An industrial alliance in eastern Alberta, Canada is building out a hemp supply chain to develop business in the fiber and grain sectors.
Several entities are being established for the initiative, led by a partnership between Frog Lake First Nations (FLFN), and the Town of Elk Point, with participation by a number of other partners.
Frog Lake First Nations is a native Cree community that manages two reserves covering roughly 140 sq. miles (362 sq. kilometers). The reserves are located approximately 40 kilometers east of Elk Point, where factories are being established.
Collaborators
The overall structure will include Asinikahtamwak LP Ltd., a partnership between FLFN, the Town of Elk Point and Natural Fibre Technology (NFT), which plans to produce building materials and advanced products such as cladding, highway sound barriers and walls, using hemp and other natural aggregates in place of sand and gravel.
The company has taken over a 13,000 sq. ft. building on 7.5 acres in Elk Point’s Diversity Industrial Park, facilities previously owned by oilfield rental operator STRAD.
Pilot operations are scheduled to start this month with initial production of roughly 250 hempcrete blocks per day for certification and pre-commercialization purposes. Commercial operations are scheduled to begin in autumn 2025.
Organic fields
A second company, Nikawiy Askiy Micisowin, is to establish grain farming and hemp seed food processing via a joint venture between FLFN and Allive. Farming operations include the participation of Ferma Incorporated and Super Food Incorporated. Processing partners include Diversity Industries Incorporated and Natural Health Incorporated.
Hemp to supply both the hempcrete block plant and the food processing operations will be grown in First Nations and Métis settlements on organic land never exposed to chemicals, and provide local jobs.
Alberta is the leading province in Canada’s hemp industry, accounting for roughly 40% of national production, primarily for grain. Farmers in the province grew hemp on roughly 8,000 hectares (~20,000 acres) in 2023, a year in which 22,500 hectares (~55,400 acres) were planted nationally, according to figures from Statistics Canada.