One of the main drivers of the trio of “Brothers” from Lincoln University; Brad, Michael & Jamie, was to give North Canterbury farmers a crop to grow. Hemp supports farmers in the drought prone region of the Hurunui to utilise a summer rotational crop for financial return as well as meeting the growing environmental rules, regulations and restrictions placed upon them.
All good family farmers place a huge emphasis on environmental stewardship and welcome any opportunity for new crops such as hemp to help them achieve gains in this area. Growing hemp gives the New Zealand agricultural industry a means of reducing their carbon footprint while meeting the ever changing consumer demand for plant based protein and food around the world.
The Brothers Green whānau standing amongst the organically grown hemp crop in Culverden, NZ. Sam (Mainland Hemp) stands second from the left.
Mainland Hemp, a sister company, was formed with yet more Lincoln University alumni and Sam Smith, a Culverden farmer to both grow and support contract growers. Sam immediately seized upon the idea, seeing the potential in the hemp crop for their own farm and for his region.
Mainland Hemp is a seed processing and hemp manufacturing company based in the heart of the Hurunui, Culverden. Due to the growing demand from The Brothers Green for NZ hemp, the Smith family farm is now the home of Mainland Hemp’s processing site.
Mainland Hemp’s processing plant in Culverden, NZ.
The hemp crop is harvested annually before undergoing drying, pressing and packaging or being used in our value-added products. Using state of the art equipment, oil, protein powder and hemp seeds are produced locally, connecting the dots from paddock to plate for New Zealand consumers.
Image taken in February, 2020 of one of Mainland Hemp’s hemp farms in North Canterbury, NZ. This crop was a dryland (no irrigation), spray free hemp crop and only received 38mm of rainfall in 3 months.