„Hemp seed I sowed, hemp seed I grow” – poster 9.
What is Hempy People?
Hempy People is an innovative company dedicated to creating sustainable solutions using hemp. Our core mission is to develop creative, customized, and scalable products that promote environmental sustainability and also create a bonding community. Guided by our slogan, “Growing Together: Crafting Green Futures with Hemp Innovation,” we are committed to fostering a green future through innovative uses of hemp.
Hempy People is not just a company; it is a vibrant community of designers, investors, and impact-driven entrepreneurs. Together, we create solutions that are not only cost-efficient and profitable but also eco-centric and sustainable. Our collaborative ethos emphasizes co-creation, ensuring that every project we undertake is infused with creativity and tailored to meet specific needs.
What Do We Specialize In?
At Hempy People, we specialize in developing and implementing advanced solutions from industrial hemp across various sectors, including textiles, paper, and building materials. Our approach is grounded in extensive research to ensure that our techniques are both efficient and reliable. This research-driven methodology allows us to maximize the potential of industrial hemp, making our solutions robust and dependable.
How Are Our Projects Unique?
Our projects are designed to be scalable, enabling implementation in diverse locations around the globe. We take pride in our comprehensive educational initiatives aimed at raising awareness about the numerous benefits of industrial hemp on a global scale. Through education, we strive to enlighten communities about the ecological and economic advantages of hemp, fostering a broader acceptance and use of this versatile plant.
What is Our Project Lifecycle?
From the initial idea to final implementation, we handle the full cycle of each project. Post-implementation, we offer support services to ensure the longevity and productivity of our solutions. Our dedication to transparency, diligent work, and honest communication ensures that all stakeholders are fully informed and engaged throughout the project lifecycle.
What Values Drive Hempy People?
Hempy People is built on values such as reliability, transparency, and a commitment to creating a lasting legacy of sustainability. By integrating local insights with global impact, we craft solutions that are not only green but also deeply rooted in the communities we serve. Join us in our journey as we continue to innovate and pave the way for a sustainable future with hemp.
„Hemp seed I sowed, hemp seed I grow” – poster 8.
Hempy People products
Eco Chic Hemp Tote Bag
Introducing our eco-chic natural color hemp tote bag, crafted by small manufacturers with everyday use in mind. Its simplicity and style make it cool and elegant, perfect for the modern traveler seeking comfort and embracing a sustainable lifestyle. Get ready to customize and bulk order this versatile companion for your eco-conscious ventures.
Hemp Envelopes and Cards
Handcrafted with love, this average-sized envelope and thank you card is delicately woven from sustainable industrial hemp fibers, is a testament to our commitment to a greener future.
Hemp brings a multitude of benefits to this amazing and sustainable gift option. Besides being naturally durable, hemp paper boasts a unique smoothness that’s gentle on your fingertips, allowing your thoughts to flow seamlessly onto its pages.
Let your very own Hemp Envelopes and Cards be your canvas!
Harmony Hemp Notebook (hard cover)
Introducing our eco-friendly companion for your creative endeavors – the Harmony Hemp Notebook! Handcrafted with love, this average-sized notebook is not just your ordinary writing tool. Its soft cover, delicately woven from sustainable industrial hemp fibers, is a testament to our commitment to a greener future.
By choosing this notebook, you’re reducing deforestation, as hemp requires significantly less land and water to grow compared to traditional paper sources. Get ready to embark on a guilt-free writing experience, knowing that every stroke of your pen is contributing to a more sustainable planet.
HempFiber Optics
Elevate your eyewear game sustainably with our Unisex HempFiber Optics sunglasses. Crafted from robust hemp fiber, these shades offer unparalleled strength while reducing plastic waste. Embrace eco-friendly fashion and customize your order for a greener tomorrow. Experience the strength of sustainability.
Hemp Voyager Face Towel
Discover the Hemp Voyager Face Towel, your eco-conscious companion for a greener tomorrow. Made from premium organic hemp fibers, it offers superior absorbency and durability, while minimizing your carbon footprint. Embrace sustainable luxury with this naturally antibacterial towel, supporting your commitment to a more sustainable future.
