Australian hemp supplier Lariese Purely Hemp says it expects the legalisation of hemp food in Australia to boost sales of its products by over 500 percent this financial year. The new legislation came into effect on 12 November.
The family owned and operated Australian business, established in 2006, was founded by the Williams family — CEO Ron, formulating director Maria, as well as their daughter Lara and sons Lloyd and Craig — who have been waiting for over a decade for this legislation to pass.
“We are delighted this day has finally come,” says Lara Burton, co-founder and head of sales and marketing. “Although we have legally been able to sell our Hemp food products in overseas restaurants and retail channels for years, we can now supply restaurants, cafes and supermarkets in our home country, which is a great result and a wonderful feeling.”
The hemp industry is currently worth over US$570 million in the US and Canada alone. Lariese Purely Hemp produces a range of products including hemp seed oil, hulled hemp seeds, hemp protein powder (50 percent and 80 percent) all using Canadian hemp.
“As one of the largest suppliers of hemp in Australia and overseas, we have researched and tested hemp and hemp products for over ten years,” says Lloyed Williams, managing director. “The reason we chose to invest, grow and import Canadian hemp was because of its superior quality, proven established track record for the last 18 years, and reliability of supply to the whole of North America, Europe and Asia.”
Burton adds: “Our growers don’t use any potentially harmful pesticides, in-crop herbicides, or GMOs, which guarantees our great tasting hemp foods and ensures sustainability of the environment. In fact, Hemp is highly pest, weed and drought resistant meaning there is no need for pesticides and herbicides and it also removes more CO2 from the air than trees do.”
In June, Hospitality spoke to chef Jared Ingersoll about how he plans to incorporate hemp on his menu.
“At the moment I’m doing research into different applications. It’s really early days for the hemp food industry in Australia but there is definitely really huge potential,” he says. “You can roast them, put them into cereals, toss them through a granola, or in a dessert that you want a nice crunchy texture would be good.”
Read more about cooking with hemp here.
Image: Lariese Purely Hemp