Northumberland entrepreneurs cultivate success with Hemp North

Co-founders Hugh Wrangham and Alistair McLeod have steered the ship of Hemp North since its launch in 2021, embarking on a journey to harness the potential of food from a legal member of the cannabis plant family.

They are recently celebrating recognition from the prestigious Great Taste Awards as well as getting more farmers to help rediscover and grow the ancient crop.

Located on the family farm in Old Bewick, near Chillingham, Hemp North initially took root as a venture dedicated to cultivating food-grade cannabis - hemp.

Harnessing the incredible benefits of hemp, the duo quickly realised the immense potential it held beyond its culinary appeal.

Collaborating with local farmers, Hemp North is expanding by sourcing premium hemp seeds from neighbouring fields.

This approach not only supports local agriculture but also champions sustainable practices that nurture the soil without the need for herbicides or pesticides.

Hemp's remarkable ability to bolster biodiversity and absorb significant amounts of CO2 from the atmosphere further underscores its transformative potential.

By reimagining hemp seeds, Hemp North has created a nutritional powerhouse – the delicious Hemp Hearts (dehulled hemp seeds) and the exquisite Cold-Pressed Hemp Seed Oil.

Both products have already garnered accolades, having been awarded recognition in the esteemed Guild of Fine Foods Great Taste Awards – 1 star for their Fresh Hemp Hearts and the rare and impressive 2 stars for their Cold-Pressed Hemp Seed Oil. This they passionately believe will be the British-grown alternative to olive oil.

Industrial hemp has been legal to cultivate in the UK since 1993, but since then has only been grown at a small-scale relative to the mainstream arable crops.

For more information visit https://hempnorth.co.uk/