To be held at the Palace at Nakło, Lelów, Poland, the Summit is an opportunity for current and future industry stakeholders to get up close and personal as we survey the vast opportunities in hemp food and health products, hemp construction, textiles and fashion; hemp farming and processing and specialized field and processing equipment – worldwide. Join us as we explore investment and business opportunities together. (more)
Leading international speakers
Hana Gabrielova
Founder & CEO, Hempoint, Ltd., Czech Republic
Hana is one of Europe’s pioneering and most innovative hemp entrepreneurs and activists. She is a widely recognized expert and consultant on everything from hemp farming to patient focused certification (PFC) for medical cannabis, through her affiliation with the Prague-based International Cannabis and Cannabinoids Institute.
Eric McKee
CEO, Wndr, Colorado, USA
Eric is an eco-entrepreneur specializing in hemp based solutions to combat global problems. A U.S. Marine veteran, he later worked for major brands in the outdoor/ski sector where he discovered hemp’s disruptive potential in the plastics industry. Eric oversaw construction of the first permitted hempcrete structure in Denver, Colorado, and later spent time demonstrating hemp’s potential for humanitarian purposes at Haiti’s Wynne Farm Nature Reserve. Eric provides business development opportunities for Witlon Inc. which offers payroll, management services and consulting to the cannabis and hemp industries.
Heinrich Wieker
Founder/Owner, Henry’s Hempharvester, Germany
Henry is helping to ease the harvesting and processing stages for small and medium-sized farms and has been doing intense research and development for the past three years. He is an electrical engineer and owner of Henry’s Hempharvester (HHH), a startup which is developing the machine. He’ll eventually target sales at small hemp agricultural enterprises up to 200 ha that grow hemp for CBD extraction, food and other niche products – and who struggle with laborious hand-harvesting methods, limiting efficiency.
Andris Visnevskis
Co-Founder, Obelisk Farm, Latvia
Andris is co-founder of Latvia-based Obelisk Farm, a working hemp farm and food producer that also serves as an education and agro-tourism center promoting industrial hemp and its many uses. Andris is insulating the Obelisk Farm farmhouse with hempcrete under a project launched in 2017. He is currently studying food technology at the Academy of Technology in Rezekne, Latvia.
Brian Houlihan
Curator, Dublin Hemp Museum, Ireland
A long time cannabis activist, Brian has been a leading figure in the effort to reform Ireland’s drug policy through Hemp Not Harm and Students For Sensible Drug Policy Ireland. Brian does a podcast for the Dubin Hemp Museum, writes regularly about hemp, and is currently researching for a book about Ireland’s hemp history. Brian ran for office in local elections in 2014 as an independent candidate.
Nivedita & Dhiraj Shah
Shah Hemp Inno-Ventures, Nepal
The Shahs are founders of Shah Hemp Inno-Ventures, Nepal. The company sources hemp “wildcrop” – feral, reoccurring cannabis plants – from locals for a growing range of applications and products in health & beauty and hemp construction along with the textiles. Through “hEmpowering Bottom Up,” SHIVworks to advance economic and social development among Nepalese women. SHIV also works closely with the International Hemp Building Association, and has completed several hemp construction projects for poor villagers and for public medical facilities.
Pamela Bosch
Founder, Highland Hemp House, USA
Pamela is an educator, artist and hemp activist, and founder of Highland Hemp House, a pioneering project in the State of Washington to use hemp-lime and other natural materials for retrofit to create an ideal, healthy living space. She formerly taught at Bellingham Technical College and Northwest Indian College, also of Bellingham. A member of the Washington State Farm Bureau, Pamela works at both the state and federal levels to clear the path for growing, processing and making products from hemp.
Piotr Jastrzębski
CEO & VP, Podlaskie Konopie, Poland
Piotr and his brother Marcin farm, process and sell hemp derivatives from their vertically integrated hemp operation in northeastern Poland, picking up a family tradition that was temporarily lost in the second half of the 20th century. Their company, Podlaskie Konopie, is also active in Poland’s natural building scene, conducting hempcrete building workshops and frequently appearing at natural building trade shows.
Alicia Fall
Founder/Vision Holder, & Her Many Voices Foundation
NYC and CO, USA
A TEDx Talk presenter (The Art of Igniting Action), Alicia has been an educator, performing artist and public speaker on humanitarian issues for more than 30 years. Her Foundation spearheads a pioneering and innovative hemp project that is developing a sustainable crop and building product for Haiti’s besieged yet resilient population. The Foundation works in partnership with the Wynne Farm Nature Reserve, Help Hayti and Wnder LLC’s Eric McKee.
Tamara ‘Tami’ Cantave
Founder, Help Hayti
NYC, USA
Tami teaches financial education to underserved populations in the U.S. and Haiti. An interpreter and educator who holds a BA in psychology, she has taught in the NYC public school system. She provided land for, and works with the Her Many Voices Foundation in Haiti to foster hemp growing and business development. Tami is the daughter of Montague Cantave, a former Haiti Minister of Agriculture who worked closely with the UN, FAO and USAID.
