2021 Northern Colorado Hemp Expo

Zygote Nation was there, in person! ... At the 2021 Northern Colorado Hemp Expo (NOCO) on March 26-27, 2021, at the National Western Complex in Denver.

This was the first large-scale hemp gathering I attended since February 2020, before the COVID-19 lockdowns in the United States. Virtual events have their value, but there’s nothing better than actually being present at an event, especially a worthwhile one.

Below, I highlight vendors that caught my eye. But first, I discuss one of the major developments in the domestic hemp industry that my time at the expo validated. Also, for those of you new to hemp, please see the background note at the end of this piece for definitions of cannabis, hemp, and marijuana and for explanations of full-spectrum and broad-spectrum hemp extracts, respectively.

This hemp artwork on display at the expo highlighted the fact that Founding Fathers George Washington and Thomas Jefferson grew hemp. Photo by Michael Sirak

This expo had a different vibe than the previous one in March 2019. (The 2020 expo was virtual.) For one, there were measures in place to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, such as increased spacing between the exhibitor booths. More importantly, however, was the noticeable shift in the mix of vendors: there was a much larger presence of companies representing the nascent hemp fiber sector.

The 2019 expo—along with hemp shows I visited prior to COVID-19—had a greater concentration of businesses showcasing products with hemp extract. (Such items contain substances beneficial to the body like cannabidiol (CBD).) It also had companies marketing hemp food items like hemp seeds and protein powder, along with an assortment of artisans and non-profit hemp-advocacy groups.

Stacked at the HempCore-Wnder-Hemp Building Company booth were bags of hemp hurd for hempcrete and animal bedding. Photo by Michael Sirak

Fiber Rising

This year’s event had those elements, but also included a solid fiber presence. If you follow the U.S. hemp industry, you’ll know that the fiber sector likely will become the largest market segment of the hemp industry in coming years, far surpassing the extract and food spheres in scope and magnitude.

The fiber businesses I saw are the pioneers blazing that trail. They are the ones performing the noble, unforgiving grunt work to establish a sustainable supply chain for the sector from hemp farms to the processing facilities that will transform the fiber from its raw form into finished products.

Among the wares they showcased were animal bedding, artwork, an automobile with hemp panels, building materials, clothing, flooring, furniture, a guitar made of hemp, and paper. There was even a dedicated section of the show floor for the building materials, such as “hempwood” for flooring, “hempwool” wall insulation, and “hempcrete,” an insulative material for wall structures. Companies that provide harvesting machinery and processing devices were also at the expo.

A sample of hemp bast fiber on display at the Formation Ag booth. Photo by Michael Sirak

Hemp fiber comes from the plant’s stalk and is present in two forms: bast fiber and hurd. They have distinctly different attributes. Bast fiber is the quite-strong sinewy outer part of the hemp stalk while the hurd is the stalk’s woody interior that rings the stalk’s hollow core.

A tub of hemp hurd at the HempCore-Wnder-Hemp Building Company booth. Photo by Michael Sirak

Bast fiber has numerous applications which depend on how long the fibers are and the extent to which they are processed. Among them are use in clothing, ropes, paper, packaging materials, automobile panels, and some of the aforementioned building products. Hurd is the main component of hempcrete (along with water and a binding agent like lime) and companies are now marketing hurd as animal bedding, too.

Among the fiber businesses was IND Hemp of Fort Benton, Montana, which is constructing a facility for “decorticating” hemp stalks, meaning separating the stalks’ bast fiber from hurd. This facility is expected to start running in summer 2021. It is located at the same industrial park where the company already runs a plant that refines hemp seeds into hemp seed oil, hemp protein powder, and dehulled seeds, or “hearts.”

Hempitecture of Ketchum, Idaho, and the Hemp Building Company of Longmont, Colorado, two builders of hempcrete houses and structures, had tables highlighting their activities. The former markets its hempwool as an alternative to traditional fiberglass insulation. HempCore, also of Longmont, was offering bags of hurd for hempcrete and, with different labelling, for animal bedding.

HempWood had its flooring on display at the expo. Photo by Michael Sirak

HempWood of Murray, Kentucky, showcased its “hardwood” hemp flooring, furniture, and cabinets. This “hempwood” results from crushing hemp stalks, combining them with adhesive, and then treating them with heat and pressure. Another vendor, PureHemp Technology of Fort Lupton, Colorado, displayed its paper made from bast fiber.

