Moncton Business Builds Sustainable Hempwood Cabinet
MONCTON – A local company has built the world’s first hempwood kitchen cabinet in partnership with a U.S. company and hopes to have the exclusive distribution rights for the product in Canada.
The Eastland Group of Companies, a manufacturer of kitchen cabinets, bathroom vanities, mouldings, and custom building materials for over 50 years, showed off a prototype last week at the Atlantic Building Supply Dealers Association Tradeshow in Halifax.
“I’ve had the range – I’ve had all the way from amazement and wow factor to skepticism, especially in terms of the look of the product,” CEO Karim Bhibah said.
Through its affiliated company Canada Hempwood Inc., Eastland is working to finalize an agreement with Fibonacci, a Kentucky-based business that transforms hemp stalk to building-grade hardwood.
Since Fibonacci opened its doors in July of 2019, the two companies have been working together to develop applications for Hempwood in everyday building materials.
“The reality is that the building material market is huge, and we have expectations that it will be a fairly significant portion of the market,” Bhibah said in an interview with Huddle.
Hempwood is a sustainable material given the plant’s ability to grow in only 90 days compared to trees, which can take more than two decades to mature.
Bhibah said building with hempwood avoids cutting trees, preventing the ripple effects of deforestation and impact on soils. Hemp breathes four times more carbon dioxide than other trees, contributing to better air quality.
The current prototype has a “woodsy, rustic look” but further versions of the product will be produced to offer a more standard cabinet for consumers.
“There’s also obviously the options of having painted products, which will make it extremely the same, exactly the same visually as any other hardwoods that are in the making,” Bhibah said.
The announcement has received significant attention on social media since the company shared the cabinets publicly. Sales are beginning to Eastland Group of Companies Dealers, which include Home Hardware, Castle Building Centre and Timber Mart.
The sample products have yet to arrive in stores but customers can still place pre-orders.
“I’m very proud and humbled to be the first in the world to do that,” Bhibah said. “That wouldn’t happen without the help of everyone around me and my colleagues.”