green Business Conference to present
the story of the Lakota Hemp Project. Alex White
Plume was unable to attend, so David Frankel,
an attorney, and Shaun Crew of Hemp Oil Canada
(a potential buyer for Lakota hemp seed) spoke
about the sovereign tribal right to grow hemp
and the economic potential of hemp for the Lakota
Nation and other indigenous tribes.
Friday, November 5th featured
more networking and set-up for the Green Festival.
A Vote Hemp board meeting was
held, planning for the next two years and developing
a budget and fundraising ideas. Mikki & Chris
Conrad hosted the "After Party" at their
home in the East Bay that night, to everyone's
delight.
Thanks to all companies donating
to the Silent Auction:
"Another Veil is Lifting"
- Nansi MacDonald
"Go Further" movie poster signed by
Woody Harrelson - Living Tree Paper Co.
"Man As Caretaker" poster by Gary Houson
- Living Tree Paper Co.
"Pretty Fly For an Earth Guy" poster
by Jeff Wood - Living Tree Paper Co.
"Un-Natural Resources" poster by Emek
- Living Tree Paper Co.
1999 HIA convention photos - The HIA
Cannatrade hemp T-shirt and keychain - Cannatrade
Chic Eco 2004 Directory - Chic Eco
Vegan organic hemp chocolate bars - Conscious
Creations
Hemp/Flax neck warmer - Ellen's
Emerald bath and massage oil, shampoo & conditioner,
moisturizing cream, Emerald Hemp Nutts and Hemp
Munch toasted seeds - Emerald Prairie Hemp
T-shirts - French Meadow Bakery
Goddess prayer flags - Aptech International
Dog collar, leash and toy - Good Dog
T-shirt - Hemp Connection
Hemp/Silk shawl - Hemp Elegance
Hemp Nuggets, hemp oil and Hemp Crunch - Hemp
Oil Canada
Hempen Road Videos - Hempen Road
Hemp chips - Humboldt Hemp
Purse - Kashmir Gold
Handwoven "Sanni" bags - People's Hemp
Shopping Bags - People's Hemp
Pure Hemp papers - Natural Hemphasis
Hemp hats and T-shirts - Santa Barbara Hemp Co.
Gift packs - Sun Dog Body Care
"Hempland Security" T-shirts - Two Jupiters
USDA 1913 Yearbook - Hempology.org
Other Donations:
Fabric - EnviroTextiles
Women's T-shirts - Hemp House Maui
Hemphasis magazines - Hemphasis
Sumativa coffee - Humboldt Hemp
Hemp coffee, Hemp Crunch brownies and chocolate
cake - Joe Buzz
Help and assistance - Kim Kelly
Thanks to the Convention Committee
(Steve Levine, Johanna Schultz, Lenda Hand and
Kim Kelly), the speakers, and all those who attended.
It was a great event!
Respectfully submitted by
Candi Penn, HIA Executive Director, on November
17, 2004.
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