Yset Yoga Mat
Forget about smelly, sweaty yoga mats, because our 100% hemp offering helps you keep your cool throughout your practice. A great eco-friendly alternative to rubber or foam, it’s as good for the planet as it is for your workout – boasting a smooth, hardwearing, non-slip surface that absorbs excess moisture without a chemical or man-made fiber in sight. Easy to fold and housed in a convenient, stylish hemp carry bag, it’s practical, portable.
The Ultimate Black Hemp T-shirt for Men
Introducing our bestseller, The Ultimate Black Hemp T-shirt for Men. Crafted with care by small manufacturers, it blends 45% cotton and 55% hemp for a sustainable twist. Embrace simplicity and style effortlessly, while indulging in the cool comfort and elegant feel. Join us on this eco-conscious journey, perfect for the sustainable traveler in you!
The Iconic Hemp Jeans (men’s)
Crafted with love, our eco-friendly hemp jeans for men! Crafted with a blend of 48% hemp, 50% long fiber cotton, and 2% spandex, these jeans offer unparalleled comfort and breathability. Inspired by Levi’s rich legacy of durable denim, they combine sustainability with timeless style, making you look and feel effortlessly cool.
Unisex Hemp Shoes, Hemp Shoes for Women
Just as their name suggests, our Breathe Easies are breathable, sleek slip-ons that provide both style and support. Their casual style makes them perfect for work, play, and beyond without compromising on strength, power, and all the good stuff hemp has to offer. Thermoregulating? Check. Durable? Check. All-natural? Check. So, breathe easy knowing that your shoes are doing good for your feet and the planet.
The Iconic Hemp Jeans (women’s)
Discover our Iconic Hemp Jeans, a sustainable marvel for ladies. Embrace the eco-revolution with breathable, industrial hemp fabric. Experience unparalleled comfort while treading lightly on the planet. Elevate your style sustainably Join the movement towards greener fashion. Your customers will love it!
Mindful Black Hemp T-shirt for Women
Introducing our eco-chic black hemp t-shirt for women in short-sleeves version, a perfect fusion of sustainability and style. Crafted with a mindful blend of 55% hemp and 45% bamboo, this ethically made garment offers ultimate comfort and durability. Express your unique personality with the option for customization, ensuring a perfect fit for your conscious fashion journey.
Hempy Slide Sneakers
Keep your cool no matter what life throws your way with our sustainable slide-on sneakers. Made from 100% natural hemp and featuring a flat base and elasticated opening, they flex with you and your feet to ensure optimum comfort without compromising on support or strength. Totally breathable and thermoregulating, unwanted odors are kept at bay and feet stay cool and comfortable whatever the weather.
By purchasing this products:
🚰You save 40-50% water per hectare with comparison to cotton. 🌳You save 75% of trees per acre ⏚You contribute to healing soils (what hemp does) 🐛You significantly contribute to reducing the amount of pesticides used 🦶1.92kgs CO2 offset, you are reducing your carbon footprint + 💜10% of your payment goes to supporting girls/women who experienced abuse: Himaya
„Hemp seed I sowed, hemp seed I grow” – poster 7.
Archaeological findings on the use of hemp
In the Eurasian steppes, the Scythians certainly used hemp not only to make linen, but also to obtain drugs from heated hemp seeds, according to Herodotus.
In Eastern Europe, a common method of drying hemp in historical periods was to dig pits, over which either a stand with branches and straws was made, or a branch was placed in the middle and the hemp to be dried was tilted accordingly. Similar flax and hemp drying pits were used not only by the Slavs, but also by the Finno-Ugric relatives of the Hungarians (Mordvins, Chermis, Zuryans) and among the Bashkirs and Volga Tatars, they must have been known to our conquering ancestors. The archaeological traces of such pits are difficult to distinguish from simpler grain drying pits, just as in the case of objects defined as incense pits from the Árpád period, it cannot be ruled out that some of them may have been used for hemp drying.
