Hemp Oil Canada’s striking new processing facility in Ste. Agathe is quickly becoming a local landmark and source of curiosity for many. But as it turns out, the move to their shiny new digs off Highway 75 is just one of the big changes taking place
Last year, Winnipeg’s Manitoba Harvest acquired HOC in a deal bringing together two of the world’s leading hemp food processing companies, both based here in Manitoba.
Shaun Crew, President and founder of Hemp Oil Canada, claims the deal was a natural fit.
“It gives both parties room to continue to grow,” notes Crew. “It just made a lot of sense strategically.”
Kelly Saunderson, Manager of Corporate and Public Affairs for Manitoba Harvest, says the two companies had always been friendly competitors and that the coming together of the two hemp giants provides “a new synergy.”
“It’s business as usual for both companies,” notes Saunderson. She adds that both firms are hemp-exclusive. “All we’re ever going to do is make hemp products. Together we can be more cohesive partners, making it easier for everyone to try hemp foods.”
The deal really does make sense from a number of perspectives. Both companies have been forerunners in the hemp food business since hemp was relegalized by the federal government in 1998. Hemp Oil Canada is a dominant force in the hemp ingredient field while Manitoba Harvest is an industry leader with their brand name food items, including the popular Hemp Hearts line of products.
As the years have passed, both Crew and Saunderson have noted a change in how the public perceives their products. Gone are the days when many people associated hemp with their vaguely hippy brother-in-law. Now, more and more of us see hemp-based food products as part of a healthier lifestyle.
Crew marvels at how far the industry and his company have come from the early days. “There was no market, no products, and no processing,” he says. Now it’s a completely different story. “It’s here to stay. It’s really taken on a life of its own.”
Saunderson sums up hemp’s growing appeal. “It tastes great, is easy to use, and good for you.”
Although research shows hemp food products can currently be found in only about three percent of Canadian homes and less than one percent of American households, those figures represent a gigantic leap from a decade ago, and momentum is building. The Canadian Health Food Association has just put hemp on its list of top five health food trends for 2016, while hemp foods have garnered some positive publicity recently from big-time media like Canada AM and The Washington Post.
At the forefront of it all, you’ll find two Manitoba companies working together to help hemp reach its potential—including the guys from Ste. Agathe with the cool-looking new 35,000-square-foot building that has so many people talking.
“It’s really the realization of the vision we had 18 years ago when we started this,” says Crew. “It’s kind of a dream come true that we built this industry to the point you could justify putting up this facility.”