The expo included an assortment of hemp farming equipment parked outside the National Western Complex. Photo by Michael Sirak

Also on hand were Formation Ag of Monte Vista, Colorado, which provides equipment for harvesting and processing hemp, including decortication, and Bish Enterprises of Giltner, Nebraska, a long-time supplier of harvesting equipment that is now an established player in the hemp space. Both companies had equipment on display.

It was nice to see the fiber sector spreading its wings, now that several years have passed since growing hemp once again became lawful in the United States.

Moving on, the following vendors caught my eye:

Elder Farms

Elder Farms of Mount Vernon in southwestern Missouri has been selling elder products for years. It uses the elderberries, elderflowers, and elder leaves from the plants it grows on its farm. The company recently entered the hemp space by adding hemp extract to its formulations. This is the first vendor I am aware of doing this. I have long been a fan of using elderberry syrup, tincture, and lozenges to boost my immunity, especially when I’ve felt under the weather, so I was intrigued when I came across the company. Among Elder Farms’ products with hemp extract are the Elderberry Wellness Syrup with CBD (ingredients: fresh-pressed elderberry, broad-spectrum hemp extract, raw honey, organic Ceylon cinnamon, organic ginger, elderflower, organic cloves), Elderberry Wellness Shot, ElderFlower Hemp Honey, Complete Body Defense (organic elderberry extract, Vitamin C from acerola cherry, zinc, broad-spectrum hemp extract), and Herbal ReLeaf Salve (organic coconut oil, organic olive oil, full-spectrum hemp extract, beeswax, elder leaf, elderflower, organic comfrey leaf, organic lavender oil, organic frankincense oil, organic helichrysum oil). I drank an Elderberry Wellness Shot and liked it much. The honey-based concoction tasted quite pleasant; my taste buds were able to discern the elderberry, cloves, and cinnamon. I also have begun applying the Herbal ReLeaf Salve to my knees prior to workouts. I like the smell, and it goes on easily and absorbs well, without leaving a heavy oily residue. Elder Farms also has products without hemp extract, including the Elderberry Immune Syrup with Aronia; Elderberry Immune Shot with Aronia; ElderFlower Honey, and Smooth & Sweet Elderberry Honey (raw honey, fermented elderberry). The company also has launched a sister line called Spring River Hemp that sells hemp extract as well as hemp flower for smoking. Elder Farms is the first Missouri-based hemp vendor I’ve come across. It’s good to see hemp-related businesses emerging in all parts of the United States.

Planetarie

Planetarie of Evans, Colorado (north of Denver about halfway to the state’s border with Wyoming), sells U.S. Department of Agriculture-certified organic hemp-extract products that feature CBDa, the raw, acidic form of CBD. This form of the cannabinoid is more potent and more “bio-available” than CBD, according to a company marketing handout. (Bio-available means it’s easy for the body to absorb and utilize.) Indeed, Planetarie’s website states that CBDa is “up to 1,000 times more effective than normal CBD” in treating nausea, citing this study published in 2016. CBDa also is anti-inflammatory, relieves pain and anxiety, and has neuroprotective benefits for the brain, including for those with traumatic brain injury, according to the company. Planetarie uses a proprietary, patent-pending process that uses water—and not the more common ethanol and carbon dioxide methods—to extract the CBDa and other cannabinoids. This method, which uses no chemicals, does not introduce heat or pressure, according to the company. Heat would “decarboxylate” the CBDa, meaning that it would convert it to CBD. With this extraction method, the CBDa is “totally stable, retaining its potency for years,” states the company’s website. I’ve been using the sample bottle of Planetarie’s Infusion extract (ingredients: organic fractionated coconut oil; water-extracted, full-spectrum, CBDa-rich hemp extract; natural mint flavor). The extract has a strong taste, but it’s not unpleasant. In addition to Infusion, Planetarie sells softgels and a drink additive. It also offers a topical muscle rub, a salve (unscented and pink grapefruit), a K-9 Infusion for dogs, and a 30 Days of Well-Being sample pack (with Infusion extract, softgels, unscented salve). Planetarie is the second company I know of that features CBDa in its products. The first was 101 CBD which I wrote about in my 2019 CBD Expo Mountain coverage.