About 90 textile fragments were found from the Carpathian Basin in the 10th and 11th centuries, of which about 60 pieces remained to be examined, mainly silk and linen fabric fragments, but the use of hemp was also proven. The hemp fields were so significant that they were sometimes mentioned in official charters, for example, in 1309 the chapter of Veszprém inherited 40 acres of arable land in addition to 1 acre of hemp land in a gracious bequest.
Let’s also mention looms. Vertical looms have been known in the Carpathian Basin for a long time, such depictions can already be seen on one of the Iron Age urns of Sopron-Burgstall, and even at the beginning of the last century similar ones were used by crab makers.
According to the theory of Valter Endrei, the simpler loom with legs could have spread to Eastern Europe already in the 9th and 11th centuries through Byzantine or Khazar mediation, and they could also be used in the Hungarian household industry of the Árpád period, but this fact is not confirmed by all researchers.
The finest fabrics of the Middle Ages could be made on drawstring looms, which required an assistant in addition to the weaver, who worked on the pattern and moved the individual bunches.
„Hemp seed I sowed, hemp seed I grow” – poster 6.
„Hemp seed I sowed, hemp seed I grow” – poster 5.
The development of industrial processing of hemp. Part II.
Post-Bakay era 1890 – 1944
The Szeged Hemp Spinning Factory was almost the exclusive supplier of both the joint army and the Hungarian Army, and was one of the first to be placed under military supervision.
The hemp processing factory in Újszeged was established by Miklós Hipp from Palánka and János Narbuth from Lemberg. In July 1887, the city sold 40 acres of land on the lower banks of the Tisza River to entrepreneurs on favorable terms. The factory buildings were completed by the summer of 1888, and hemp soaking began. The factory was taken over by First Szeged Hemp Finishing Co. in 1889 with a share capital of HUF 200,000. In 1891 the share capital was already 650,000 HUF, and the plant, equipped with 46 crushing, cutting, troweling, etc. machines, produced 15,000 tonnes of finished hemp annually by processing 2500 acres of produce. At the same time, the factory was expanded with a sailcloth weaving plant with a capacity of 1 million square metres of sailcloth by setting up 60 weaving machines and 7 larger auxiliary machines in order to utilize the over retted fibers obtained during hemp processing as a side product.
In 1905 the factory was taken over by the Hungarian Hemp and Flax Industry Co. with a share capital of 2 million K. After German shareholders left the company, Leó Fuchs, who mainly had a Viennese financial interest, took over the majority of the shares. In 1915 the Jute and Hemp Industry Co. of Pesterzsébet acquired the majority of the shares, and in 1917 the Central Textile Industry Co. took over the company in Újszeged. In the 1920s, the factory, which employed 800 people, sold 60% of its products abroad.
During the reconstruction of 1927-28, the machines were grouped together in a practical and economical way, as well as constructions for hygienic purposes. From then on, most of the machines were supplied by the factory’s new electrical centre. Some modern machines were also installed and the most modern fire safety equipment was installed. During the crisis years, the company’s survival was largely due to this modernization: goods produced in large quantities, in good quality and, above all, cheaply, with modern equipment, remained sought-after items all along. The factory was able to remain profitable throughout, something few could say about themselves at the time.
In the second half of the 1930s, as a member of the international yarn and twine cartel, it exported to 43 countries and was the second largest foreign exchange producer in the textile industry after the Goldberger factory. The number of its workers at that time was 1200.
„Hemp seed I sowed, hemp seed I grow” – poster 4.
The development of industrial processing of hemp I.
As a citizen of Szeged, Nándor Bakay was an indispensable figure in the industrial organization of the city. He established the Szeged-centered, low land base of large-scale hemp processing. It was also decisive in the scale of historical Hungary. He was responsible for establishing the industrial hemp processing units.
