Hemper markets handmade accessories made from wild hemp grown by the Nepalese community, a paradigm project of sustainability
A cooperation trip in Nepal made Gloria Gubianas fall in love with the country, its culture and the handmade clothing that local communities in the country were able to make with hemp. An experience that led him to try to find a way to help one of the poorest countries in the world: it is estimated that almost half of the population lives below the poverty line.
That’s how he was born
Hemper, a project with which they tried to achieve this objective from the point of view, in addition, of sustainability. “Hemp is one of the most ecological plants,” Gubianas tells us. It is from 3,000 meters high where we can find it in the Nepalese country, where it is born in the wild. “It is in these areas where the cultivation and spinning of the plant is done”, a process with which a fabric can later be generated to make all kinds of articles, such as t-shirts or backpacks.
From the craft to the professional
The project, like so many others, started little by little. “We began to sell in Spain very few products that were made in Nepal,” says Gema Gubianas. But, little by little, they realized that the products were popular and that sales were beginning to pick up. “We were proud, because it was an interesting project: to enable local social development in Nepal on the one hand and achieve it through a sustainable product and materials.”
These products are based on the tradition and craftsmanship of these Nepalese communities. But little by little the process has become more professional.
Thus, once the hemp grown in the highlands (the Himalayas) is spun, the fabrics travel to the capital, Kathmandu. A group of women from other areas of Nepal are in charge of making the fabrics and also the vegetable dyes, also made in a traditional way. The fabrics are sewn in Kathmandu, shaping the products, which travel to Spain to be sold under the Hemper brand.
Artisanal weaving of hemp in Nepal. /
Manufacturing has also been moving to other nearby areas, such as India “for a risk diversification issue,” explains the founder of this company, who recalls that during the confinements due to Covid-19 “Nepal was closed by land, sea and air.
In this production chain, Gubianas ensures that they are involved not only in the design of the pieces, but also in the professionalization of the people who are part of it. “We intervene in improving the quality of materials and processes. We have to train them, since the people we employ haven’t even been to school. We are also working on how they can improve the management of their entire production chain, so that they improve and work under international standards.”
Beyond the impact this may have on their own products, the challenge is to contribute to the economic and social development of Nepal. “It is not a producing country like China or India,” says Gubianas. “It is a country that does not have all those infrastructures and facilities. What we do is empower Nepal to become a country where there is a sustainable industry around hemp.”
The road, however, is long. For this entrepreneur, “hemp is a super interesting fiber” because it is “very efficient”: it makes soil that is not fertile and captures a lot of C02. However, and despite the fact that Nepal is a major producer of this plant, Gubianas assures that the communities that know how to treat this plant “have always been marginalized”, so Hemper’s achievements are above all at both a social and environmental level. .
Gloruia Gubianas during her participation in ARCO. /
Hemper assures that it has an annual turnover of about 300,000 euros. The founder of it acknowledges that people usually buy products for the first time for the aesthetic part but ensures that “then they stay because of the whole story behind it.”
The challenge is that “our products generate emotions and tell stories of all the traditions and people behind them.”
How is it achieved? «The product is very special, you see it directly on the fabric. An artisan material very different from what you normally find », he explains. In addition, when they are purchased, they are received with a map explaining the entire route that the product has taken and all the elements that make it up. The packaging is also made from used bags of rice from Nepal.
Many of these purchases are made by companies. “Some travel agencies or even universities have given away our backpacks, compared to the plastic ones they used to give away,” he says.
Grow without losing the essence
According to their data, Hemper’s actions currently have a direct impact in Nepal on about a hundred people from various regions.
Although the initial objective of this adventure was to be able to raise money to allocate it to an NGO, the project has grown so much that it is the only professional activity of its founders. Yesterday their interesting bet was the protagonist at the ARCO art fair, where they took care of creating “the first point of meeting and reflection on sustainable and regenerative culture”.
Gubianas knows that, sooner or later, and as it grows, there will come a time when it is necessary to adopt another model of industrialization, but without losing its essence. For now, the next steps are to establish the brand, undertake a capital increase project, lay the foundations for this entire process and begin the adventure of internationalization.