Hemp’s incredible promise
To be held at the Palace at Nakło, Lelów, Poland, the Summit is an opportunity for current and future industry stakeholders to get up close and personal as we survey the vast opportunities in hemp food and health products, hemp construction, textiles and fashion; hemp farming and processing and specialized field and processing equipment – worldwide. Join us as we explore investment and business opportunities together.
The aims of the Summit are:
- To share knowledge and experiences
- To foster business matchmaking among participants
- To generate a body of content for broader distribution around the world
- To jointly explore hemp’s potential as an engine for sustainable economic development
Who’s invited:
- C-Suite
- Entrepreneurs
- Farmers
- Technology Developers
- Machine Developers
- Processors
- Consultants
- Investors
- Researchers
- Policy experts
- YOU!
Robust growth predictions worldwide
The hemp industry is expanding all over the world, from Europe and North America to India and China, with triple digit growth in some markets over the coming years.
The demand for hemp in Europe is currently double the supply on the continent – including the demand for seeds – resulting in an inefficient value chain requiring imports from Canada and China, and reflecting enticing investment opportunities in an industry that has already developed a basic regional infrastructure.
Europe
As HempToday.net has reported on Europe: “With legacy hemp firms busier and busier at the trading level, more and more creative, smaller companies are developing hemp products, and doing the marketing. Still, imports of hemp seed to the EU from third-party countries remain higher than domestic production, indicating clear room for growth among EU hemp food players.”
EU countries planted hemp on about 30,000 hectares in 2016, and the number of fields dedicated to growing hemp has grown steadily over the last five years.
North America
In North America, where a hemp consumer market is already primed, hemp food and health products make up about 35% of all hemp-based goods sold. Meanwhile more and more states are getting ready for the full opening of the USA market for hemp agriculture, processing and consumer sales – indicating a need for massive investment.
Asia
In Asia, where it all started, China is working to restructure its world leading hemp industry while India appears on the cusp of returning to hemp as a major crop within the next 12 months. In both countries, significant investment is needed for restructuring (China) and re-establishing (India) traditional hemp markets.
Hemp: Hearty, versatile
Hemp is one of the oldest, most hearty and versatile plants on earth. It has been an important source of fibers, food and medicine throughout history. The industrial cannabis strain, known as hemp, produces fiber, oil and seeds.
Hemp: Super Food
The main market sections for hemp foods are the so called “super foods,” “nutritious foods” and “bio foods.” Double or even triple digit growth in the sector is expected in the coming years as consumers turn to more healthy, “eco” oriented food products.
Growing industrial hemp and the development of regional hemp processing and manufacturing facilities hold great potential to create thriving local economies, and to build industries that are more in harmony with nature by reducing our carbon footprint.
Cannabidiol (CBD)
The most lucrative derivative of the hemp plant, CBD, has proven effective in a variety of illnesses and maladies. Its acceptance is around the world is growing as studies prove its benefits to those suffering chronic pain and seizures along with a wide range of other afflictions. Major research and development projects are under way worldwide while sales of CBD continue double-digit growth year-on-year.
Hemp fiber
In the construction industry, variously processed hemp straw (shivs or hurds) is used as a main component in bricks, particle board, insulation, and hempcrete, a concrete-like mixture that can be plastered or sprayed onto interior and exterior walls. Hemp building materials reverse the damaging effects of greenhouse gases by locking up harmful CO2 emissions. In essence, these materials breathe. They are also stronger and lighter than those used in traditional construction, and provide natural humidity and thermal control – all in one layer.
Hemp hurds are excellent for insulation, paper, and can be used as an alternative ingredient for making plastics, because of their naturally high level of cellulose. It is also used as a premium-quality animal bedding material due to its high absorption properties, and can be pressed into pellets to create fuel for burning.
Hemp textiles
Hemp makes for long-lasting, comfortable textiles that can go into everything from lingerie to shirts, skirts and sweaters, to footwear, handbags and other small accessories. Hemp clothing is also antibacterial and antifungal – and it breathes! Hemp-based textiles are are both people and planet friendly.
Sign up to attend Hemp2020
Accreditations to The Summit are sold out each year. Make your reservation now to assure your place at this unique international hemp industry event.
The Palace at Nakło, Lelów, Poland
Our Center is not only home to our family of HempToday media and communications services, but also a place for learning, inspiration and experimentation.
Located in the Palace at Nakło in south central Poland, we also host a series of thought-leader micro-summits that bring together hemp industry stakeholders and experts from all over the world.
We try to practice what we preach, so HempToday Center also serves as headquarters for To Grow A Village, a local economic development project based on hemp.
Our Center operates under The Nakło Foundation, which supports education, economic development, culture and the environment in our village and municipal district.