Nándor Bakay’s ancestors – certainly up to his great-grandfather – practiced the rope-beating craft one after another, ensuring the quality of the profession is passed down within the family. The first of these was the grandfather of the factory founder who arrived in Szeged as a rope-beating lad from Senta in 1801. Nándor Bakay passed his master exam in 1859. The Great Plain provided favourable conditions for the developing this industry, due to the high demand arising from the need for ropes for fishing, shipping, agriculture and industrial purposes. From the second half of the 18th century, the treasury encouraged mass cultivation of industrial crops. In the middle of the 19th century, with the start of railway transport, the number of hemp processing factories also increased.
In the era of dualism, Szeged’s textile industry became known primarily through hemp processing. The centre of hemp production in Hungary was the southern part of the Great Plain, especially Bács-Bodrog County. In addition to the Saxon towns in Transylvania, rope production flourished mainly in certain settlements in southern Hungary.
In 1863, Nándor Bakay was able to start developing the machinery of the workshop he had taken over from his father, which was still operating within the framework of a guild, and to provide a wider range of products. He introduced the production of several products (fire harness, hose, iron wire rope) in Hungary. In 1872 free trading with industrial hemp became possible for everyone. He immediately developed his workshop into a mechanical rope-beating plant that multiplied its production.
In 1877 he converted his plant using steam power. He equipped it with modern English spinning and weaving machines. From then on, it allowed hemp to be processed on a truly large scale.
After the destruction of Szeged in 1879 following the flood, he managed to rebuild his own factory. Through a group of bankers and crop merchants, the plant operated as a new partnership from 1884 – Bakay’s spinning, weaving, rope factory and hemp redemption co. – and the founder continued to work as technical director until 1886. He was then the second secretary of the Szeged Chamber of Commerce and Industry founded in 1890 until his death in 1902.
The situation of the company stabilized only in 1890, when Szeged Hemp Spinning Factory Co. was founded in Budapest with a share capital of HUF (Hungarian Forints) 350,000 arranged by the Hungarian Industrial and Commercial Bank.
„Hemp seed I sowed, hemp seed I grow” – poster 3.
Processing of hemp
As a first step hemp went through a soaking process. Depending on the temperature of the water, the hemp cork was soaked under water for 7 to 14 days to loosen the valuable fibre on the outside of the stem from the inner, woody tissue of the hemp. Hemp soaking was common in both still and running water. Soaking in major rivers was banned by authorities because substances leaching from hemp poisoned fish stocks. For hemp soaking, stakes were beaten down the bed of the water and placed tied sheaves either individually or in larger bundles of 5 to 20 sheaves held together with straw ropes when processing hemp. Depending on the depth of the water, it was stacked in several rows to be covered by water. Therefore, hemp put in the soaker was pressed: it was covered with straw, cross-stakes were used to put stumps, stones and possibly mud on top.
The second step was to process the fiber part gained from the soaking process. The inner woody part, rotten during the soaking procedure, was shattered so that it fell out of the precious fiber strips in small pieces. The debris thus falling out was called pozdorya or, in the southern part of the Great Plain, chepue. Hungarians used several ways to do this. The most common one is the hemp crusher, which is identical in shape and structure to the tiller, but has a stronger, coarser finish. Very often, the work was preceded by a pre-crush phase. Most of the time, this just meant having a handful of hemp choke in their hands, crunching them at quarters or fifths of their length so that they could break it more easily on the crusher. This so-called hemp crushing process was more popular in the Trans-Tisza region, where in addition to crunching into pieces, hemp fibers were also folded, that is people trampled on it thoroughly with their feet before the fiber was further processed with the hemp crusher.
Another way of hemp softening was done by a machine powered by water energy, usually operated by watermills, notably stream mills. Its structure was identical to those used in the compression of woolen fabric, except that in this case the dropped jerk fell on a smooth, dry sole beam, and softened the lump of fiber placed under it with his heavy, rhythmic blows. The built-in levers on the crankshaft rotating in a thick, iron-ended, iron-shaft-ended bushing bearing rotated by gear ratio, differing at an angle of about 30 degrees, collided with the handle of the hemp-breaker’s percussion mechanism or jerk during rotation, lifting it and dropping it. The rotational energy was thus transformed into intermittent motion, work. The falling jerk crushed the fibers of hemp laid on the base beam of the hemp crusher. The miller had to pay customs every tenth mark for using the hemp crusher.
