How India hemp & co. helped to bring hemp products from foothills of the Himalayas to rest of the country
Undergoing chronic pain in 2017, when Shalini Bhattacharya was working in Spain. She tried and tested many painkillers regimens and underwent many MRIs but nothing cured her well’s But the spirit of finding the remedy made her reach the alternative pain management therapies and she found CBD (cannabidiol) a compound found in the cannabis plant and it did cure her well. CBD is another relative form THC the psychoactive compound found in marijuana responsible for the high. Used in many Ayurveda helps in curing pain, muscle, spasm, depression, anxiety, and insomnia also it has been used for cancer treatments and also gives the relief in arthritis pain. As Shalini was connected from childhood to nature, she tried to spot elusive wildlife, and hence after relieving from the pain she searched more about this. She remembered that she has seen this growing in the Himalayas and locals used this to make the chutneys and pickles. They, therefore, devoted themselves to the discovery of h
The two sisters Shalini and Jayanti started with this India hemp & co. in 2019. All the
products based on the principle of sustainable development right from manufacturing to the
packaging it sells four clean products like hemp hearts, protein powder, seed trial, and hemp oil on
its website. It also sells its products on various online and physical stores and now a big basket is on the way to
retail this.
“The world we come from is one where we don’t just coexist peacefully, but respect that we are
intrinsically connected to the natural ecosystem. Now it is our time to redesign our relationship
with nature and our own lifestyle to be able to live more substantially with limited resources the
planet has our role as a business is to help inspire those changes.” Shalini tells in her interview.
The start-up also retails to the cafes and restaurants who have innovative healthcare menus.
THE GENESIS
Jayanti did her masters in advertisement and marketing from the University of Leeds and started
working with Ogilvy and Mather, and then went to work with several four related organizations in
Bengaluru. Shalini did her job as an operational consultant at KPMG and then moved to BARCELONA, SPAIN to pursue an MBA.
Driven by the sustainable micronutrition which led them to start their start-up in hemp.
“we’re working towards building a more sustainable future where all food and drink is
sustainable. We’re driving that change by using hemp as our vehicle, Jayanti added.
Hemp is classified as the ‘superfood’ helping the heart, brain, and skin. It helps with the consumers
and the ecosystem around it.
Almost every part of the hemp is usable, unlike other plants. It is carbon negative and absorbs more
carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than it takes to grow. It requires 40 percent less water to grow
than cotton and its seeds can be eaten raw or made into oil, plant fiber can be converted to paper,
cloth, and more.
By managing the business from the personal wealth and from family members’ wealth the two
sisters are searching for potential investors to fund the start-up.
Why India hemp co. works
Making the quality work and driven by the demands of consumer it builds them with the hempsceptic buyers. It has been able to cater to the needs of users through continuous research and
community education in this field. For all those aspiring for sustainable living, hemp & co is a ray of
hope, everything from the food-grade tin used to the canister craft paper is reusable and plastic-free. Currently, the two sisters are researching more about the hemp to benefit the Indian and
international markets but facing regulatory issues since the Indian market is still immature in
this segment.
But this paved a way for the revenues from big markets of Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and
Pune. And planning to service the lower-tier cities and striving to expand within the markets.
Building the empire in the corvid-19
The start-up did face a lot of difficulties and chaos in managing the business as much of the
worldwide events were canceled disrupting the supply chain.
But it didn’t interrupt Shalini and Jayanti.
They took it as an opportunity to expand more by discussing with nutritionists, industry experts and
realized that this generation is only responsible to improve the world to live in today.
They looked upon to hire more people who lost their jobs during the lockdown.
Future for India hemp &co.
The global hemp market was about $4.71 billion in 2019. And is expected to grow in India and
capturing the market and is amongst the first movers in the hemp space. Competitors flourishing in
markets like protein powders brands like whey protein, my protein, and other superfood seed and
etc.
Also, consumers shifted their perception for weight loss techniques towards sustainable health
management and demanded products for the same
