REAPING THE BENEFITS OF THE HIMALAYAN WONDER CROP FOR SUSTAINABILITY AND WELLNESS

Bombay Hemp Company was incorporated in 2013 with an aim to reimagine the future of Indian agriculture and sustainable living with hemp as its lens. While people living in the mountain range have reaped the benefits of the Hemp plant; which makes up for – the food they eat, the clothes they wear and the ropes that tie their cattle; the benefits of this one plant have been lost to the people living in cities. The champion is a little hemp seed with a unique nutritional profile, which has the ability to provide the human body with a wholesome source of nutrition with each meal.

Six of us friends from the same batch of the commerce stream of HR College of Commerce and Economics, came across hemp when a friend’s aunt was using hemp oil to alleviate her pain. The uses of hemp are kaleidoscopic, from providing fibre for yarn to Ayurvedic nutrition for edibles, and more; breathing life into the environment and the community at large.

Bombay Hemp Company (BOHECO) has recently launched a range of wholesome consumables with the wonder crop of the Himalayas, under the title BOHECO Life, to foster healthier lifestyles keeping the unique nutritional profile of hemp at the heart of it all. BOHECO Life offers versatile products, such as Hemp Seed Powder, with 100% plant-based protein from Edestin; Hemp Seed Oil, non-comedogenic and rich in omegas; and Hemp Hearts, shelled seeds with a nut-like flavour to aid cardiovascular health.

We identified with creating impact in agriculture, during college itself, and found that peers steered away from it, because it wasn’t ‘cool’, like technology. We wish to reimagine the future of Indian agriculture and what better crop to establish than Cannabis! With Boheco Life, we empower farmers and we also empower consumers to make mindful consumption choices. Our lives have evolved and with it so must our habits, hence, we bring to you a plant-based source of wholesome nutrition that will take care of all your dietary requirements.

According to the United Nations, ‘unsustainable food choices have been causing more harm to the planet, than the use of cars, buses, trucks, ships and planes, combined’. With BOHECO Life, the right choices are now just a click away! Our homegrown endeavour has also successfully limited its use of plastic to 5% (reusable).

History has witnessed hemp play a significant role in organized society. From ship sails to improving lifestyles, it has had an evolution of its own. At the very onset of BOHECO, our aim has been to make this alternative more accessible. Hemp provides an opportunity for a healthy lifestyle and greener future. While we innovate with hemp in a manner that seamlessly helps you make conscious choices, an evolution that positively impacts society is inevitable.

Conceived to harness the complete potential of a seed, BOHECO is engaged in several #HempPowered ventures across agriculture, textile, technology and medicine to drive measurable social impact and empower local farmers. We believe in India’s agricultural capacity, rapid industrialization has made it even more pressing for us to strengthen the agricultural industry.

Hemp grows fast with the least intervention, having more than 25,000 proven uses for every harvest. Farmers will stand to benefit from growing hemp and as we empower them, we empower ourselves. Caring for the environment is essential; hemp requires less water, no pesticides, has soil remedial properties, removes five times more CO2 from the air and can make almost everything that can be made from trees. Growing hemp reduces water and social (soil) pollution, limits soil erosion, and helps restore soil properties, and can save our precious trees!

Working with hemp has helped us create a formal supply chain between remote districts in the north and the rest of India. What would have otherwise been a wasted crop, now provides a steady income source for various farmer groups. Hemp has been mentioned in as early as the Atharva Vedas, its benefits might have been lost for a while, but it has always been known.

Our future plans include building a tight-knit community of hemp believers, scale up on hemp farming through our research and development endeavours and take to market a range of hemp health and wellness products, that could positively impact people’s lives.

About Yash Kotak, Co-founder & Director, Business Development, Communication, BOHECO & BOHECO Life

Yash, who was born into a business family, understood the importance of being value driven and not just valuation focussed, early on. This led him to choose a profession that he would grow to be passionate about.

He pursued a Master’s in Management with majors in Advertising and Communication, followed by a year-long stint at premier media investment company, GroupM. He now has nearly nine years of corporate expertise and has received several accolades, such as being featured in the Forbes Asia 30 Under 30 List and named Top Influential Global Youth Marketing Professional.

Heavily invested in activities, such as yoga and meditation, along with being a vegetarian by choice, BOHECO Life was a natural progression towards building a community of wellness enthusiasts and encouraging healthier lifestyles.