After the softening process was over hemp fiber was combed on a hemp comb. A pure hemp bundle was classified according to the thickness of its fibers. From the thinner thread bundle, the yarn was braided with a spindle. The thread was lowered from a knot tied at the end of the gusage, which was braided into yarn by spinning the spindle. They spun yarn with fox from a tow, which was thicker. The braided yarn was thrown on his motoll. The amount of yarn was calculated from the length of the motolla and the number of lifts that were used to throw the yearn onto the motolla. Yarn making was the women’s winter occupation. The finished yarn was stored in balls. Depending on the quality of the yarn, the weaver weaved cloth and burlap from the material entrusted to him. From the coarsest bundle, he spun the obligatory steed, halter, rope, which he sold at fairs.
„Hemp seed I sowed, hemp seed I grow” – poster 2.
Growing hemp
The native land of hemp is Central Asia. He reached Europe through mass migration. The Hungarians got to know it even before the Hungarian conquest, growing it for its yarn and oilseeds. In the Carpathian Basin it is distributed mainly in the central, southern and eastern areas. For centuries, hemp was the most important household industry crop on Hungarian peasant farms. It was usually grown in the border area near the settlement, in an area specially designated for this purpose. Their memory is still preserved by numerous geographical names.
A high-quality, usually deep-lying area was chosen as hemp land. Hemp was sown by hand, in the same way as cereals. It was either sprinkled and harrowed on fresh ploughing, or sown on flattened ploughing and hoeed in. When the color of the plant changed from green to yellow, it was plucked out. They tore it up by hand and laid it out in small handfuls and dried it.
After drying, in autumn, soaking and processing took place. For the most part, hemp was grown on a small area, as much as a family could process during the winter after autumn work. Subsistence peasant hemp production was suppressed by the expanding manufacturing industry from the second half of the last century.
„Hemp seed I sowed, hemp seed I grow” – poster 1.
The origin of industrial hemp and its ethnographic traditions
Hemp is the most important industrial plant Hungary among those having rich bast fiber content. For a hemp land, a good quality area is chosen usually located at a deeper sea level. Hemp is sown by hand, in the same way as cereal crops. It is either sprinkled and harrowed on fresh ploughing, or sown on flattened ploughing and hoeed in. When the color of the plant changes from green to yellow, it is plucked out and the process is called hemp weaving. Then soaking and processing takes place. The native land of hemp is Central Asia. It reached Europe through mass migration. The Hungarians got to know it even before the Hungarian conquest, growing it to make yarn and for its oily seeds. In the Carpathian Basin it was grown mainly in the central, southern and eastern areas, while in the western and northern parts flax seeds remained to be the most important fiber crop. For centuries, hemp was the most important cottage industry crop on Hungarian peasant farms. It was grown usually in the outskirts of a settlement, in an area specially designated for this purpose. The memory of growing hemp is still preserved by numerous geographical names in Hungary, like Kenderes, Kendereskert, Kenderesföld and others. For the most part, hemp was grown on a small area, so that a family could process it during the winter after autumn work. Self-sufficent hemp production was suppressed by the expanding manufacturing industry starting from the second half of the last century.
Beliefs and magical procedures associated with hemp is usually the principle of analogy. For sowing hemp, the seed must be prepared on Shrove Tuesday. So, at the time of leaving meat behind and starting the fasting season, people would jump high,, cook long noodles in the soup, go to many places to dine, put hemp fiber in the rut to make hemp fibers long. Sowing was regulated by various regulations and prohibitions: according to a popular belief, Friday was the best day for sowing, even better if there was neither sun nor moon in the sky at that time. It was believed that hemp sown naked, speechless, from a new clay pot yielded a good long-stemmed crop. It was predicted that if there were long icicles at the end of Feb, hemp would be long. According to popular belief , the base of hemp breaks on St. Anne’s Day, and from then on it does not grow, only turns yellow. Green hemp when put in bed is useful against fleas, folk practice has held. Hemp seeds were also used to remove jinxes.