Bundles of Hope

Bundles of Hope of Farmington, Utah, north of Salt Lake City, sells baby swaddle blankets made from soft, organic hemp fiber. The company is not aware of any other U.S. business currently offering such baby blankets made of 100 percent hemp fiber (as opposed to a hemp-cotton blend), Bundles of Hope’s co-owner Kristie Oaks told Zygote Nation. I felt one of the blankets at the company’s table and, indeed, it was extremely soft, and I liked the blanket colors. Bundles of Hope currently sells a three-pack of these blankets (colors: yellow, green, orange) at its website and at amazon.com, ebay.com, and etsy.com. These machine-dyed blankets are 48 inches by 48 inches. These swaddle blankets are breathable, hypoallergenic, biodegradable, anti-microbial, and protect the infants from ultraviolet light, according to the company’s website. Soft, yet strong, upon delivery, they become “softer with each washing,” while retaining their strength and their color, even after repeated washings, states the website. Bundles of Hope has begun offering single, hand-done, tie-dyed blankets at its website; the color options are blue/yellow, lavender/mint, pink/yellow, ruby/yellow, and violet/mint. At the expo, Bundles of Hope had additional machine-dyed colors on display, as the pictures accompanying this entry show. (They are also shown in baby photos at the website.) Oaks said the company accepts custom orders for these other colors, if the volume is large enough. The company presently sources the hemp fiber for its blankets from China, and the blankets are manufactured there. However, it is eager to secure fiber from US-grown hemp and make the blankets in the United States, said Oaks. “It is coming. … We have ready, willing farmers and workers here to make this leap,” she said. Bundles of Hope’s website and Instagram page feature adorable photos of babies swaddled in the blankets. The company donates blankets to babies in need in neonatal intensive care units.

Trill Pills

Trill Pills of Boulder, Colorado, sells capsules and oil with hemp extract that the company claims is “some of the cleanest” available on the market. This is possible due to the company’s patented cannabinoid-purification process, states the company’s website. “Our gentle process removes water soluble contaminants such as pesticides, fertilizers, and heavy metals, leaving clean purified CBD without the use of chemical solvents,” states the website. Trill Pills’ Hemp CBD capsules contain non-genetically modified, Colorado-grown hemp; organic cold-pressed coconut oil; and filtered Rocky Mountain water. They come in three concentrations: Regular Strength (10 milligrams of CBD per capsule), Extra Strength (25 milligrams), and Super Strength (50 milligrams). Trill Pills offers the capsules, which are vegan, in bottles of 30 capsules and 250 capsules and in trial-sized packs. The company’s Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCT) Oil +Plus CBD comes in one-fluid-ounce bottles in three different concentrations: Regular Strength (300 milligrams of CBD per bottle), Extra Strength (750 milligrams), and Super Strength (1,500 milligrams). The company also sells capsules with cannabigerol (CBG), which I have seen described as the “parent” cannabinoid from which other cannabinoids like CBD originate. (I’ve also heard that research has shown CBG may strengthen eyesight, among its benefits.) The CBG is available in a bottle of 30 capsules and a trial-sized pack of four capsules. Each capsule contains 25 milligrams of CBG. I bought a bottle of the CBG and am currently taking it. Trills Pills also offers jars of Pain Relief Cream (ingredients: calendula, sunflower oil, lavender, organic German chamomile, carbon dioxide-extracted Colorado-grown hemp, organic peppermint oil) in two sizes: 1.7 ounces and four ounces.

Bubbly Hemp Drinks

Miraflora of Boulder, Colorado, sells sparkling beverages infused with full-spectrum hemp extract. The company displayed two new flavors at its table that it’s been market-testing: Peach-Ginger and Tuscan Blood Orange. I bought a can of each—they come in 8.4-fluid-ounce containers—and liked them much. I found them refreshing, with a consistent, satisfying taste that was not overbearing nor too sweet. In fact, these 10-calorie beverages have zero grams of sugar, along with 35 milligrams of CBD, according to the descriptions on the cans. In addition to the hemp extract, these drinks contain filtered water, natural flavors, monk fruit juice concentrate, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and Vitamin D3. The company’s website lists two additional sparkling varieties: Relax (Yuzu Chamomile) and +Sport (Berry Hibiscus). The sport drink contains coconut water. These sparkling beverages are one component of Miraflora’s portfolio of products featuring full-spectrum extract from hemp grown on the company’s family-owned, U.S. Department of Agriculture-certified organic farm. The other items comprise bath bombs, body butter, sport balm, body butter, lip balm, capsules, gummies, tinctures, and pet chews and tinctures. The company owns a herd of alpacas; it credits the animals’ manure for the farm’s nutrient-dense soil.

