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Ashford Hemp Industries processing for the building industry

 

Leon and Connie Minos have been riding a wave of increased enthusiasm and demand for their Ashford Hemp Industries’ products over the past decade.  Since developing their own hemp processing system in 2018 to address a bottleneck in the hemp industry, their business digressed from growing hemp in northwest NSW to designing and building the containerised Ashford Hemp Processor, or AHP.

The first AHP was sold in Tasmania to the dynamic Andi Lucas of X-Hemp, followed by another sale in New Zealand and South Australia.  In 2024 Ashford Hemp Industries returned focus to increasing their local hemp supply by accessing quality hemp bales in their regional area.

Photo: With Andi Lucas (C) from X-Hemp, Tasmania taking ownership of a new Ashford Hemp Processor.

The consistent supply of quality hurd for the building sector had been impeded by a lack of regionally available suitable hemp bales which saw the processing facility at Ashford shut down for weeks at a time.  Connie and Leon are confident that this supply issue will be addressed in the coming season.

Ashford Hemp Industries has been able to secure over 200 tonnes of excellent quality hemp bales from the Tamworth area, and expects this supply to more than double next year.

In addition to providing employment for the small rural town of Ashford, the hemp processing facility expects to generate enough hemp hurd to allow two new house builds each week.  The increase in Australian grown and processed hurd will help supply a market which is longing for quality Australian hemp in their building products.

With the Ashford processing facility running at full capacity, the Minos’ look forward to building their fourth Ashford Hemp Processor later this year.  Further information on Ashford Hemp Industries can be gathered from their Facebook page, website or email connie@ashfordhempindustries.com.