Clothing manufacturer to build hemp fibre mill in Saskatchewan

Hemptown Clothing Inc., a leading provider of enviro-friendly hemp fabric clothing, has announced that the Town of Craik and the Rural Municipality of Craik No. 222 have provided 80 acres of prime industrial property as an incentive to establish the first of its planned multi-million dollar hemp fiber mills in the community.

Town donates 80 acres

Located directly between Saskatoon and Regina, alongside the major provincial highway and rail line, the new facility will provide good access to local and international markets.

Construction is expected to begin in 2005 and start up of production operations by mid-2007.

Hemptown’s intent is to source its hemp requirements from local area farmers, further establishing one of the most sustainable Canadian agriculture crops and supplying the market for industrial hemp fiber worldwide.

The facility would initially require production from approximately 4,000 acres of farmland, ramping up to over 10,000 acres in the future.

Hemptown Clothing Inc. recently announced a collaboration with the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) on the development of a specialized hemp enzyme technology process, designed to allow hemp to replace existing cotton crops, a multi-billion dollar industry and one of the worst polluting and heavy water users in agriculture today.

This new technology would be incorporated within the Craik facility.

Hemptown President Jason Finnis said, “It has always been Hemptown’s intent to vertically position itself, ‘Dirt to Shirt’ in Canada.

“The Town of Craik can be thoroughly commended for both their economic and environmental initiatives. This is clearly a community of the future.”

—DCN staff