Säti Soda of Boulder, Colorado, sells two lines of sparkling drinks: CBD Soda and Hemp Soda. Both are available in 12-fluid-ounce cans. The former contains hemp extract with cannabinoids like CBD (23 milligrams per can) but has no THC. The latter soda has hemp seed oil for its essential fatty acids (e.g., linoleic acid, gamma linolenic acid) but contains no cannabinoids. The company offers both the CBD Soda and the Hemp Soda in three flavors: Chill Ginger (with chamomile flower extract and ginger), Clarity Lemon-Lime (with l-theanine and rhodiola root extract, and, in the CBD Soda version, ashwagandha root, too), and Energy Berry (with 17 milligrams of caffeine from yerba matte and guarana seed). These beverages have nine grams of organic cane sugar and up some 45 calories per can. I tried the CBD Soda in the clarity and energy varieties and liked them both; they were refreshing and clean tasting. Säti Soda is the first company I’ve seen selling sparkling drinks with hemp seed oil.

I’m grateful that I was able to attend the 2021 NOCO Hemp Expo. For the sake of completeness, I’ll mention that the expo had a fair number of businesses providing hemp seeds for farmers, too. In fact, there were more seed companies than I’ve seen before at any one event. Identifying, and bringing to market, stable varieties of hemp seeds for the various U.S. growing regions is one of the near-term priorities of the hemp industry, especially for the fiber sector.

Editor’s note: I did not take part in the NOCO Expo’s investor’s forum held on March 25, 2021, in a different part of Denver.

Hemp plants on display at the expo. Photo by Michael Sirak

Background note: These are my definitions of cannabis, hemp, and marijuana, as of May 2021:

Cannabis is a flowering plant (albeit petal-less) in the Cannabaceae family which also includes the hop and hackberry plants. For millennia, cultures have revered the cannabis plant for its healing properties. Today, we know that the aerial parts (i.e., flowers, leaves, and stems) of cannabis contain substances like cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) which research has shown can be beneficial to humans by easing anxiety and physical discomfort. Unlike CBD, THC is intoxicating, meaning it gives a person a euphoric feeling of being “high” when ingested in sufficient-enough amounts.

Hemp is cannabis that contains those same substances, but with the distinction that the amount of THC is less than 0.3 percent of a sample by dry weight.

Full-spectrum hemp extract is the term indicating that an extract contains CBD and the other cannabinoids (e.g., CBC, CBG, CBN) and beneficial compounds (e.g., terpenes, flavonoids) naturally occurring in the variety of hemp plant as well as the legal amount of THC.

Broad-spectrum hemp extract means the same as full spectrum with the exception that the extract contains no detectable levels of THC.

Growing hemp once again became legal in the United States with the U.S. government’s passage of farm legislation at the end of 2018. Before that, cannabis had essentially been a banned crop since 1937 when the federal government levied an onerous tax on it that made it economically implausible for farmers to grow it—as they had since America’s founding. Decades later, in the 1970s, the government clamped down even more, making it outright illegal by designating cannabis as one of the country’s top controlled substances, like heroin. There were exceptions like during World War 2, when the federal government made it possible for farmers to grow the crop to support the war effort (e.g., hemp fiber for ropes on warships).

Colorado-based artist Sally Dalton created “Hemp Willie” entirely out of hemp materials. This artwork depicts entertainer Willie Nelson, a long-time cannabis advocate. Dalton donated the artwork to be auctioned off during the expo to raise money for the families of the 10 persons killed in the March 22, 2021, shooting in Boulder, Colorado. Photo by Michael Sirak

Marijuana is the U.S. government’s term for cannabis that it still considers illegal—and continues to police—because it contains THC in amounts that exceed 0.3 percent of a sample by dry weight. However, many states allow use of marijuana for medical purposes (i.e., so-called “medical marijuana”), and some states have gone beyond that, legalizing marijuana’s recreational, or “adult,” use. Interesting to note is that the 0.3-percent threshold in no way reflects an accurate cut-off point between non-intoxication and potential intoxication. In fact, marijuana used for medicinal and recreational purposes normally has THC levels of around 15 percent, if not higher.

Mar 27 2021 Northern Colorado Hemp Expo