THE HEMP SHOP

New shop in Glenwood offers products made from the age-old wonder plant.

The Hemp Shop is a fabulous new shop opening at the end of November at 67 Hunt Road in the buzzing Glenwood precinct which offers a myriad of products all made from the age-old wonder-plant, hemp.

At The Hemp Shop one can purchase a diverse range of natural and organic products for men, women and children made from, or with, hemp. These include a range of clothing, accessories, health products, cosmetics, shoes, fabric and paper, as well as showcasing other functional items made from hemp, including rope and bricks.

“The reason that I decided to open The Hemp Shop is to help create awareness about what an incredible plant hemp is, and hopefully to increase interest in hemp and long-term support for the plant. The long term goal is to promote the cultivation of industrial hemp as a sustainable crop,” says owner Leanne Logan.

Hemp has approximately 25,000 uses - none of which have anything to do with smoking! Although the marijuana plant and the hemp plant look alike, the hemp plant does not contain any THC and therefore has no narcotic value whatsoever. The hemp plant has a history that dates back to 8000 BC. Every single part of the plant can be used. For example: the whole stalk can be used to make environmentally friendly paper and bio-fuel; the bast-fibre can be used to make the most durable fabric with UV resistance and anti-bacterial properties and the hurd is the woody core of the plant from which fire-resistant and waterproof bricks can be made.

Hemp nut/seed contains up to 25% high-quality protein with all eight essential amino acids, including Omega 3 and Omega 6, in the correct proportions for the human body's needs. This makes it a perfect source of nutrition. The oil from the plant can be used for food or in body-care products both with hugely beneficial results. Hemp is also a very useful cash crop for farmers as it can be grown in places where the land is resting from a previous crop. It does not require the use of pesticides, leaves the land weed free and actually reduces need for pesticides for the next crop. It also grows incredibly fast and so can be used as a wind break.

Leanne Logan is excited to be returning to Durban to open such a challenging initiative. Durban-born and bred, she moved to Cape Town to study Drama and English at UCT, and started an employment-creation project for women in Msipumelela township, teaching women to knit and crochet beautiful accessories. Once this project was firmly on its feet (it is still running very successfully in Cape Town) she turned her attention to a subject that she is passionate about – permaculture and creating a sustainable lifestyle. Logan studied permaculture at a farm called Berg-en-Daal in Ladysmith. She was introduced to the versatility and usefulness of hemp by a friend, Tony Budden, who owns a company in Cape Town called Hemporium and introduced Logan to the astonishing benefits of the hemp plant. Logan is delighted to be able to share her knowledge, passion and products with the public from her new outlet in Glenwood.

The Hemp Shop will be open six days a week from November 22 – Mondays to Fridays from 09h30 until 17h30 and Saturdays from 09h00 until 13h00. For more information contact 082 456 9967 or llogan@mweb.co.za